At Levy & Co Solicitors, we have the experience to handle a wide variety of different driving offences, no matter the severity of the charge. We have experience working in the following fields:
- Speeding
- Driving Without Insurance
- Alcohol and Drink Driving Offences
- Mobile Phone Offences
- DVSA Offences
The law is designed to protect the citizens of our country, however, if you have fallen victim to the system, our team of experts is well trained and experienced enough to handle your case quickly and efficiently.
If you require assistance for any of these offences, please fill in the form below:
Speeding
Our team are able to provide advice and support when it comes to handling all forms of alleged speeding offences. With years of experience and with appropriate handling, some scenarios have even resulted in the alleged offences being discontinued or withdrawn before they reach trial.
Levy & Co Solicitors are able to provide full representation at the sentencing hearing, which can often make the difference between the driver keeping or losing their license, even if the person has already plead guilty to the offence.
People are often caught out by mobile or fixed safety cameras, whereupon they will be issued a “Notice of Intended Prosecution” by the local central ticket office.
In many cases, the driver may be stopped by the roadside and occasionally warned regarding the speed they are driving at. Often, there is a fixed penalty of £60.00 plus three points on your license. If the Police Officer concerned does not have the relevant paperwork to hand, you may be reported for the offence and receive a summons at a later date in the future.
It is up to the Prosecution to prove any case against you. If the offence is denied, Levy & Co Solicitors can negotiate with the Prosecution. This has resulted in many cases being discontinued before reaching a court hearing. In these cases, you have the right to make an application to the court to have your court costs refunded. If you require representation in your case please call us today on: 01376 511819
Driving Without Insurance
It is a requirement for any driver to have a minimum level of insurance cover for any vehicle that you are driving. This means that a minimum of third party insurance must be obtained for any vehicles you wish to use on public roads. Penalties for driving without appropriate insurance are severe, usually ranging between 6 and 8 penalty points on your license, usually coming with a fine of up to £5,000.00. Sometimes, if you have been convicted of driving without insurance previously, you may be disqualified.
If you believe that you had insurance in place, however, you are informed by your insurance company that you are not covered, you may be guilty of driving without insurance, however, sometimes it can be possible to put forward a Special Reasons Argument in order to contest this. This may result in no penalty points being imposed upon you, and potentially reduce your chances of disqualification.
If your car is parked on a public road or in a communal parking area, it is still required to be insured, even if it is not currently in use.
You may be prosecuted for allowing another person to use your vehicle without insurance. If you mistakenly believed that your insurance covered third parties driving your vehicle, you might be in trouble, however, this is not always the case, why not contact us on: 01376 511819, and we will see if we can help.
Alcohol and Drink Driving
If you are arrested and charged for driving with excess alcohol, our team can assist you and advise you on all aspects of the investigation and court proceedings regarding your case. There is a set procedure that must be followed by the Police before you are charged, and we will do what we can to assist you through the process.
The Police should only request a breath sample after a certain time period after the last alcoholic drink imbibed, and must follow a set practice when commencing the intoximetre procedure at the police station. Our team at Levy & Co will work hard to obtain the necessary CCTV footage of the procedure in the Police Station and if appropriate, negotiate with the Prosecution with a view to discontinuing the case.
If you attempted to give a breath sample but were unable to provide one physically, potentially due to a medical condition of similar. For people unable to give a sample, our team will be able to assist in all aspects of the case and have a team of medical practitioners we work with regularly to ensure that no avenue is overlooked.
Disqualification is mandatory for most alcohol road traffic offences. There is a standard minimum of 12 months, and the Courts will usually increase the disqualification period the higher the alcohol concentration within the body. Levy & Co Solicitors have a proven track record of convincing courts to apply the minimum possible disqualification in worst-case scenarios.
If you were charged with being Drunk in charge of a Motor Vehicle, there is a good chance that you were over the legal limit to drive and were “in charge” of the vehicle and that the vehicle was stationary at the time. Whilst this is a complicated area of law and requires the defendant to show they had no intention of driving at the time, it is still a place where the defendant can avoid disqualification. We can help you, please contact us if you are looking for representation on: 01376 511819
Mobile Phone Offences
If you have been stopped by the Police for driving with a Mobile Phone, we can help defend you! Levy & Co Solicitors has a proven track record of successfully defending clients from such allegations. We can obtain evidence from mobile telephone companies and witnesses at the scene in order to defend allegations like this.
There is a usual penalty of a fine for £200.00 and 6 points for committing a mobile phone offence, however, in certain circumstances, it might be a requirement that you go to Court. If for example, you already have 9 penalty points on your licence, and the Court is thinking of disqualifying you. Perhaps, under different circumstances, the police felt that the manner of your driving was concerning to the point that this became a necessary course of action. Levy & Co are happy to assist with all aspects of your representation. Please call us today on: 01376 511819
DVSA Offences
The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) is responsible for Carrying out roadside spot checks for commercial and other vehicles, vehicle safety and environmental standards, monitoring overloaded vehicles, monitoring drivers’ hours, licensing for vehicles, operators and vocational driving licenses, and LGV entitlement hearings.
At Levy & Co Solicitors, we are experienced in all aspects of such regulatory work and can offer a competitive fixed fee rate for your defence, ensuring you peace of mind and complete transparency throughout our handling of your case. If you need advice on the DSVA or require assistance in your case, you can call us now to speak to one of our solicitors.
DVSA enforcement support officers are capable of issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to drivers at the roadside in respect of drivers’ hours and overloading offences.
If you have been stopped for driving without having had an MOT, an authorised examiner can test a motor vehicle by the roadside. Authorised examiners can include suitably trained Police Constables or Traffic Wardens. Your vehicle may be required to be taken to a test centre no more than five miles away. You may also be interviewed at the roadside, which must follow the correct format. It is an offence to obstruct a DSVA examiner, Police Officer or Traffic Warden carrying out a test.
You may have a Fixed Penalty Notice imposed upon you by the DSVA. They regularly prosecute drivers and operators. Matters may also get reported to the Traffic Commissioners and a Public Inquiry may be called, at which regulatory action may be taken against an Operator’s License. You may also be called to an LGV entitlement hearing. For assistance with representation in your case please call us today on: 01376 511819
Levy & Co Solicitors provide legal services throughout Essex, with offices in Witham, Braintree, Clacton, and South Benfleet.
Motoring offence, Summary only , Guilty Plea
Motoring Offences Fixed Fees
• Driving with excess alcohol • Fail to provide a sample for analysis - Drink /Drug Driving • Driving under the influence of Drugs
• Careless and inconsiderate driving
• Failing to give information as to the identity of the driver
• Failing to stop or report, and speeding.
•Using a mobile phone - Driving
Fixed Fees: From £500 + vat
What is included?
● Attendance and/or preparation;
● Considering the evidence;
● Taking your instructions;
● Providing advice on likely sentence;
● Attendance and representation at a single hearing at the Magistrates Court.
What is not included?
● Instruction of any expert witnesses;
● Taking statements from any witnesses;
● Advice and assistance in relation to a Special Reasons hearing;
● Advice or assistance in relation to any appeal.
Key stages involved
The key stages of your matter are based on the presumption that you have entered a guilty plea and
have a date for your hearing. They typically include:
● Meet with your you to provide instructions on what happened;
● Consider initial disclosure, and any other evidence and provide advice;
● Arranging to take any witness statements, if necessary (this will have an additional cost,
charged at an hourly rate of £200.00 plus vat
● Explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing,
and the sentencing options available to the Court;
● Conduct any further preparatory work, obtain further instructions from you, if necessary, and
answer any follow up queries you have;
● Attend court on the day, meet with you before going before the court. We anticipate being at
court for half a day
● Discuss the outcome with you. If advice is required on appeal, this will carry an additional cost.
Please note we cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day.
Special Reasons These concern exclusively to situations where the accused has been found or has pleaded guilty and now faces
disqualification unless he/she can persuade the Court that the circumstances of the offence are such that it would be unjust to impose a disqualification.
Motoring offence, summary
Each fixed fee set out below is exclusive of VAT and includes preparation for the Magistrates’ Court hearing including advice and collation of evidence, representation at court by one of our specialist solicitors and advice on appeal if that is necessary.
Representation at court upon Guilty plea with sentence at a single hearing
£500 plus vat
Representation at court upon guilty plea with sentence at a separate hearing
£750 plus vat
Not guilty plea and half day trial
£1500 plus vat
Not guilty plea and full day trial
£2000 plus vat
Additional day or part day of trial
£500 plus vat
Exceptional hardship argument to avoid disqualification
£750 plus vat
Special reasons argument to avoid disqualification
Fees as for trials
Half day – £1500 plus vat
Full day – £2000 plus vat
Appeal to the Crown Court Appeal against sentence – £1800 plus vat
Additional Expenses In addition, some trials will involve the instruction of experts to provide reports
such as ‘back calculations’ where you are alleging post-driving consumption of alcohol. The fee for
these reports is not included in the fixed-fess set out above, and there will be an additional cost, often
in the region of £300 plus vat
.
Representation at a more distant court will incur an additional expense of £50 plus vat /per hour exclusive travel time. Any mileage to more distant courts will be at the inclusive rate of £0.45 per mile with additional disbursements such as parking.
Although unlikely, some cases may be particularly complicated and therefore unsuited to a fixed fee approach. We will identify such cases immediately and provide you with separate advice as to the likely cost to conclusion.
At Levy & Co Solicitors, we have a lot of experience in dealing with all manner of cases: Our areas of expertise are: Police Station Visits, Criminal Law, Football Offences, Dangerous Dogs, Motoring Offences, Coroners Inquests, Military Law, Family Law, and Mental Health cases. We can also assist you with getting Private and Public Funding. We have worked with clients all over the UK and abroad and have offices in Witham, Clacton-On-Sea, Braintree and South Benfleet. We always endeavour to act with compassion and no judgement ensuring you are treated with humility and understanding, no matter what charges you may face.