First Time Drink Driving Offence UK - What Happens Next

Prison is unlikely for most first-time offenders unless your reading was very high (120+ microgrammes) or there were aggravating factors like causing an accident. Most defendants receive fines or community orders.

The minimum ban for a first time drink driving offence UK is 12 months. Depending on your reading, bans typically range from 12-28 months or longer. Completing a Drink Drive Rehabilitation Course can reduce your ban by up to 25%.

Virtually impossible. Disqualification is mandatory for drink driving. Only "special reasons" can avoid or reduce the minimum ban, and these are extremely limited - things like genuinely not knowing you were over the limit or drinks being spiked.

A course you can choose to complete that reduces your driving ban by up to 25%. Courts offer this at sentencing. The course costs around £150-250 and involves about 16 hours of sessions covering alcohol education.

Yes. Drink driving convictions become spent after specific rehabilitation periods under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. For most first-time drink driving offences without a custodial sentence, the rehabilitation period is 5 years from the date of conviction. Once spent, you generally don't need to disclose the conviction for most purposes. However, the conviction remains on your driving record for 11 years from the date of conviction.

Generally yes. A single drink driving conviction is typically not considered a crime involving moral turpitude by US immigration authorities. Most people with a simple drink driving offence can still travel to the USA using ESTA or standard visa processes. However, if your offence involved injury, significant property damage, or you have multiple convictions, seek specialist immigration advice before travelling.

Significantly more than before. Most insurers triple or quadruple premiums for convicted drink drivers. Some refuse cover entirely. Shop around using specialist brokers for convicted drivers to find the best rates.

Refusing a breath test without a reasonable excuse is a separate offence carrying the same penalties as drink driving itself. You'll face a minimum 12-month ban and potentially imprisonment.

If you were over the limit and there's no procedural defence, pleading guilty usually makes sense. Guilty pleas receive a sentencing discount of up to one-third, and contesting a case you can't win wastes money and extends the stress.

Only by completing the Drink Drive Rehabilitation Course, which can reduce your ban by up to 25%. There's no other way to get your licence back before your ban ends.

The conviction stays on your driving record for 11 years from the date of conviction. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, driving endorsements become spent after 5 years for adults. Once spent, you generally don't need to disclose it for most purposes.

Currently 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath, 80 milligrammes per 100ml of blood, or 107 milligrammes per 100ml of urine in England and Wales. Scotland has a lower limit of 22 microgrammes in breath. The government is considering reducing the England and Wales limit to match Scotland's.

Not if police suspended your licence at the station, which they often do for high readings. Check your paperwork carefully. Driving while suspended or disqualified is a serious further offence.

Legal grounds that can persuade a court not to disqualify you or to reduce the disqualification below the minimum. Examples include spiked drinks, driving a very short distance in an emergency, or genuine ignorance of being over the limit. Special reasons are rarely successful.

Ask employers, colleagues, community members, or religious leaders who can speak to your good character. References should be written, signed, and dated. They should confirm the writer knows about the charge and still vouches for your character.

Often yes, unless you drive for work. Many employers take a pragmatic approach to first-time offences. Proactive disclosure to your employer before the conviction often goes better than them finding out later.

A sentence served in the community instead of prison. It might require unpaid work, programme attendance, curfews, or supervision. Breaching a community order can result in imprisonment.

A prison sentence that you don't have to serve unless you commit another offence during the suspension period. For example, "12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months" means you avoid prison unless you offend within 12 months.

Not always necessary for straightforward cases with low readings and guilty pleas. But for high readings, potential prison, special reasons arguments, or professional implications, legal representation significantly improves outcomes.