Driving Without Due Care and Attention
Do the police want to speak to you about the standard of your driving, or have you received a summons for court – please contact us.
Call us 24 hours a day
0800 0129 988or email us for a free quote
Get a free quoteWhy choose Save My Driving Licence ?
-
Specialist road
traffic solicitor -
Direct contact
with your solicitor -
Available 24 hours
a day -
Attendance at the
police station if required -
Attend courts
across the uk -
Face to face appointments or telephone conferences
What is the offence?
It is an offence if you drive on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other users.
The test used in court is whether the standard of driving fell below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.
Driving without due care and attention is classed as a strict liability offence. This means you commit the offence even if it was a genuine accident and you had no intention to drive in such a way. It doesn’t matter if you are inexperienced, or if it was a simple error of judgment.
- Examples of driving without due care and attention
- Overtaking on the inside
- Driving very close to another vehicle
- Driving into the path of another vehicle from a side road
- Distraction from inside the car such as turning on the radio and an accident is caused as a result.
What is the penalty?
Your licence can be endorsed with between 3 and 9 points and you will receive a financial penalty. The court can consider a disqualification if they feel the circumstances justify it.
You may be offered a fixed penalty of 3 points and £100 fine. You should only accept this if you agree that you are guilty of the offence. You can reject the fixed penalty and your case will go to court.
You may be offered a driver improvement course for a fee. If this is completed the case before the court will be discontinued and you will not receive any points or face a disqualification.
Are there any defences?
You may have a defence and you should contact us to discuss your circumstances. Here are some examples:
- You were not driving carelessly. This is considered on a factual basis looking at all the circumstances of the case.
- You had a mechanical defect on your vehicle. This is a defence as long as it is a sudden defect that you could not have been expected or known about.
- You were not the person driving the vehicle at the time.
- There was an involuntary act such as losing consciousness. This defence can be used as long as you did not know beforehand that you were suffering from an illness that could seriously affect your control of the vehicle.
I have received a summons for court what shall I do?
If you receive a summons for court you should contact us to discuss your case. We can advise you about your case and represent you at court. It may be that you have a defence.
The police want to speak to me what shall I do?
If the police have made contact with you to speak to them about an accident please contact us. This meeting is likely to be a formal interview where the police will ask you to give an account of what took place. We can attend this meeting with you.
We're always here to help you
If you are contacted by the police or receive a summons for court we may be able to help you. It is quick and simple to make an appointment, just contact us by email or phone. We can see you in the office or speak to you on the phone.
We are available 24 hours a day providing a professional service with direct access to a solicitor. If you need help to keep your licence please contact us.
Get a free quote
