Have you been charged with dangerous driving?

Should you have been charged with a dangerous driving offence then we’d suggest giving us a call.

You can discuss with us the circumstances of your alleged dangerous driving offence and then we can advise on any legal action that we could undertake on your behalf.

A motorist may be judged to have committed a dangerous driving offence if; their driving is substantially lower than the standard expected of a competent and careful driver; and if a competent and careful driver would be aware that driving in such a way was dangerous.

Dangerous driving offences and the offence of causing death by dangerous driving are both punishable by automatic disqualifications. Convicted drivers face up to 2 years in prison for dangerous driving offences and sentences of up to 14 years if their dangerous driving resulted in a death. Once convicted, drivers must serve a minimum disqualification period of 1 year (or 2 years in death by dangerous driving cases). A disqualified driver will have to take a mandatory re-test before they are allowed to drive again. Depending on the severity of the offence, 3 to 11 points can be endorsed on the convicted driver’s licence.

A lot of different behaviours can be categorised as dangerous driving. Examples of what dangerous driving offences can include;

  • over-taking dangerously,
  • driving upon the pavement,
  • driving aggressively,
  • driving the incorrect way around a roundabout,
  • and intentionally ignoring red traffic lights, traffic and road markings and road signs.

These are all behaviours that a careful and competent driver would seek to avoid.

If you are being accused of a dangerous driving offence, it is crucial that you seek competent legal representation. In order to secure a conviction, the Prosecution must prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt. Your legal representatives will help you to build a case and develop a successful defence which casts doubt on the Prosecution case.

If you are being charged with causing death by dangerous driving, then your case will be heard in the Crown Court. Many solicitors are unable to represent clients in the Crown Court, so it is essential that you choose a legal representative who is able to represent you in this arena.

When building a prosecution case, the Prosecutor will seek to call on accident investigators and expert witnesses to prove the alleged offences beyond reasonable doubt. Our legal team can help to provide you with expert witnesses of your own who will be able to support your defence. These expert witnesses will understand the evidence that is provided by the Prosecution and they will be able to dispute the evidence if appropriate. Our witnesses may help to scrutinise your driving to show that the behaviour was not dangerous based on the circumstances in which the alleged offence was committed.

It may be possible to defend against Dangerous Driving charges by outlining special circumstances (e.g. an emergency scenario) or by using a defence of duress.

In some circumstances, it may be possible to convince the Prosecution to reduce dangerous driving charges to careless driving charges. Dangerous driving puts people at risk of injury or puts property at serious risk of damage, whereas careless driving charges are used for less serious offences.

Call us on 020 3634 9755