What a driving offence is likely to cost you

Received a Single Justice Procedure Notice, a postal requisition, or a charge for a driving offence? A few questions will tell you three things before you reply.

Your plea

Guilty or not guilty

Whether a not-guilty plea may be worth exploring

Likely sentence

Fine, points & ban

An estimate of the penalty on conviction

Representation

Whether to instruct

Whether you should take legal advice

This tool provides general information, not legal advice. Points and Bans produces an automated estimate based on the published Sentencing Council guidelines. It does not know the full facts of your case and is no substitute for advice from a qualified solicitor or barrister. The court can still decide differently, and outcomes vary.

Approximately 2–3 minutes · Free · No sign-up · Confidential

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Which offence have you been charged with?

Select the offence shown on your SJPN or charge sheet. If more than one applies, begin with the most serious.

If your offence is not listed — in particular dangerous driving, or causing death or injury — you should instruct a solicitor directly. Further offences are being added.

← Choose a different offence

Important — before you act on this assessment

These figures are estimates produced from the published guidelines and the answers you provided. They are not legal advice and the court is not bound by them. Time limits are strict — an SJPN ordinarily requires a response within 21 days, and it should not be ignored. Where the assessment identifies a possible defence or a risk of disqualification, you should obtain proper advice before entering a plea.

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First, one question

How old were you on the day of the offence?

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This tool cannot help with your case

Not because your case is hopeless — because it works in a different court, under different rules, and everything this tool would tell you would be wrong.

What is different

You go to the youth court, not the magistrates’ court. It sits in private, and the sentences it can pass are different.
You cannot be dealt with by the Single Justice Procedure. That paper procedure is only for people aged 18 and over.
The fine is not worked out from your income. Where the person is under 18 the court can order a parent or guardian to pay, and it looks at their means instead. If you are under 16 it normally must.
Penalty points still apply to any licence you hold, including a provisional or moped licence, and they carry over when you pass your full test.

What to do

Tell a parent or guardian today. They will be involved whether or not you want them to be, and the letter has a deadline on it.
Do not ignore the letter. The deadline is real and the court can deal with the case without you.
You are entitled to free legal advice. A young person in the criminal courts can usually get legal aid, and a solicitor who does youth court work is the right person to ask.

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Penalty point & ‘totting’ checker

Reaching 12 penalty points that count within a three-year window normally means a ‘totting up’ disqualification of at least six months. Crucially, whether an old endorsement still counts depends on the date the offence was committed — not on what is currently shown on your licence. Enter your dates and we will work it out.

Use the date each offence was committed, not the date you were convicted or paid a fixed penalty. This is an estimate only, not legal advice.

The current offence

Offence

Date committed

Points

The court is likely to disqualify me for this offence itself (e.g. a short speeding ban). If so, it carries no points.

Points already on your record

Add each existing endorsement. We’ll work out which still count towards totting.

A few more questions

I have previously been disqualified for reaching 12 points (a ‘totting’ ban, code TT99). This wipes earlier points.

Date of that disqualification

I have been disqualified for 56 days (about eight weeks) or more, on one or more occasions, in the three years before this offence.

How many such disqualifications?

I passed my driving test within the last two years (a probationary ‘new driver’).

Date you passed your test

Important

This calculation is an estimate based on the dates you entered and the rules in the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. It is not legal advice. The court makes the final decision, and a solicitor can check the dates and argue ‘exceptional hardship’ to avoid or shorten a ban.

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Could ‘exceptional hardship’ save your licence?

If you are facing a ‘totting up’ disqualification (12 or more points), the court must impose at least the minimum ban unless you can show ‘exceptional hardship’. This is a high bar: the burden is on you, to be proved on the balance of probabilities and normally with sworn evidence. This tool helps you judge whether the argument is worth running and what to prepare.

‘Exceptional hardship’ is decided case by case and the discretion is the court’s. This is not a prediction or legal advice. You can normally rely on a particular set of circumstances only once every three years.

1. If you were banned, what would be likely to happen? (tick all that apply)

I would lose my own job or main source of income

Would any of these apply? These can lift job loss above ordinary hardship.

It would mean losing a career I have built, not just a job I am the sole earner or provider for my family I have significant debts I could not keep up with

Other people would lose their jobs (e.g. employees or colleagues who rely on me driving) Someone who depends on me — a child, or an elderly, disabled or ill relative — would be left without essential care or transport A business would fail or be seriously harmed, affecting other people Other innocent people (not just me) would suffer serious consequences Mainly personal inconvenience to me (longer journeys, social or leisure impact)

2. Could you realistically manage without driving?

Courts expect evidence that public transport, lifts, taxis, or reorganising work or life are not viable.

No realistic alternative — driving is essential It would be very difficult, but not impossible It would be manageable with some adjustment

3. In the last three years, have you already avoided or shortened a ‘totting’ disqualification by arguing exceptional hardship (or similar)?

The same circumstances cannot normally be relied on twice within three years.

No Yes I’m not sure

Important

This is a guide to whether an exceptional-hardship argument is worth exploring — not a prediction, and not legal advice. The court decides on the evidence, and the argument normally requires sworn evidence from you. Because you can usually rely on a set of circumstances only once every three years, it is worth getting it right with proper advice.

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Could you have a ‘special reason’?

A ‘special reason’ is a narrow basis on which a court may decide not to endorse your licence, or not to impose a disqualification an offence would normally carry. It must be something special to the offence itself, not to you — and even then the court keeps a discretion. This tool checks whether your situation falls within one of the recognised categories.

A special reason does not reduce your penalty points — it is all or nothing. The burden is on you, and the discretion is the court’s. This is not legal advice.

Which best describes your situation?

My drink was laced or spiked without my knowledge, and I was over the drink-drive limit I genuinely believed I was insured (a driving-without-insurance charge) I drove only a very short distance, where I was unlikely to meet other road users I drove because of a genuine emergency I urgently needed a toilet (often a medical condition) and there was nowhere reasonable to stop None of these

Did you know or suspect your drink had been laced or strengthened?

No — I had no idea Yes — I knew or suspected

But for the extra alcohol, would you have stayed under the limit?

Yes No — I’d have been over anyway I’m not sure

Why did you believe you were insured?

I am an employee and was told by my employer to drive their vehicle An insurer, broker or other person told me I was covered I checked the policy and reasonably understood it covered me I assumed I was covered without checking

Did you drive only a very short distance?

Yes No

Was there a real risk of meeting other vehicles or pedestrians?

No real risk Yes, there was a risk

Was there a genuine emergency involving a risk of serious harm?

Yes No / not that serious

Did you try every reasonable alternative first (999, a taxi, someone else driving)?

Yes No

Were you driving to deal with the emergency, or away from it / homeward?

To deal with the emergency Home or away, or after it had passed

Was the need genuinely urgent — for example caused by a medical condition (such as IBS, Crohn’s, or a bladder or bowel condition) or pregnancy?

Yes — a genuine, urgent need No — ordinary discomfort

Was there a realistic, reasonable place to stop that you passed?

No reasonable place to stop Yes — there were places I could have stopped

Were you driving to the nearest toilet, and did you return to normal driving as soon as you could?

Yes No

Important

This is a guide to whether a special-reasons argument may be open to you — not a prediction or legal advice. Special reasons are narrow and technical, the burden is on you, and even if one is established the court still decides whether to act on it.

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Do you have a defence?

A defence is different from mitigation: if it succeeds, there is no conviction at all. This tool runs through the recognised defences and evidential challenges for your offence. Choose the offence, then tick anything that might apply.

This is not legal advice, and ticking a box does not mean the defence will succeed. Defences are fact-sensitive and the burden of proof varies. Do not plead guilty before taking advice if any of these might apply.

Which offence?

Which of these might apply? (tick all that apply)

Choose the offence above to see the relevant defences.

Important

This is a guide to which defences might apply — not a prediction or legal advice. A defence must be raised correctly and, depending on the defence, proved. If any might apply, get advice before entering a plea — pleading guilty gives up the defence.