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Nottingham Tops Chart For Drivers On Road With 12 Points

solicitors for exceptional hardship

 

More Nottingham Drivers On The Road With 12 Points Than Anywhere Else In The Country

 

It has been revealed that Nottingham has the highest number of drivers on the road with 12 points in the whole country.

 

180 motorists from Nottingham are on the road despite being on 12 or more points.

 

Other places with a high number of drivers on the road despite reaching the totting up threshold are Doncaster with 174 motorists, Cardiff with 173 motorists, Birmingham with 169 motorists and Sheffield with 156 motorists.

 

This information has caused some controversy, as shown in this Nottingham Post article, where a spokesman for the road safety charity Brake describes drivers who reach 12 penalty points as having ‘no respect for the rules of the road’.

 

As specialist motoring specialists, we help many people conduct Exceptional Hardship applications to allow them to remain on the road despite reaching 12 penalty points or more, and we completely disagree with that comment.

 

In our experience, motorists who find themselves in a totting up position are generally very capable and responsible people who find themselves in that situation for a number of reasons including the mileage they do.  It is much easier to keep a clean licence, after all, if you drive once weekly to the local supermarket and home.  Many of our clients are high-level executives and business owners who are on the road every single day, clocking up tens of thousands of miles each year.

 

They usually find themselves in a totting up position because of four separate minor speeding offences.  There are, of course, other ways a person can find themselves in a totting up position, ranging from more serious speeding offences that have resulted in 6 points, to convictions for no insurance, using a phone whilst driving, or even careless driving.

 

Four minor speeding offences remains the most common scenario by which our clients find themselves in a totting up position, though, and we feel it is important to put this into perspective.

 

Penalty points remain active on your licence for 3 years, meaning that a person can find themselves at risk of losing their licence for 6 months if they have, at four separate times, been driving at, say, 36mph in a 30mph… in the last 3 years.

 

How easy is it to find your speed has crept up a few miles since you looked at the speedometer last?

 

How many of us can honestly say that we have never realised we are above the speed limit on an unfamiliar road?

 

We pride ourselves on working very hard for clients who are genuinely remorseful about their actions, and we know from first hand experience that our totting up clients do respect the rules of the road, and have simply made mistakes.  Mistakes that are usually minor, and mistakes that are, in reality, made by virtually every motorist at some point.

 

If you are at risk of a totting up ban, and want help from people who will hear your story and not judge you, call our expert team now on 01623 397200.

 

Early Return of Driving Licence For Delighted Client

Tracy Johnson, Paralegal at Forrest Williams Solicitors

Tracy Johnson, Paralegal at Forrest Williams Solicitors

There was elation in Nottingham Magistrates’ Court this week following Errol Jackson’s successful application for early return of driving licence.

 

Errol, who was very concerned that his application would be refused, had asked Forrest Williams to take on his case as he was well aware that his application would not be straight forward.

 

He had been disqualified for drink driving offences twice in the last 10 years, and had in the previous few months been involved in an altercation outside a nightclub which had resulted in a charge of being drunk and disorderly and being ‘tagged’ for a period of 6 weeks. Unfortunately there was also a previous drunk and disorderly offence within the last few years.

 

However, as staff at Forrest Williams are well aware, behind every incident is a real-life back story. It is very easy to respond with a knee-jerk reaction, but we take time to listen carefully and not judge. Only in this way can we get to the heart of the matter, assess the situation and then agree on the best way forward.

 

In Errol’s case, he readily admitted that he had, when younger, fallen in with a ‘bad’ crowd and, through peer pressure, had done things he later regretted. At this time, he explained to his case worker, he was estranged from his parents and isolated from the people who could have been positive role models in his life. He felt, quite literally, adrift from the rest of society, so did not care about his actions, or their consequences. In this frame of mind, with nothing to lose, he established a reputation as a ‘trouble-maker’, which, in turn, encouraged him to behave in a more anti-social manner.

 

Errol told his case worker that when he became a little older, and found a girlfriend of good character, he lost the urge to lash out against the world and decided he wanted to settle down and enjoy family life.

 

His long disqualification from driving was now seriously impacting on his ability to perform his duties as an Electrician, a job for which he himself had paid all the fees for training and exams. Knowing that he was at risk of dismissal from his job, as colleagues were becoming tired of acting as his driver, Errol approached Forrest Williams and asked if we could fully prepare his application for the early return of his driving licence, and represent him in court.

 

The preparation for his case was detailed and thorough, with Errol’s case worker guiding him through each stage of the preparation and giving him feedback that he said he found very helpful. We were well aware that this application had to be very strong, given the fact that they are never easy to be successful with at the best of times.

 

Forrest Williams are, however, delighted to report that Errol’s application was successful and that he will soon be able to drive again, thereby keeping his job and moving on within his company. There is even the offer now of a company van, so he can be fully mobile and respond to electrical call-outs as part of an out-of-hours service.

 

Errol thanked everyone involved in the preparation and presentation of his case, particularly his case worker and barrister. He can now, he said, move forward with his life.

 

If you’d like to give yourself the best chance of success for a motoring case, call our expert team now on 01623 397200 for a free initial 30 minute consultation.

Solicitors for Exceptional Hardship: A Case Study

solicitors for exceptional hardship

Solicitors For Exceptional Hardship

 

In Sheffield Magistrates’ Court today, Emily Knowles was delighted with Steve Williams, Senior Partner of Forrest Williams, and the work of his team who had jointly prepared and then conducted her successful Exceptional Hardship application.

 

Emily’s application was made on the basis that, should she be disqualified from driving for a period of 6 months – which is the consequence of ‘totting up’ to 12 or more penalty points – then the people she employs would suffer significant financial loss as a result.

 

For Emily, who is an agent/driver for several well-known musicians, and who also runs a social club employing a dozen local people, the worry was not what would happen to her, but how the people closest to her would suffer.

 

Steve ensured that the magistrates understood this, and took time to detail exactly who would be affected – and how.

 

After reviewing the many documents Emily had prepared (under the close guidance of her case worker), the court’s decision was to allow Emily’s Exceptional Hardship application and not disqualify her.

 

That Emily could continue with her business, providing much-needed work and an income for many local people, was always her primary consideration.

 

The rigorous preparation of her case, and excellent advocacy skills of Steve Williams on the day of the hearing, meant that Emily’s life could continue as it had before. She told Forrest Williams that she was incredibly thankful for all the assistance she had received and that she would drive more carefully in future. She said that although her experience of court had been exhilarating, she had no ambitions to repeat it.

 

If you are facing an Exceptional Hardship application, call us now for an honest assessment of your case on 01623 397200.

 

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