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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are there any circumstances which would lead to drive while disqualified

98 replies

crazywhattheflog · 03/01/2023 18:13

Are there any circumstances that you would drive whilst disqualified, I am talking about real life emergencies which could result in life or death?

OP posts:
FlirtyMelons · 03/01/2023 19:59

Truly life or death and no other option (which is extremely unlikely) then I would. I think I would even drive my dogs to an emergency vet if there was no other option TBH. I just can't think that there would be no other option though as there would always be friends or family around to help.

LexMitior · 03/01/2023 20:04

Btw if you do have a court case, while an emergency might be relevant and no one else could drive, it would still be that you had committed a criminal offence.

It is only in children's books that you go to the judge and give a good excuse. Driving while disqualified is practically strict liability. You did it, the reason does not matter.

RewildingAmbridge · 03/01/2023 20:04

I just don't imagine a life or death situation where there was no other option, if my son needed the hospital and DH was away, I'd run over the road to a neighbour, even those we don't know very well if you say I can't drive my child needs to get to a&e and an ambulance is going to be two hours, I don't know many who would refuse. If you've been disqualified there's a process. You put things in place so you have transport options.

RewildingAmbridge · 03/01/2023 20:08

If you were a passenger in the car in the most remote part of say the Highlands, the driver has an unexpected seizure, is uncinariasis and cannot drive, you have no mobile phone reception and it's 2am so no passing vehicles, driving to nearest civilisation, phone box etc MIGHT meet the threshold, but the chances of that happening (outside of Ramsay Street) are slim to none. Your kid was stuck at football training in the rain? Nope. Dog needed to go to a vet, nope. Grandma stubbed her toe and needed an X ray, nope.

Kinnorafron · 03/01/2023 20:17

HoneyIShrunkThePizza · 03/01/2023 18:17

Maybe if I needed to drive to London, to buy a Heat magazine?

😂

sunshineandstrawberryjam · 03/01/2023 21:54

@Fizzadora - oh god. The very thought of being that far from a hospital panics me a bit. I understand it's life for lots of people, but I've anxiously checked distance from home to hospital every time we've moved for the last 15 years. I'm honestly pretty sure I'd be a widow several times over if we lived that far from A&E.

jcyclops · 03/01/2023 23:34

I would drive it minimal distance necessary where whatever the reason, the need outweighs the legal consequences.
Rising floodwater about to consume car - I would move it to higher ground.
Car parked next to building on fire - move it to avoid damage and allow fire brigade access.

tiggergoesbounce · 03/01/2023 23:41

Well, yes of course. If someone i loved needed urgent medical attention, i would not be waiting 5 hours for an ambulance, although if i had time i would try a cab first and see how long it would be.
But i would have no qualms if needed.

Duchess379 · 03/01/2023 23:44

There are none. If you are disqualified, that's it. However, the magistrate will take into consideration mitigating factors ie: life or death situation & no ambulance is coming, that sort of thing. There is no 'acceptable' reason to drive whilst disqualified & it really comes down to the magistrate on the day.

Boringcookingquestion · 04/01/2023 00:16

Yes, but only in extreme circumstances. Need to escape a disaster movie level natural disaster. Someone is dying and there is no other possible way to get them to hospital in time. A serial killer is chasing me in a remote area and there’s no help around.

Otherwise, no. I’d get an Uber.

NumberTheory · 04/01/2023 04:31

I can’t imagine getting disqualified. I’ve never done anything that, should I have been caught, would have resulted in that sort of sanction. But I can imagine all sorts of extreme situations when I would drive if disqualified.

I was in the police a few decades ago and most of the driving whilst disqualified that we caught fell into two categories:
People (all men) disqualified for driving in situations they shouldn’t have been driving in in the first place - stolen cars, no insurance, drink driving etc.

People (mainly men) who were banned due to points but kept driving because otherwise they’d lose their jobs.

FromTheFront2theBack · 04/01/2023 04:41

Basically it would have to be such an emergency that even if I was prosecuted it would be worth it. I know someone who's child had a burst appendix and the doctor who identified it said there wasn't even time to wait for an ambulance and the parent drove to the hospital (skipping red lights etc). In this case they were legally aloud to drive but probably would have even if disqualified.

FromTheFront2theBack · 04/01/2023 04:44

RewildingAmbridge · 03/01/2023 20:04

I just don't imagine a life or death situation where there was no other option, if my son needed the hospital and DH was away, I'd run over the road to a neighbour, even those we don't know very well if you say I can't drive my child needs to get to a&e and an ambulance is going to be two hours, I don't know many who would refuse. If you've been disqualified there's a process. You put things in place so you have transport options.

If it was that much of an emergency that you couldn't wait for an ambulance no way would you waste two minutes running for your neighbour.

In a genuine life or death situation where minutes count yes of course every single one of us would drive while disqualified. You'd have to be incredibly selfish to be more scared of prosecution than letting someone die (or increasing the chances by waiting).

That said it would be very very rare that such a life or death situation would arise. In almost all cases it would be better to take an ambulance.

OdeToBillyJoe · 04/01/2023 04:45

Are you Katie Price?

Livetoplay · 04/01/2023 08:17

Life or death? Yes. Zombie apocalypse? I’ll
drive a car. Someone dying on the street and no ambulances likely? I’ll drive then to hospital. Crazed knife man chasing me? I’ll get in a car to escape…

RewildingAmbridge · 04/01/2023 08:21

@FromTheFront2theBack your house it's clearly bigger than mine my neighbour's front door is two steps from my own. Closer than my car is

OlleOskiFelle · 04/01/2023 08:33

Fizzadora · 03/01/2023 19:19

Our nearest A&E is 40 minutes away so if it was my DH he'd be dead before we got there anyway.

Show quote history

Same, and I have brittle asthma.

TeamHerbivore · 04/01/2023 08:46

As others have said, zombie apocalypse. That link to a partner having pains in pregnancy wasn’t a real emergency and that’s the sort of thing that if you can’t drive, you should have a plan in place for. He was just using his partners past medical history to try to worm out of driving illegally. Idiot.

I wouldn’t be such a twat as to lose my license in the first place though. Much easier than coming up with fake excuses as to why you had to drive. 🙄

NumberTheory · 04/01/2023 18:16

RewildingAmbridge · 04/01/2023 08:21

@FromTheFront2theBack your house it's clearly bigger than mine my neighbour's front door is two steps from my own. Closer than my car is

But it’s not just running to your neighbour’s house that’s the issue. You have to knock and wait for them to answer the door, explain the situation, get them to understand the urgency, they have to get their keys, etc. and then you all have to head to their car. And that’s if they can actually do it. You risk finding out that they aren’t able to - aren’t in, don’t have the car, have had too much wine, are waiting on something they deem more important than your life or death emergency - and then you’d have to run to the next neighbour’s house and start again. All while you leave your dying DS because you won’t risk breaking a law.

RewildingAmbridge · 04/01/2023 18:20

@NumberTheory or I run down the road to my car, start it up try and park it somewhere closer, leaving dying child alone, or run down the road in the cold/rain/dark with said dying child, then strap them in the back alone while I drive to the hospital. I would probably call my neighbour while staying with DS , it would also allow me to be with him in the back of their car, to monitor vital signs, apply pressure to any bleeding etc. Even if I did have to knock, it would be " neighbour help DS is seriously hurt please take us to a&e it's an emergency". Takes five seconds.

LaurieFairyCake · 04/01/2023 18:21

Not legal ones, no

NOTHING guarantees immunity from prosecution - even if you drove your own dying child to hospital you could still be prosecuted (and it would be up to your defence to argue mitigation)

NumberTheory · 04/01/2023 18:28

RewildingAmbridge · 04/01/2023 18:20

@NumberTheory or I run down the road to my car, start it up try and park it somewhere closer, leaving dying child alone, or run down the road in the cold/rain/dark with said dying child, then strap them in the back alone while I drive to the hospital. I would probably call my neighbour while staying with DS , it would also allow me to be with him in the back of their car, to monitor vital signs, apply pressure to any bleeding etc. Even if I did have to knock, it would be " neighbour help DS is seriously hurt please take us to a&e it's an emergency". Takes five seconds.

If you need help to get your DS to hospital, you need help. But that doesn’t mean your neighbour is going to be able to drive. So fi they can’t, what then? Look for another neighbour? And if they can’t, what then? The question to asked for any situation. You seems to be saying -
“No. I will take the time to find someone else at all costs. If I’m the only person who could drive a car and I’m disqualified then DS will just have to die at home.”

ILoveeCakes · 04/01/2023 18:30

If you get caught, it's the magistrate you'll have to explain it to, not us.

Galliano · 04/01/2023 18:37

www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/defences-duress-and-necessity

Here’s the CPS guidance and relevant case law examples for using a defence of necessity/duress of circumstances. The complete defence does exist but circumstances to successfully invoke it are pretty extreme so probably not one to plan to rely on.

RewildingAmbridge · 04/01/2023 18:39

@NumberTheory what I'm actually saying is there would never be a scenario where I live, where there are no other options. Also if I was disqualified from driving I wouldn't have a car, DH would but it would either be at home with him hence no need for me to drive, or he'd be out in it, in which case I couldn't drive it anyway.