How can a change of address result in a driving ban without your knowledge?

This can and does happen. We have had distraught clients who only find out they are banned when they are informed by a police officer at the roadside.

You may protest to the officer that there must be a mistake. This can’t have happened as you know nothing about it. The officer may even express their sympathy for your predicament as they impound your car and charge you with driving whilst disqualified and without insurance. All because you failed to make arrangements to receive your post whilst on work placement away from home or you move address permanently but forget to notify the DVLA of your change of address.

The proliferation of portable and permanent speed cameras results in drivers being caught speeding without being aware of it. The police then write to you, the registered keeper, within 14 days of the offence requiring the details of the driver within a further 28 days. Failure to provide those details within this statutory time limit is a criminal offence which requires endorsement on the licence of 6 penalty points. As the registered keeper you are then summonsed to court by post, and of course, you are unaware of this also and do not attend. The Court then deals with the case in your absence which includes disqualifying you from driving if the 6 points bring the total on your licence to 12 points or more. The Court will write to you with a warning that you cannot heed.

You are now a disqualified driver and the insurance that you are paying for is worthless!

You are now living a nightmare. The police will crush your car if you do not collect it within 7 days. You cannot collect it if you cannot produce a valid certificate of insurance. Your policy is not valid because you are now a disqualified driver and what is more, you cannot get new insurance for the same reason.

What can you do?

Our Legal 500 Top Tier team can help you immediately. We will arrange to have the conviction you were unaware of set aside so that the driving ban is also set aside. You can then get insurance, save your car from the jaws of the crusher and continue to drive until we sort the whole mess out for you.

For more information about how we can help if you are charged with a motoring offence contact our driving offence solicitors on 0191 232 9547.