A criminal record can prevent you from being able to enter into certain types of employment or voluntary work.
Details of your criminal conviction for drink driving, as with all other offences, will be held on the Police National Computer (PNC) until you turn 100 years old.
However, employers do not have access to the PNC. Therefore, they will often require you to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before they offer you a job.
A DBS check flags to prospective employers whether you have any convictions or cautions on your criminal record. In this way, an employer will find out about any unspent drink driving convictions you may have, including information about any drink driving prison sentences.
How long does drink driving stay on my DBS check?
Many criminal convictions will become ‘spent’ after a certain period of time and will cease to show up on DBS checks.
For adults over 18, a conviction for drink driving will stay on your DBS check for different lengths of time, depending upon the sentence that was imposed. These ‘rehabilitation periods’ are as follows:
- Custodial sentence over 48 months – Will always show up on a DBS check.
- Custodial sentence of between 30 and 48 months – Will not show on DBS 7 years after the end of your sentence.
- Custodial sentence of between 6 and 30 months – Will not show on DBS 4 years after the end of your sentence.
- Custodial sentence of up to 6 months – Will not show on DBS check 2 years after the end of your sentence.
- Probation order or community order – 12 months after the end of the order, the drink driving conviction won’t show on a DBS check.
- Fine – Drink driving conviction won’t show on DBS check 12 months after the date of your conviction.
- Conditional Discharge Order – Won’t show on a DBS from the last day of the order.
It’s important to note that if your drink driving resulted in a death, this will always show up on your DBS check.
How many years does drink driving stay on your licence?
In the UK, a conviction for drug or drink driving will stay on your driving licence for 11 years.
You’ll need to declare a drink driving conviction to your car insurance provider for 5 years after the fact.
However, even after these 5 years have passed, an insurance provider may ask you if you have any convictions. In these instances, it’s vital that you tell the truth, as not doing so could not only invalidate your insurance policy but could also bring about charges of fraud.
Speak to expert motoring defence solicitors today
It is possible to avoid a conviction for drink driving entirely, even if you were over the limit.
When it comes to drink driving offences, it’s vital that you work with highly experienced motoring defence solicitors.
If you’ve been charged with drink driving, contact MAJ Law, who will be able to tell you if you have grounds for a defence.