Banned for Driving?
For whatever the circumstances or reasons for it, you find yourself facing a driving ban. And being banned for driving is quite a serious issue.
By far the biggest problem you now face, aside from not being able to drive, is finding out how long your ban could last, when it starts, can it be reduced and so on.
We at LTP Driver Training, aim to answer these questions for you. And to point you to other resources should that be necessary. Particularly as we are unable and/or unqualified to offer legal advice or answer questions about insurance pricing and claiming exceptional hardship.
The Questions People Ask
For any further information or questions please contact us and refer to our full terms and conditions.
No, we are unable to offer any legal advice or assistance. However we would highly recommend the legal firm Lucinda Dore Solicitors Ltd. for advice and help.
No, we are unable to offer any insurance advice or assistance
However we would highly recommend ‘Got You Covered’, the insurance company LTP Driver Training have partnered with to help with any questions you may have about obtaining car insurance after a drink driving conviction.
As partners you can easily get a quote now, or speak to a specialist.
Our drink driving rehabilitation course prices are as follows:
- a weekday course costs £140.00 per person
- a weekend course costs £170.00 per person
- the attendance of interpreters for non English speakers and/or British Sign Language (BSL) signers cost £70.00 per person
- concessionary rate available for serving Armed Forces personnel with proof of their active service status
For more detailed information on this subject please read our Terms & Conditions.
Yes, we offer very flexible payment terms but you must speak to us to arrange this on 01476 515936.
You can secure your place for a low deposit amount of £20.00, although the course must be paid for in full prior to fourteen days before the start of the course.
Please also remember that the Court will have given you a time limit on when you have to complete the drink driving rehabilitation course by.
Yes it is. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Section 5 drink driving is classed as a criminal offence.
As a criminal offence you will receive a criminal record, with this conviction appearing on your criminal record for five years.
Yes, the Court will have offered you the chance to complete a drink driving rehabilitation course.
A driving ban reduction is a minimum of three months, and could even be up to a 25% reduction to the drink driving ban length. This will be entirely up to the Courts to decide.
Pleas read our Drink Driving Course – Why Book? page for more details.
Most likely yes. If you have pleaded guilty to, or been found guilty of, a drink driving offence you will receive a driving ban.
Having said that, the Government article called Drink-driving penalties gives further information on other penalties you could receive dependent on the severity of the offence.
The length of ban varies for a drink driving offence and is wholly dependent on what the court decide.
You may look at using a drink driving ban calculator, although this will not give a true result and is only to be used as a guideline.
Although attending an LTP Driver Training drink driving rehabilitation course can lead to a reduction in the length of the ban.
The minimum ban for a drink driving offence is twelve months, i.e. a full year.
Although attending an LTP Driver Training drink driving rehabilitation course can lead to a reduction in the length of the ban.
When you receive your ban, tell the court you would like to attend a course with LTP Driver Training.
Yes, but do remember that a drink driving ban calculator is offered as a tool only to make estimates.
It does NOT tell you what will happen in court. Your individual case will be decided by the court and your sentence could end up being different to the drink driving ban calculator results.
The Sentencing Council offer a free tool you may wish to try.
Your driving ban will start immediately on the day you are sentenced in court.
When you receive your ban tell the court you would like to attend a drink driving rehabilitation course with LTP Driver Training.
This will help to reduce the period of the ban.
Your ban will end on the date that is stipulated by the court when you are sentenced.
Having said that, you are able to shorten the ban, and thereby bring this date forward, by completing one of the LTP Driver Training drink drive rehabilitation courses.
When you receive your ban tell the court you would like to attend a course with LTP Driver Training.
After a drink driving disqualification you will have to apply for a new driving license, meaning it is a full license application process.
To apply for a driving license after a ban you will have to follow the process for this, which is described on the ‘Reapply for your driving licence if you’ve been disqualified‘ page of the Government’s website.
You should apply fifty six days before the date you are due to get your licence returned.
However, if you are what is considered by the court to be a high risk offender, you need to apply ninety days before the driving ban ends.
The DVLA should post out to you a D27 form when it is time for you to apply.
Fill in the form and send it to DVLA with the driving licence fee. You’ll be told if you need to send a new passport-style photo in the D27 renewal form.
If you do not get your renewal form in the post, you can get one from the Post Office.
However LTP Driver Training would recommend that you go to a Post Office to obtain a form called a D1 form yourself (that’s if it is to reapply for a car or motorcycle licence renewal) or for a lorry or bus licence renewal use form D2.
The forms can also be ordered online from the DVLA.
This will allow you more time to prepare your information and gather the required documents in preparation for completing the D1 or D2 form.
Additionally you will not be affected by any future possible postal delays.
Complete the D1 or D2 form and and return by following the instructions in the form.
The form should come with an instruction booklet that helps you to fill out the D1 or D2 form correctly.
You can also visit the DVLA website to download and order a D1 or D2 form.
However it is best to rely on a paper version from the Post Office as they should always the latest version of the booklet.
Please be aware that you cannot drive until your disqualification period is over.
To renew a driving licence after a ban you must apply for a new licence with the DVLA.
The process of driving licence renewal after disqualification is in fact the process of applying for a brand new driving licence.
The process for this is described on the ‘Reapply for your driving licence if you’ve been disqualified‘ page of the Government’s website.
See also the FAQ How do I get my driving licence back after a ban.
As a drink driving conviction is a criminal offence it will appear on your criminal record for at least five years.
During this period you will have to declare drink driving to insurance companies.
After the minimum five years have elapsed the offence is considered ‘spent’, meaning you will no longer have to declare it to your insurance company.
Being taken to court for a first time drink driving offence can be a daunting experience.
The drink driving penalties first offence are at least a driving ban, with knock on effects, such as having a criminal record for at least five years.
We are unable to offer any legal assistance, however we would highly recommend the law firm Lucinda Dore Solicitors Ltd. for advice and help.
Of course a good way to reduce the length of the diving ban is to attend one of our drink driving rehabilitation courses and learning from it, so that your first time drink driving offence remains your only one.
The LTP Driver Training drink driving courses are provided in a non judgmental, supportive and friendly manner. We also offer online courses so you can come to us from wherever you are in the UK.
If you receive a driving ban in court they will ask you which course provider you would like to use. Please tell them you would like to attend a course at LTP Driver Training.
The Government article called Drink-driving penalties gives further information.
Facing your second drink driving offence? At least you will understand what you are facing in terms of going to court, attending a rehabilitation course etc.
However, drink driving 2nd offence penalities are harsher. The minimum ban you can receive for a second offence within 10 years is thirty six months i.e. three years.
The Government article called Drink-driving penalties also gives further information.
It should go without saying that the more you commit the same offence the more serious a sentence the court gives you is likely to be.
If you only receive a ban, and have not taken an LTP Driver Training drink drive rehabilitation course before, then it is definitely now time for you to do so.
Even if you have previously taken a course for a driving ban, you should consider attending another one now.
Our courses are designed to equip you with the education and tools to help you with driving decisions in the future.
The Government article called Drink-driving penalties also gives further information.
If the police suspect someone of driving over the alcohol limit they will ask them to provide samples, such as breath, urine or blood.
If a sample you provide is three or more times over the legal limit you are instantly classed as a high risk offender.
High risk offenders are required to undergo and pass a DVLA Medical before they can get a new driving licence.
The Government article called Driving disqualifications gives further information about what the medical entails.
‘Driving ban exceptional hardship’ cannot used as a reason to get out of attending a drink driving rehabilitation course.
Special reasons must relate to the commission of the drink driving offence in question and in order to constitute a special reason, the Court of Appeal has established that any matter put forward as a special reason not to endorse or disqualify must:
- be a mitigating or extenuating circumstance;
- not amount in law to a defence to the drink driving charge;
- be directly connected to the commission of the drink driving offence;
- be one which a court of law ought to properly take into consideration when considering what sentence to impose.
LTP Driver Training are unable to offer any further information or advice on this subject as each case is unique and decisions are made entirely by the courts.
You can book an LTP Driver Training course only once you have been to court and received a sentence.
The court will refer your request and information to us. This is usually done on the same day.
When in Court you need to make the Court staff and/or any legal representative you have aware that you are choosing LTP Driver Training to be your drink driving course training provider.
If on the day, you are referred to another course provider by the sentencing court, you are able to change that course provider to LTP Driver Training.
You are free to change your drink driving course provider at any time. To do so please contact the course provider you were originally referred to and request they now send your information to LTP Driver Training.
Our online courses are provide by a video conference call. LTP Driver Training use the Zoom platform for these video calls.
Our Terms & Conditions contain further details on the use of Zoom.
A drink driving course is delivered over a three day period. You may select a weekday or weekend course when booking.
There is more information on this subject on the What Does the Drink Driving Course Cover? article.
