We at The Motoring Lawyers understand that facing a potential disqualification due to the accumulation of penalty points on your driving licence can have far reaching consequences not only for you but also for your family and colleagues. Our specialised and dedicated team can save your licence by considering:

• The impact of a disqualification on you and those who rely on you. Exceptional hardship can be argued on your behalf, we can help you prepare evidence to support this, to avoid immediate disqualification.
• In some cases a short disqualification can be negotiated rather than receiving penalty points and a subsequent six month ban.
• Defending the original charge brought against you (if appropriate).
• Special reasons can be argued to avoid the imposition of penalty points depending on the circumstances of the offence.

WHAT IS A TOTTING BAN?

Where a driver has attracted 12 or more penalty points for driving offences within a 3 year period, the law states a ‘totting up ban’ must be imposed.

 The minimum period is:

• 6 months if no previous disqualification is to be taken into account.
• 1 year if one previous disqualification is to be taken into account.
• 2 years if more than one previous disqualification is to be taken into account.

The date of the offences and not the date of convictions are relevant to assess whether you are liable to be banned. A simple check of your licence on the DVLA website will clarify the position. If you are unsure, then we can help assess your case. We can also appeal or challenge any errors or wrongly imposed points that have been placed on your licence.

These provisions are set out in section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. This states that an application for exceptional hardship can be made when a driver accumulates 12 or more penalty points and, if approved by the court, would allow you to avoid a disqualification.

We understand that losing your licence can have a serious impact on your livelihood and cause major disruption to your personal life. We can help save your driving licence by persuading the Magistrates not to impose an immediate disqualification by successfully arguing that a ban would cause you and your family ‘exceptional hardship.’ This would allow you to continue to drive despite the points on your licence.