We represent drivers across Basingstoke and North Hampshire in all types of motoring cases, including drink and drug driving, speeding, dangerous and careless driving, failing to provide a specimen, driving whilst disqualified and totting-up disqualifications.
With an office on London Road, just a short distance from Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, our solicitors regularly represent clients before the local court. We have a detailed understanding of how Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary investigate motoring offences and how these cases are dealt with locally.
Whether you are under investigation, have been charged or have received a court summons, we will give you clear, practical advice on your options, any available defence, the likely sentence and the best strategy for protecting your driving licence. You will have direct access to a senior motoring solicitor throughout your case, and for many offences we offer fixed fees so you know the cost from the outset.
Reeds Solicitors is recognised as a Top Tier Criminal Defence firm in the South East by The Legal 500 and is also ranked Band 1 by Chambers & Partners, giving clients in Basingstoke access to one of the region’s leading criminal and motoring defence teams.
Driving offences we cover in North Hampshire
- 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
For immediate motoring offence advice and representation, contact our Basingstoke team on 0333 240 7373, or email us at [email protected] or use our online contact form.
Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court address
Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court The Court House London Road Basingstoke RG21 4AB
Most motoring cases arising in North Hampshire are dealt with at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, including matters from Basingstoke, Tadley, Whitchurch, Overton, Kingsclere and Hook and surrounding areas.
We regularly represent motorists from across North Hampshire and the wider Basingstoke and Deane area, including Chineham, Old Basing, Oakley, Bramley, Sherfield-on-Loddon, Odiham and other surrounding towns and villages.
Voluntary Interviews for Driving Offences in North Hampshire
Driving offences are often investigated with the police requesting that a driver attends a voluntary interview. This is because they may decide that it is not necessary to arrest somebody in order to secure evidence. However, they believe that a driving offence may have been committed and want to ask questions under caution.
Typically, the police already hold evidence such as witness statements, dashcam footage or CCTV by the time they request the interview. In other cases, there has been an accident and the police did not consider it appropriate to conduct an interview immediately at the scene due to the circumstances.
Although described as “voluntary”, the interview is still part of a formal criminal investigation and anything said can later be used in evidence. We regularly advise clients attending voluntary interviews for driving offences across North Hampshire and the wider Basingstoke and Deane area.
We regularly attend the Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke, along with police stations in Andover, Alton and Tadley. Before any interview takes place, we can contact the officer dealing with the case, obtain disclosure about the allegation and advise you on the best approach to the interview.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Basingstoke
Hampshire Constabulary regularly carry out drink driving enforcement across Basingstoke and North Hampshire, particularly during weekends, Christmas and New Year periods, and other targeted campaigns.
Drink driving carries a mandatory minimum 12-month disqualification for a first offence, rising to three years for a second offence within ten years.
There are two potential routes to avoiding a ban. The first is successfully defending the allegation itself. The second is advancing a special reasons argument, such as a spiked drink, an emergency situation, or other unusual circumstances.
It is also important to understand where the case falls within the sentencing guidelines. Does the officer describe slurred speech, glazed eyes or erratic driving? Are there aggravating features alleged by the prosecution? These factors can make a significant difference to the outcome.
Drug driving prosecutions are increasingly common across Basingstoke and North Hampshire, with Hampshire Constabulary 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 Basingstoke and North Hampshire, from the M3 and the Ringway 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 Basingstoke commonly arise on the M3 corridor, the A33, the A339 Ringway, and other major routes across North Hampshire. Enforcement ranges from fixed and average speed cameras to mobile camera units operated by Hampshire Constabulary’s Safer Roads Unit.
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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