Drink driving, dangerous driving and having too many points on your licence are all very well-known ways that you can become disqualified from driving. Ultimately, if you pose a danger to pedestrians and other vehicles on the road, then a court can take your driving licence away from you.
In addition, you could lose your licence through licence revocation rather than a driving disqualification. The DVLA may revoke your licence for various reasons, such as if your licence was issued in error or if you’ve failed to surrender your licence for endorsement.
However, there are also many less well-known ways you can lose your driving licence. To help you avoid these outcomes and keep your freedom and independence, here are some examples of unusual ways you can lose your licence.
1) Dangerous Parking
It’s obvious that dangerous driving can lead to a driving ban, especially if someone gets hurt, but did you know that dangerous parking can also cause you to lose your licence?
Typically, bad parking can result in tickets and fines. Although this is very annoying and expensive for drivers, it won’t usually put your licence in danger.
However, parking on zig zag lines normally found near pedestrian crossings can carry a fine of up to £1000 and 3 penalty points on your licence. Therefore, parking dangerously 4 times can get you 12 points and a 6-month driving ban.
2) Drug Driving
The dangers and consequences of drink driving are very familiar to us. Driving under the influence of alcohol is an extremely serious motoring offence that will result in at least a 1-year driving ban, an unlimited fine and even a 6-month prison sentence.
However, people aren’t as familiar with the laws and consequences surrounding drug driving, despite its severity. In fact, one in twenty fatalities on the UK’s roads is caused by drug drivers.
To tackle this issue, the UK government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards driving under the influence of drugs. This means that, unlike drink driving laws, drug driving law has been enacted to ensure that even those with small amounts of drugs in their blood will be prosecuted.
Drug Driving Limit
However, the government has set specified limits for various types of drugs to rule out accidental exposure. For example, the drug driving limit for THC (cannabis) is 2 micrograms of THC per litre of blood.
You could be convicted of drug driving if you’re even slightly over these drug driving limits.
The minimum sentence for driving in excess of the limit is a 12-month disqualification from driving. In more severe cases, a community penalty or even a custodial sentence of up to 6 months may be imposed.You’ll also face increased car insurance costs once you get your licence back.
Drug Driving Test
But how can you be caught drug driving?
The police have the power to stop any vehicle driving on a public road.. If they suspect you have committed a moving traffic offence or that you’re driving under the influence of l drugs, they can then require a sample of saliva using a home office approved swab test. If the results come back positive for cannabis or cocaine, the police can arrest you and take you into custody where a requirement for a blood specimen will be made. The blood specimen will then be analysed for all drugs in relation to which limits apply under section 5a Road Traffic Act 1988. If the specimen is reported as being above the prescribed limits for any of these drugs, a charge will be issued by post requiring you to attend Court.
3) Driving Whilst on Legal Drugs
It’s not just illegal drugs you need to worry about. You could break drug driving laws by taking legal or illegal drugs if your driving ability is impaired, as per the Road Traffic Act 1988.
According to prescription drugs and driving laws, you shouldn’t be driving if you’re taking certain controlled drugs or prescription drugs that make you drowsy or negatively impact your concentration or reaction speed. Since you can cause road accidents by being under the influence of certain prescription medicines, you could face penalties for drug driving such as a driving ban even if you have a valid prescription.
To help you work out when you can and can’t drive, the UK government has drug driving limits for both legal and illegal drugs. Make sure you’re not taking more than the legal limit of medicinal drugs if you plan to get behind the wheel, and ask your doctor for further advice regarding driving.
Additionally, it’s illegal to drive with certain prescription drugs in your system if you haven’t been prescribed them. If you’re planning on driving while taking these drugs, keep your prescription with you and follow your doctor’s advice on how to take the medication.
4) Medical Conditions
With some medical conditions, you can take prescription medicine and be fine to drive, but with other conditions, you could end up losing your driving licence following a diagnosis.
You must inform the DVLA if you are diagnosed with a medical condition that could impact your driving. In some cases, the DVLA will decide to revoke your licence if your condition will impair your ability to drive. For example, strokes, epilepsy and visual impairments are on the list of conditions that can affect your driving.
If you disagree with the DVLA’s decision to revoke your licence, you can make an appeal. Your doctor will have to confirm that you meet the medical standards for driving.
5) Failure to Renew Your Licence
Photocard driving licences replaced paper licences in 1998, with the latter finally being completely phased out in 2015. These plastic photocard licences must be renewed every 10 years, and you’ll need to provide a new photograph for identification.
If you don’t renew your licence in time, it could be revoked. Driving on a revoked licence is a criminal offence.
In addition, if your address or personal details change at any point, you’ll need to apply for a new licence to update them. Failure to do so could result in a £1000 fine.
Getting Your Licence Back
Losing your driving licence can destroy your sense of freedom and independence, especially if you rely on your car for going to work, visiting friends or caring for relatives.
Avoiding the scenarios described in this article can help you ensure that you keep your licence and don’t get a criminal record. In particular, you should remember that drug driving doesn’t only apply to illegal drugs, so if you’re using prescription medication, make sure you ask for advice from your doctor.
If you do find yourself facing penalties for drug driving, you need to contact a motoring offences solicitor as soon as possible. At Drug Driving Solicitors, we’re committed to helping you keep your independence by highlighting extenuating circumstances or possible errors in your drug tests.
