Will A Drink Driving Conviction Affect My Employment?

Drink driving is a criminal offence in the UK, and, if found guilty, offenders can suffer long-term consequences.

But can drink driving affect your career and future employment?

Here’s everything you need to know, including if you should tell your employers about your conviction and what a drink driving solicitor can do to mitigate any penalties.

Legal limits for drink driving cases

According to the Road Traffic Act (1988), drink driving is defined as driving or attempting to drive after consuming a certain amount of alcohol that exceeds the prescribed limit and can be found in a person’s breath, blood or urine.

The legal limits for drink driving are:

• 35 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath
• 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood
• 107 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of urine

Drink driving penalties

If you exceed these legal limits, you could receive the following penalties:

• Fined up to £5,000
• A 6-month prison sentence
• A mandatory driving disqualification
• Considered a high-risk offender

Telling employers about your conviction

Many people question whether they should tell their employer or future employer about a drink driving conviction. However, this simply depends on the nature of the role.

If you work with vulnerable adults or children, or in a government-based role, you’re likely to need a DBS check. This allows employers to check the criminal record of job applicants. Therefore, if you do get charged with a drink-driving conviction, your contract is likely to say you need to inform your employer of any changes.

If you don't require a DBS check and your contract doesn’t state that you need to declare an offence, you may not have to tell them. It’s recommended you check your contract and company handbook to see if you have to tell your employer about any convictions.

Obviously, if your job involves driving of any kind, you have to declare your conviction, especially if you've been sentenced to anything other than a fine.

I have a drink driving conviction, will I be fired from my current role?

Role dismissal really depends on the job in question.

If you require to undergo regular DBS checks as part of your job role, or you drive for a living (e.g. public transport or delivery driver), then it is possible that you’ll lose your job after being caught drink driving.

The best way to find out about the status of your job after being convicted of drink driving is by asking your employer if it’s not made clear in your contract or the company handbook.

What jobs can you get with a drink driving conviction?

As we’ve mentioned previously, jobs requiring a DBS check are unlikely to hire those with a conviction, as well as roles that involve driving.

Other than that, it’s simply down to the employer.

As the job market is very competitive, and if it’s between you and another candidate, a background check could be the definitive factor during the application process.

To reduce the likelihood of a drink driving conviction affecting your job application, a drink driving solicitor can help.

Finding the right drink driving solicitor for you

To limit penalties and protect your current and future career, it’s important you find a qualified and trustworthy drink driving solicitor to help your appeal.

Drink driving solicitors can help defend a drink driving charge, so your job role won’t be affected.

They simply find procedural legalities and technicalities to protect their clients and avoid disqualification, even if 2-3 times over the legal limit. While this doesn’t always discard penalties, it can help mitigate them.

Contact M.A.J Law today for more information.