Drink Driving
The consequences being convicted of a drink driving offence can be life-changing even if it’s your first offence and you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to respond to the charges against you.
As with most other motoring offences the more serious the offence, the higher the penalty and if you are convicted you will face a ban of between 12 months and three years.
Less severe offences will stay on your driving record for four years from the date of the offence (or the date of conviction where you have received a disqualification); these include:
DR40 – in charge of a vehicle while alcohol level above limit; 10 points
DR50 – in charge of a vehicle while unfit through drink; 10 points
DR60 – failure to provide a specimen for analysis in circumstances other than driving or attempting to drive; 10 points
DR70 – failing to provide specimen for breath test; 4 points
More severe offences, including driving or attempting to drive above the alcohol limit (DR10), driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink (DR20), driving or attempting to drive and then failing to provide a specimen for analysis (DR30) and driving or attempting to drive then refusing to give permission for analysis of a blood sample that was taken without consent due to incapacity (DR31) all carry 3 to 11 penalty points and will stay on your driving record for 11 years from the date of conviction.
Defending drink driving cases can be complex and complicated; at Rotheras our motorist defence team specialise in helping clients facing conviction for drink driving. We would recommend seeking legal advice as early as possible after being convicted of a drink driving offence to give us the best possible chance of successfully defending your case and saving your licence.
We have a site dedicated solely to Motoring Offences whilst still using the same expert Transport solicitors, so if you’re looking for more information about types of offences, our team, where we operate or case studies from some of our previous clients, then head over to KeepMeOnTheRoad. If you feel you’ve read enough and want to speak to one of the country’s leading transport Law teams, give us a call now on 0115 910 0600.
Why use Rotheras for Drink Driving Offences?
We are based in Nottingham but act for clients all over the UK.
We can provide an out of hours service.
We will discuss the circumstances of your offence in detail with you to decide on the best approach, whether that’s defending your case or aiming to keep any sentence to a minimum.
We can attend the police station with you where you are required to give a specimen to ensure correct procedures are followed and no errors are made which could lead to an incorrect verdict.
We will thoroughly prepare for your case by viewing CCTV, contacting witnesses and seeking the opinion of toxicology experts and forensic medical examiners.
We can analyse the evidence gathered in the police process to ensure this has been followed correctly.
We have a network of experts including forensic experts we work with to assess the reliability of your breath test result and check that the breathalyser worked properly.
In some cases we can challenge the result of a blood or urine analysis.
We can successfully argue in cases where you consumed alcohol after driving the vehicle (‘hip flask’ defence), using expert advice to assist us with preparing a back calculation.
We have considerable experience in making successful special reasons arguments in exceptional circumstances.
Send us a message

“Our experienced and specialist team represent clients nationally on a day-to-day basis”
Anton Balkitis
Head of Transport Law
Posted 01/27/2020
This was my first experience using a solicitor, something I felt quite daunted about. Rotheras (Greg and Petra) put me at ease and were very helpful.
Mollie Fish
Posted 01/27/2020
Last year I experienced a car accident, as a front seat passenger. I put forward a personal injury claim with Rotheras. From start to finish, my claim has been dealt with efficiently and professionally, and I have always felt my best interests were considered. All communications were made via letter or email to inform me of all further updates. My claim has now come to an end and I am very happy with the overall outcome. I would recommend Rotheras for their service.
Samya Green
Posted 02/04/2020
We cannot recommend Chris Powell of Rotheras more highly. Mr Powell demonstrated the upmost professionalism with a high level of knowledge of the area for which he was representing us. Anyone needing representation/advice regarding the area of haulage will find that Chris Powell and Rotheras are the best choice.
Karen Walker
Posted 02/04/2020
Claim dealt with efficiently and to a satisfactory conclusion. Wayne Vickers visited me at home initially and explained everything thoroughly. Professional service throughout. Recommended
Clare Stevens

Anton Balkitis
a.balkitis@rotheras.co.uk
Anton Balkitis leads the Transport Law team and is a nationally recognised Transport and Motoring Law specialist at Nottingham-based law firm Rotheras Solicitors.

Olivia Maginn
o.maginn@rotheras.co.uk
Olivia Maginn is a transport and motoring law specialist at Nottingham based law firm Rotheras Solicitors.

Chris Powell
c.powell@rotheras.co.uk
Chris Powell is an associate solicitor at Rotheras, specialising in road transport law and motorist defence. He advises and represents haulage and PSV operator licence holders and drivers on all road transport regulatory matters.

Hardeep Chumber
h.chumber@rotheras.co.uk
Hardeep Chumber is a paralegal in Rotheras Motoring and Transport department and is based at our Lace Market office.

Elizabeth Shaw
e.shaw@rotheras.co.uk
Elizabeth Shaw is a paralegal in Rotheras Transport department and is based at our Lace Market office.

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