Alcohol and drug driving: what to do if you’ve been convicted of driving under the influence

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs seriously inhibits your judgement, reaction time and ability to navigate the complexities of the road, so it’s important to understand the drink driving limit.

If you are convicted in court of a drink driving or drug driving offence, you could face a hefty fine and be banned from driving or even imprisoned, depending on the severity of your offence.

And if you are given a driving ban, it can be difficult to secure fair and affordable insurance, which can hinder your ability to maintain a job and continue with your life. You must inform your insurer of any drink or drug driving conviction or any other motoring conviction you may receive. Read this blog to find out why you must declare your points and convictions to your insurance company.

Read our blog to find out how penalty points on your licence can affect your insurance.

And read on to find out what you can do if you’ve been caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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It’s time to reflect on your alcohol and drug consumption

Primarily, the most important thing to do if convicted of over-the-limit drink or drug driving is to take the time to reflect on your alcohol and drug consumption, to understand the behaviours that led to driving under the influence and how to avoid those triggers in the future.

You should also remember that alcohol and drugs remain in the system for a long time and if you overindulge at night they could still impair your judgement the morning after.

There are a number of places that can provide support, advice and counselling, including the NHS, Collective Voice, The Priory and UK SMART Recovery. Drink Driving also has a forum that provides advice and support for people caught and/or convicted of drink or drug driving.

If you have received a driving ban, you may be able to reduce your sentence by completing a drink driving rehabilitation course (DDR) as offered by the courts. This could potentially allow you to reduce your driving ban by up to a quarter and give you the tools and information you need to drive safely once again.

Can I take a drink or drug driving course to reduce my ban?

The government recommends using the Joint Approvals Unit for Period Training to research and identify a suitable DDR course. However, there are a number of DDR courses that cater for those convicted of drink driving and drug driving and we’ve rounded up a few to consider below.

TTC offers DDR courses in more than 220 locations across the UK, with all courses also available online for completion. TTC also has a drink driving ban calculator that will help to identify how much time you can reduce your ban by if you successfully complete your DDR course.
Aspire Driver Development is a not-for-profit organisation that offers the government-approved Aspire drink driving course. Taking the couse could reduce your ban by up to 25%.
Moorgate Training Limited offer DVSA-approved drink driving rehabilitation courses that could reduce your ban by up to 25%. They are also one of the UK’s leading course providers with 10 years’ experience.
NECA Training Limited is a DVSA-approved centre for drink driving rehabilitation courses. They have been successfully offering the drink drive rehabilitation scheme (DDRS) for over 20 years..

Help to find insurance after a drink or drug driving conviction

While many insurers use drink and drug driving convictions to justify pushing premiums up, as a convicted car insurance specialist, we work with you to help keep your premiums down.

For help in finding suitable insurance following your drink or drug driving conviction, call the experts at Adrian Flux on 0800 369 8590 or book a callback at a time that suits you.