18 Month Ban

[BadDecision]

Hi Forum, as you can imagine i made a bad decision on drink driving and was only pulled over due to a faulty headlamp. I blew 65mg at the station with no accidents or injuries or anyone involved. I drove a short distance as a friend of mine was in trouble.

I have had good mitigation and provided the court with an apology letter and a character reference. I am currently a final year university student. I regularly also take my grandparents to their hospital appointments as they have severe diabetes and require frequent check-ups. since my ban on the 21/12/15 this has made it extremely difficult for them. I am not looking at attempting to remove my ban as i understand the consequences of my actions, however would this be of any grounds for an appeal to be lodged?

I have been given a 18 month ban, and offered the drink driving awareness course, but this still means i won't be able to drive till FEB 2017, making my grandparents life hell currently.

Thank you

 

[price1367]

I can see no grounds for you to appeal, you pleaded guilty, you blew 65 and at 18 months, the ban was within the guidelines of 17-22 months. There is provision to apply to have a ban removed after serving half of it, but this is subject to a minimum time elapsed of 2 years, so you do not qualify for that.

 

[Mclanelli]

Hi Forum, as you can imagine i made a bad decision on drink driving and was only pulled over due to a faulty headlamp. I blew 65mg at the station with no accidents or injuries or anyone involved. I drove a short distance as a friend of mine was in trouble.

I have had good mitigation and provided the court with an apology letter and a character reference. I am currently a final year university student. I regularly also take my grandparents to their hospital appointments as they have severe diabetes and require frequent check-ups. since my ban on the 21/12/15 this has made it extremely difficult for them. I am not looking at attempting to remove my ban as i understand the consequences of my actions, however would this be of any grounds for an appeal to be lodged?

I have been given a 18 month ban, and offered the drink driving awareness course, but this still means i won't be able to drive till FEB 2017, making my grandparents life hell currently.

Thank you

Well you chose the needs of your "friend" over that of your grandparents, if indeed this was your first time as a drink driver, and I say that because most people refer to it as a bad decision, only when they are caught.

Do you have grounds for an appeal? No. Was the punishment fair? Yes. Could you have been sentenced to a longer ban? Yes. Did the court have to offer you the benefit of the Drink Drive Awareness course? No.

This might sound harsh, but your grandparents can use a taxi service, or your parents, or ask the NHS via their GP to make provisions for travel if they genuinely have difficulty traveling for treatment.

You would have a difficult time convincing an appeal court that none of the above were a viable option, or that your grandparents travel requirements were the sole responsibility of a full time university student. When you say frequent, how frequent? Even a weekly appointment could be attended via a taxi service.

The purpose of a driving ban is to cause some hardship and difficulty. What you have described here is par for the course, considering your offence and conviction. That's just how it goes when you surrender your right to drive a vehicle.

I'm sorry, but this smacks of a sob story. You need to understand that your punishment could have been far worse. Keep your head down, serve your ban, and find a friendly taxi service.

M