Law Weblog

Driving ban for any offence

Any offence committed after 1997 can result in a driving ban for as long as a court thinks fit. The Home Office Circular bringing the power into force at the beginning of this year gives no indication about how long a disqualification should last, or when it should be used. The Magistrates’ Association and the Justices’ Clerks’ Society have therefore issued their own guidance on how magistrates should use this sentencing power, which basically advises them to use it for vehicle-related crime. This may at first seem good sense, but we think it destroys the purpose of the disqualification; young offenders value the freedom their licence to drive gives them, and it was this point that was thought important by the government.