If you are being investigated or prosecuted for a motoring offence in Swindon or Wiltshire, our specialist solicitors can help. We advise on all types of motoring cases, including drink and drug driving, speeding, dangerous and careless driving, and totting-up disqualifications.
Our team regularly represents clients at Swindon Magistrates’ Court and has extensive experience dealing with cases investigated by Wiltshire Police. We will give you straightforward advice on your options, the strength of the evidence, sentencing risk, and any arguments that may help you keep your licence. You will deal directly with a senior solicitor throughout your case.
We offer fixed fees for many motoring offences, so you know exactly where you stand on cost from the outset.
Reeds is independently recognised by Chambers UK and the Legal 500 as one of the country’s leading criminal defence firms. We are ranked Top Tier in the South West by the Legal 500 and Band 1 in the South West by Chambers UK.
Driving offences we cover in Swindon and Wiltshire
- Drink Driving and Drunk in Charge
- Drug Driving
- Failure to Provide a Specimen
- Dangerous Driving or Careless Driving
- Causing Serious Injury or Death by Careless or Dangerous Driving
- Exceptional Hardship and Totting-Up Applications
- Speeding
- Failure to Provide Driver Details (Section 172)
- Driving Whilst Disqualified
- Failing to Stop or Report an Accident
Swindon Magistrates’ Court address
Swindon Magistrates’ Court, Princes House, Princes Street, Swindon SN1 2PQ
Most motoring cases arising in Swindon and the surrounding area are dealt with at Swindon Magistrates’ Court, including matters from Swindon, nearby towns, e.g. Royal Wootton Bassett, Highworth, Wroughton and surrounding areas.
We regularly represent motorists from across Wiltshire and the wider region, including Marlborough, Chippenham, Devizes and other surrounding towns and villages.
Our Swindon Office
10 Commercial Road
Swindon
SN1 5NF.
We can offer appointments either in person or virtually, depending on your preference.
Voluntary Interviews for Driving Offences in Swindon
Sometimes the police will invite you to attend a voluntary interview as part of their investigation into a motoring offence. This is often the case where there has been a collision and an arrest is not considered necessary to secure or preserve evidence.
By the time the interview is arranged, the police will often already have evidence such as witness statements, dashcam footage or CCTV.
Although described as “voluntary”, the interview forms part of a formal criminal investigation and anything you say can later be used in evidence.
We regularly attend police stations across Swindon and Wiltshire, including Gablecross Police Station. Before any interview takes place, we can contact the investigating officer, obtain disclosure about the allegation and advise you on the best approach to the interview. In some cases, we can also make representations on your behalf seeking to persuade the police that the matter should be dealt with by way of a Driver Awareness Course or other out-of-court disposal, rather than prosecution.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Swindon
A conviction for drink driving carries a mandatory minimum 12-month disqualification for a first offence, rising to three years if you have a previous drink driving conviction within the last ten years.
Whether a ban can be avoided will depend on the circumstances of your case. In some cases, the allegation itself can be successfully defended. In others, it may be possible to advance a special reasons argument, such as a spiked drink, a genuine emergency or other exceptional circumstances.
It is also important to understand where your case falls within the sentencing guidelines. The prosecution’s evidence may include allegations of slurred speech, glazed eyes, erratic driving or other aggravating features, all of which can have a significant impact on sentence.
We can obtain the court papers as soon as you have a court listing and can give prompt advice on the evidence and the best approach at court.
See our Drink Driving Solicitors page for more information.
Drug driving prosecutions are increasingly common across Swindon and Wiltshire, with Wiltshire Police regularly carrying out roadside drug testing following collisions and traffic stops. The legal limits for many substances are extremely low. Someone can test over the prescribed limit long after any effects have worn off, and prescribed medication can sometimes result in prosecution. A positive roadside drug swipe does not automatically mean a conviction.
Obtaining the papers early allows us to review the evidence and identify any aggravating features being alleged. We can also assess whether a viable defence exists, such as procedural issues, problems with the testing process, or special reasons which could avoid a ban altogether.
If a conviction cannot be avoided, we focus on mitigation and careful presentation of the facts to achieve the best possible outcome. In some cases, relatively small details can make a significant difference to sentence.
Failing to provide a specimen when lawfully required by the police carries the same mandatory minimum 12-month disqualification as drink driving. Many drivers are surprised to discover this only after they have been charged.
The allegation is not limited to an outright refusal. It can arise from an inadequate breath sample, conduct interpreted as non-compliance, or a genuine medical inability to provide a specimen.
The key issue is often whether there was a reasonable excuse. Medical conditions, anxiety-related difficulties, and procedural issues can all be relevant, but these cases are highly fact-specific and depend on exactly what happened at the police station.
We obtain the prosecution papers promptly, assess whether a defence is available, and advise on the realistic prospects of avoiding a conviction or disqualification. If that is not possible, we focus on presenting the strongest mitigation to minimise the period of any ban.
Roads across Swindon and Wiltshire, from the M4 and A419 to busy town-centre routes and residential areas, generate serious driving allegations every week. We defend clients facing allegations of dangerous driving, careless driving, and causing serious injury or death by dangerous or careless driving.
The distinction between careless and dangerous driving is often far narrower than people realise. Cases frequently turn on the quality of the evidence, including witness accounts, dashcam footage, CCTV, vehicle damage and road conditions.
Early legal advice can be critical. We can advise before any police interview takes place and, in appropriate cases, make representations that a lesser charge is more appropriate or that no charge should be brought at all.
Speeding allegations in and around Swindon commonly arise on the M4 corridor, the A419, the A420, and other major routes across Wiltshire. Enforcement ranges from fixed and average speed cameras to mobile camera units operated by Wiltshire Police.
The consequences depend on the speed alleged and the number of penalty points already on your licence. In some cases, a further three points can be enough to trigger a totting-up disqualification, while higher-speed offences can result in an immediate ban.
Where 12 points is in sight, our focus shifts to exceptional hardship and whether there is a realistic basis for avoiding a totting-up disqualification.
Under the totting-up rules, reaching 12 penalty points within three years triggers a minimum six-month disqualification. An exceptional hardship application asks the court to consider whether that ban would cause hardship going beyond the ordinary consequences of losing your licence.
What courts will not accept
Needing your car for work is rarely enough on its own. Difficulty commuting across Reading or Berkshire, or finding public transport inconvenient, will not usually amount to exceptional hardship. The court is looking for consequences that go beyond those normally associated with a driving ban.
What courts will consider
Third-party impact is often what persuades magistrates. Staff who may lose their jobs, family members who depend on you for care, or a business that would suffer significant harm. These cases are won and lost on the quality of the evidence presented to the court.
A critical distinction: exceptional hardship and special reasons are not the same thing. Special reasons relate to the circumstances of the offence itself. Exceptional hardship applies only to totting-up disqualifications.
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