Driving Conviction - Will I Lose FAC/SGC?

[Deerkeeper2]

I knew a man who hit another car at around 120mph. The driver of the other car was killed outright. The guy I knew was paralysed. He was rightly prosecuted for causing death by dangerous driving. I think he got about eighteen months at Her Majesty’s pleasure and had to serve it despite his injuries. Incredible that anyone could escape a lengthy driving ban and loss of FAC etc if caught doing that sort of speed on a UK road.

 

[jimmer.13]

An error in judgement can be a mistake - people make silly mistakes throughout their lives, your suggestion was to ban them for life for these, which is ridiculous - half the sh*te people do in their teens and twenties does not define the person they will always be.

If you did nothing wrong when driving in your teens or twenties you were either very boring or you are whiter than white…

It’s only really in the last 25-30 years that drink driving has become as unacceptable as it is - plenty small villages had locals driving from the local pub to home after a few back then - not right but to deny it would be nonsense, it’s the reason many rural pubs have died a death as it is so much more frowned upon now.

My old man relied on dry stone walls to guide him back to the farm after his weekly darts and dominoes. Our local was 4 miles away and when I came of age the village Bobby still in uniform would drive me home from the pub often in the early hours more battered than a fish shop cod.
Times have changed.

 

[Jon P]

Road safety has definitely moved on- in the early 1990 our local rural pub was full of local farmers on a Thursday night for the weekly game of cards, all would drive home after a good session. Luckily I was living on the farm next door so in early walking distance. About the same time I was going out with a girl who parents had a farm on the North York Moors. I used to go up there a lot , I was always told that if I wanted to go to the pub to use the farm Land Rover as the police would recognise it and not stop it on way home. I would think things have changed now.

 

[Pedro]

Well I've been going at 130 on the M6 motorway (entirely legally I hasten to add) in my previous life and can tell you that straight, almost empty at times wide road with oh so gentle bends becomes almost chicane-like at those speeds. Any mechanical failure in a vehicle performing around it's limits could be catastrophic and the amount of concentration needed is of the highest order. Frankly, not enjoyable and not something I have any desire to do again, especially just to get home for tea. Small errors are magnified greatly and of course it isn't just your own welfare you are potentially playing with.

As for keeping a FAC having been caught at such speeds, I suspect that the authorities these days will look upon it with a much sterner frown than even a couple of years ago.

Here endeth today's lesson.

 

[Stalker62]

Well I've been going at 130 on the M6 motorway (entirely legally I hasten to add) in my previous life ...

Well that milk wouldn't deliver itself...

 

[Donkey Basher]

From your link " The majority of road crossings have amber and red warning lights ", so not all of them.
Just saying...

Read on… it then says in last bullet point that some may have green & red lights.

Would be interested to know what type of crossing you have there - is it a rural farm track crossing or on a public road? Do you have any pics as in all my years as a highway engineer I’ve never seen red lights only on a public road - it’s be contrary to regulations afaik (TSRGD).

When I worked in NZ we had big issues with farm crossings causing fatal accidents because users got so conditioned to there not being a train that when there was one they just seemed not to register it - or worse still try to beat it to the crossing!

 

[Dunwaters]

Not the way it read to me.

There is a world of difference between going 'No comment" (very popular this season) and 'fabricating a defence'.

One is your (conditional) right in England & Wales, the other is a short cut to a long sentence - but I think you know that.

I was reared in the belief that God loves a trier.
Absolutely no harm in taking it to court, maybe the relevant officer won’t turn up or maybe there’s a flaw in the chain of evidence and it gets thrown out.
Either way, being retired and somewhat bored during the off season, it’s a cheap morning out.
Last time I was quite shocked at the number of people in the dock that I knew.

 

[Little Willy]

Ok so I admit I’ve done something really stupid and dangerous, although no harm was done in the end. I went through a rail crossing on a red before the barrier came down and a driver in another vehicle has sent in their dash-cam footage to the police. My wife is the registered keeper of the vehicle and has sent off the form to confirm it was me driving.

I’ve googled the likely outcome which looks like somewhere between being sent on a driving awareness course up to a minimum 12 month ban and a criminal conviction for dangerous driving. Not that it will matter but it’s totally out of character and not an example of how I usually drive at all.

My question is whether I will automatically lose my guns if I’m convicted? If I do will I have an opportunity to sell them or will they be siezed?

Received the outcome this morning and it appears to be just a warning. No points or fine so I guess firearms licensing aren’t going to be too interested.

Thanks all for your opinions and advice.

 

[levigsp]

I notice people shock horror on Cumbrians 120+ none ban. I know someone who used to drive his superfast Porche between Aberdeen and the west coast at least once a week.
After he was reported the Police set a trap to catch him and he was caught on the A82 on the west side of Inverness.
Remember is no motorway and his average speed between two points 10 or so miles apart was worked out as 130mph meaning he had reached speeds in excess of 140mph.
He was not banned! as he need to drive to maintain helicopters.!He was fined and admonished!
He sold the car, bought a 4x4 and used company helicopter to get to the west coast.
I could name a few farmers that have also got away with it.

 

[JTO]

I would however ask to see the evidence before making a decision.

It might show that the driver behind was far too close and you might have had him shunt you in the back if you braked violently.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I notice people shock horror on Cumbrians 120+ none ban. I know someone who used to drive his superfast Porche between Aberdeen and the west coast at least once a week.
After he was reported the Police set a trap to catch him and he was caught on the A82 on the west side of Inverness.
Remember is no motorway and his average speed between two points 10 or so miles apart was worked out as 130mph meaning he had reached speeds in excess of 140mph.
He was not banned! as he need to drive to maintain helicopters.!He was fined and admonished!
He sold the car, bought a 4x4 and used company helicopter to get to the west coast.
I could name a few farmers that have also got away with it.

That's a good effort right there

 

[C h r i s]

Received the outcome this morning and it appears to be just a warning. No points or fine so I guess firearms licensing aren’t going to be too interested.

Thanks all for your opinions and advice.

Told you so!

 

[GBR66]

I very stupidly drove home from the station a few years ago after "drink had been taken". Got stopped and done at 11pm and police had my guns by 1.30am, firearms unit turning up at house to tell wife the good news, licence revoked. Was advised don't reapply for SG or FAC until after ban is over. A chastening lesson and a very embarrassing one which I only repeat, as it is very embarassing, to hope none of you are as stupid as I was. Hard lesson but lots of people think "Ah I should be ok".....don't risk it.

 

[f17ant]

I very stupidly drove home from the station a few years ago after "drink had been taken". Got stopped and done at 11pm and police had my guns by 1.30am, firearms unit turning up at house to tell wife the good news, licence revoked. Was advised don't reapply for SG or FAC until after ban is over. A chastening lesson and a very embarrassing one which I only repeat, as it is very embarassing, to hope none of you are as stupid as I was. Hard lesson but lots of people think "Ah I should be ok".....don't risk it.

Takes some to admit that

Least know one was hurt and lesson learnt

 

[Mickeydredd]

I very stupidly drove home from the station a few years ago after "drink had been taken". Got stopped and done at 11pm and police had my guns by 1.30am, firearms unit turning up at house to tell wife the good news, licence revoked.

How did they access your gun cabinet?

 

[GBR66]

How did they access your gun cabinet?

Police rang my mobile - which was with police and I told them where keys were. Not a process I would recommend!

 

[Tallguy]

I very stupidly drove home from the station a few years ago after "drink had been taken". Got stopped and done at 11pm and police had my guns by 1.30am, firearms unit turning up at house to tell wife the good news, licence revoked. Was advised don't reapply for SG or FAC until after ban is over. A chastening lesson and a very embarrassing one which I only repeat, as it is very embarassing, to hope none of you are as stupid as I was. Hard lesson but lots of people think "Ah I should be ok".....don't risk it.

This is interesting, your guns were seized and licence revoked before you were convicted in a court of law? You may well have blown over the limit on the machine but until conviction you are still allowed to drive etc and considered innocent until proven guilty.

 

[GBR66]

Police rang my mobile - which was with police and I told them where keys were. Not a process I would recommend!

This is interesting, your guns were seized and licence revoked before you were convicted in a court of law? You may well have blown over the limit on the machine but until conviction you are still allowed to drive etc and considered innocent until proven guilty.

Yup. Within two hours. You have 21 days to appeal the revocation but I didn’t go to court for over 2 months so was pointless to try

 

[GBR66]

Yup. Within two hours. You have 21 days to appeal the revocation but I didn’t go to court for over 2 months so was pointless to try

I also know someone in the middle of a divorce who said to the shortly to be ex wife that he felt suicidal, she rang police and guns gone that evening.

 

[Liveonce]

This is interesting, your guns were seized and licence revoked before you were convicted in a court of law? You may well have blown over the limit on the machine but until conviction you are still allowed to drive etc and considered innocent until proven guilty.

Matters not if the Chief Constable at any time considers you are no longer a fit and proper person they can revoke your certificate then it’s up to you to appeal via the courts. They can also ask you to voluntarily surrender your certificate while they investigate which could then go either way eventually, certificate returned or revoked with right to appeal.