If you are being investigated or prosecuted for a motoring offence in Bristol or the surrounding area, our specialist solicitors can help. We understand how important your driving licence may be to your work, family life and independence. 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 Bristol Magistrates’ Court and has extensive experience dealing with cases investigated by Avon and Somerset 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.
Our Bristol motoring solicitors form part of Reeds’ nationally recognised criminal defence team. Reeds is ranked Top Tier in the South West by the Legal 500 and Band 1 in the South West by Chambers UK.
We offer fixed fees for many motoring offences, so you know exactly where you stand on cost from the outset.
Driving offences we cover in Bristol and the South West
- 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
Bristol Magistrates’ Court address
Bristol Magistrates’ Court
Marlborough Street
Bristol
BS1 3NU
Most motoring cases arising in Bristol and the surrounding area are dealt with at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, including matters from Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and the wider Avon and Somerset area.
We regularly represent motorists from across the Bristol area and the wider region, including Clifton, Redland, Bedminster, Filton, Keynsham, Nailsea, Portishead, Clevedon, Yate and other surrounding towns and villages.
Our Bristol Office
Unit 11, Ashmead Business Centre
Ashmead Road
Keynsham
BS31 1SX
We can offer appointments either in person or virtually, depending on your preference.
Voluntary Interviews for Driving Offences in Bristol
Driving offences are sometimes investigated with Avon and Somerset police requesting that a driver attends a voluntary interview. It is not always necessary to arrest somebody in order to secure evidence and conduct an interview. Although described as “voluntary”, the interview is still part of a formal criminal investigation and anything said can later be used in evidence.
Typically, the police already hold evidence such as witness statements, dashcam footage or CCTV by the time they request the interview.
We regularly attend police stations across Bristol and the surrounding area, including Patchway, Broadbury Road and Trinity Road police stations. 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. 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.
For immediate motoring offence advice and representation, contact our Bristol team on 0117 244 3727, or email us at [email protected] or send an enquiry online.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Bristol
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 relevant 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 can be successfully defended. In others, it may be possible to advance a special reasons argument, such as a spiked drink or a genuine emergency.
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 evidence relied on to show impairment or increase the seriousness of the offence, all of which can have a significant impact on sentence. Having represented drivers at Bristol Magistrates’ Court for many years, we know how these cases are typically prosecuted locally and what evidence Avon and Somerset Police tend to rely on, from roadside procedure to station breath test records.
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.
Drug driving prosecutions are increasingly common across Bristol and the wider Avon and Somerset area, with Avon and Somerset Police regularly carrying out roadside drug testing following collisions and traffic stops on routes such as the M32, A4 and A38. The legal limits for many substances are set extremely low. Someone can test over the prescribed limit long after any effects have worn off, and prescribed medication – including some common painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs – 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. Cases are typically heard at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, and we can advise on what to expect at each stage.
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.
Roads across Bristol and the surrounding area, from the M32 and M5 to the A4 Portway, A38 and city-centre routes, 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 Bristol commonly arise on the M32, the M5, the A4, the A38 and the A370, as well as on 20mph and 30mph city routes where average-speed and mobile camera enforcement has increased significantly in recent years. 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.
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 Bristol 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.
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