Call me stoopid!

Convicted Driver Insurance

stoopid

Member
Hi,

I am 1 month into my 2nd ban for drink driving :( First time was a DR50 after blowing 52 at the roadside in 2003 (I was driving so why the DR50?), second time I blew 99 at the roadside 9.5 years later (what a f***ing prick I am!), this one will be a DR10.

I have no excuses, I'm just a prick I guess :(

First time round I received an 18 month ban reduced to 13 months after completing the drink driving course I was offered. This time I received a 36 month ban and 80 hours community service. I am going to suffer this time round. I am 30 years old now and relied on my license so much more than I did when I was 21. I obviously didn't learn the first time hence my situation now.... I tell you now though I will learn this time!

Anyway, thanks for providing this site, I just wish I could say it was nice to be here :(
 
Well I am almost 5 months into my ban now and have settled into life without a license..... what a pain but I am managing!

Community service is done now, 10 Saturdays in a charity shop was different and I have volunteered some more hours to ease my sense of guilt to the community :(

Fine is paid and car is insured thanks to a bespoke policy so I will at least keep my no claims bonus.

Just a waiting game now which I am spending getting myself in shape and learning some tough lessons!

I will be appealing my ban after 2 years which is about 18 months away at present. Apparently as I was 9.5 years since the last offence I stand a good chance of winning the appeal. I won't rely on that hope however just in case.

Many hours have been spent thinking about how stupid I have been. I know for a FACT I will never do this again now!
 
Hi Stoopid,

I am in a similar situation, second offence, blew 82 and got banned for 36 months in September 2010. I could have applied to have my licence back in September 2012 but I had to mess things up and got caught driving whilst disqualified in July 2012. Appeared at Court in December 2012 and got an extension of a year onto my ban and 150 hours community service and a fine. According to the Forum Solicitor I will have to complete the years ban before I can reapply, so will have to 'grin and bear it' for another 8 months.

Have completed the community service - worked in a charity shop also and an Elim Pentecostal Church doing general duties, moping, sweeping etc...

I spend so much time thinking about what might have been if I wasnt caught driving, I could have my licence back, wouldnt have lost the car but hoping the time will go in soon and I will be back on the road again. Just have to try and remain positive and try not to be so stoopid for a fourth time !!
 
Oh **** that's gotta hurt! You were so close to appeal too!

So just to clarify, you basically had a 12 months extension added to the beginning of your ban in that you had to serve 24 months of the original 36 month DUI ban before you can appeal? In other words you got a 4 year ban and can't appeal till after 3 years?
 
AndyCabs said:
Hi Stoopid,

I am in a similar situation, second offence, blew 82 and got banned for 36 months in September 2010. I could have applied to have my licence back in September 2012 but I had to mess things up and got caught driving whilst disqualified in July 2012. Appeared at Court in December 2012 and got an extension of a year onto my ban and 150 hours community service and a fine. According to the Forum Solicitor I will have to complete the years ban before I can reapply, so will have to 'grin and bear it' for another 8 months.

Have completed the community service - worked in a charity shop also and an Elim Pentecostal Church doing general duties, moping, sweeping etc...

I spend so much time thinking about what might have been if I wasnt caught driving, I could have my licence back, wouldnt have lost the car but hoping the time will go in soon and I will be back on the road again. Just have to try and remain positive and try not to be so stoopid for a fourth time !!
Click to expand...
Hie guys can someone tell me how the community service works, do you get appointed to any place to go and do the hours or clean, someone tell me, lets say its charity shop do they tell the charity shop your crime or not, and another thing is any idea about being in the local paper omg, that thought alone is sending me coocoo help
 
doubletrouble said:
Hie guys can someone tell me how the community service works, do you get appointed to any place to go and do the hours or clean, someone tell me, lets say its charity shop do they tell the charity shop your crime or not, and another thing is any idea about being in the local paper omg, that thought alone is sending me coocoo help
Click to expand...

You will be assessed by a probation officer. This usually takes around 45 minutes and will count towards 1 hour off you sentenced CS. If they deem you suitable to work in what they call "agency placements" which include charity shops and churches, then someone will contact you to arrange that work. You are best to go this route if possible as essentially the shop manager manages your hours therefore you do not need to report to the probation office every week.

You will also have to do a full day of induction which included safety and manual handling training. This is usually 1 morning followed by an afternoon of group work which is the type of CS that everyone thinks of i.e. flourescent jackets with community payback written on them and picking up litter, cleaning graveyards etc. This is the type of work you will do if you do not qualify for an agency placement.

If you get agency work they are not told of your crime. Only the shop manager knows you are there on CS, it's up to you if you tell them why you are there.

There is a good chance you will be in the papaer yes, however I have dodged this twice now, usually as there has been something bigger going on in court!
 
Hi Double,

I have also managed to avoid the local 'rags' 3 times - try and arrange the Court session for later in the day, was informed the journalists only attend in the morning. At my last appearance the Journalist sat and read the paper, probably reading the 'cr*p' he had written the day before - ha-ha.

Regards to Community Work - I worked in charity shop, not much happening - sorting through clothes, steaming and tagging them, ready to be priced and put on the shop floor - spent more time sitting doing nothing than working.

The Church I worked at had a sports hall and other meeting rooms, a very big place, so I was kept busy hoovering, moping, cleaning toilets, emptying bins etc... but again it was very relaxed and met some good guys there, was interesting to hear their stories of Court and how they ended up doing community service.

Some places, I was told can be very strict, as far as they are concerned you are there to be supervised so you have to bring a packed lunch and not allowed to leave to go to shop or have a smoke but that wasn't my experience !!!

Plus you should be given a pair of steel toe capped boots and can keep them - bonus (haha).

I have 2 jobs, work 6 days a week, so I had to use a lot of personal days to get the hours down and was determined to have it completed in 3 months, other guys are there with 240 hours and only doing 1 day a week.

Good Luck, the hours soon drop off but keep a note of what you work as the Probation Officers have a habit of not inputting the worksheets through the system and you end up working more hours than what was originally intended.
 
Hi Stoopid,

Yeah, your right. I was given a 3 year ban from September 2010 - September 2013, I probably could have got my licence back after 2 years, September 2012.

The driving whilst disqualified extended my disqualification by another year so am assuming it is to September 2014.

The Forum Solicitor states I will have to serve the full year of the driving whilst disqualified ban which will take me to December 2013 (was at Court, December 2012) after that year ban then I can apply to have my licence back. That is the way i see it.

When I spoke to the Solicitor and Probation Officer after the Court hearing they both assumed I would get my licence back in December 2013.

I intend to put a FOI request to the Court to get all papers on the hearing as I have to resit the test and did not hear the Magistrate say I had to do that plus I want to get clarification on the way the driving ban ends and how soon I can go back to Court to have my licence reinstated.
 
Thanks guys, I at least have knowledge of what to expect if I go down this road I work 3days a week,so the days they want you r not set days I hope, wow the jacket as well my court is at 10 am just fingers crossed I don't become targeted for this as I'm sure my house will be having stones thrown at it if anyone read in paper
 
Well, I am 10 days shy of being banned now for 27 months. Today I had an application for early removal of disqualification hearing and my ban was shortened by approximately 6 months meaning my ban ends at the end of May this year! What a long road it has been but now there is light at the end of the tunnel. I can apply to the DVLA on 3rd March to start the ball rolling in respect to the medical requirements etc.

It's interesting reading back on this old thread. Back when I started it I felt like it would never end, it's felt like that a lot along the way.

Anyhow, final push now and the pressure will be off all the people that my ban has affected. The independence will be a nice thing too!
 
Just to note regarding the above.....

As part of my application for removal of disqualification, I had to have the arresting officer come to my house and interview me so that he could give his opinion to the crown prosecution service on whether he thought I should get my license back early or not. That report was read by the bench in court and was relied on heavily as far as I could see. Now, I guess I was lucky as he was a genuinely nice guy in my case, however, I'm not sure it's fair that a police officer can have a say in your application, just my opinion. I may start a thread regarding this part of the process as I have never seen any examples of anyone else going through it.

ANYHOW!!

I had my medical today and my ban ends 6 weeks on Sunday!

The application to renew my license form was received at the beginning of March and returned the next day.

Usual story, blood pressure and heart checked, bit of a prod in the stomach area and bloods taken. Must have taken 15 minutes at the most. I hadn't drank a drop for 6 weeks beforehand so hopefully will have no issues with the blood test.

Hopefully some time in the next 6 weeks a driving license will drop through the door marking the end of my journey and the start of the next chapter in my life!
 
Well, a measly 8 days after my medical, MY LICENSE HAS TURNED UP!! A full 10 year license :)

That's it, the process is over, just a waiting game now for my license valid date of the end of May! Wahoo!

I remember reading this type of thread/post over 2 years back thinking that one day it will be my turn! Well now it is and it will be yours one day too! All the best!

Wahoo!
 
Back on the road! Thanks for all the help I received on this forum and good luck to you all, don't make the same mistake twice like I did!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Enter code DRINKDRIVING10 during checkout for 10% off
Top