COMPANY car drivers who try to avoid a driving ban by claiming it will cost them their jobs will have a less sympathetic ear in future following new guidelines issued by the Magistrates Association.
Previously, a driver could cite an ‘exceptional hardship’ clause, hoping magistrates would issue a heavy fine radier than a ban.
But the new guidance says losing a job does not automatically qualify for ‘exceptional hardship’.
Furuier evidence of the increasingly hardline approach comes from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which is putting together teams of lawyers and former police officers to help prosecute speeding cases and prevent drivers using loopholes to get them off.
But the crackdown on persistent offenders should prompt fleets to introduce proper licence checks.
Jason Francis, managing director of software and risk management company Jaama said: ‘Some employees may not voluntarily disclose information about driving convictions.’