New Guidelines for Motoring Offences
From 1st July 2025, new guidelines have been introduced by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, including a new sentencing guideline for Careless Driving / Driving Without Due Care.
This follows a consultation in late 2024.
Careless driving is committed when the driving falls below the standard expected of a reasonable and competent driver. This can include a lapse in concentration, travelling at speed, or just being too tired to drive responsibly. There does not need to be an accident caused by the driving, but when an accident occurs, causing damage or injury, the sentencing will be more severe to reflect this.
There is no change to the Court’s overall powers. The sentencing option remains between 3 and 9 points, along with a fine. In the most serious cases, the Court may consider a driving disqualification instead of imposing points.
There is no change to the sentencing guidelines for causing death or serious injury by careless driving.
The Sentencing Guidelines are a public document and can be found in full here.
Where you are charged with an offence of careless driving, this will often begin with the service of a Single Justice Procedure Notice. If you receive this or a Notice of Intended Prosecution, call our team today for a free initial consultation and see how we can assist. For recent examples of cases our team has handled, click here.
