The roads out of Penicuik are the reason motoring charges here look different from those in the rest of Midlothian. The A702 over the Pentlands towards Biggar and the A701 south to Peebles are fast, largely unlit single-carriageway routes with long overtaking stretches and a poor collision history, and they produce careless and dangerous driving charges as readily as they produce speeding tickets. A conviction on either brings points, a premium increase and often a ban. Charles Ferguson Solicitors defend motoring charges throughout Midlothian from our Glasgow office at 20-23 Woodside Place, G3 7QL. Call 0141 345 5735.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court — Road Traffic Cases
Motoring prosecutions arising in Penicuik are heard at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, Sheriff Court House, 27 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LB, in the Sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders, since Midlothian has no sheriff court of its own. Routine summary motoring business — speeding, careless driving, insurance and licence offences — is generally taken in the Justice of the Peace Court, while drink driving, dangerous driving and cases prosecuted on indictment call before a sheriff. Where a collision has caused a death, the charge of causing death by dangerous driving is prosecuted in the High Court of Justiciary, which sits in Edinburgh.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Penicuik
Drink Driving and Drug Driving — Scotland's limit of 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood is the lowest in the United Kingdom, and in a district where reaching a pub or a friend's house means driving there, morning-after charges are common. We examine Intoximeter calibration and maintenance records, the procedure followed at the police station, and whether the hip flask defence applies. Dangerous Driving — conviction brings disqualification for at least 12 months and a compulsory extended retest; on the A702 in particular, overtaking allegations turn squarely on whether the driving was dangerous or merely careless, and that distinction is worth fighting. Careless Driving — often the right charge where the Crown has pitched it too high, and often a question of what the road conditions genuinely allowed. Speeding — the A702, the A701, the A703, the A6094 and the A720 city bypass are all enforced; we check device type approval and calibration and whether a Notice of Intended Prosecution was served within 14 days. Totting Up and Exceptional Hardship — at 12 penalty points the court must disqualify for at least 6 months unless exceptional hardship is proved on evidence. Driving Without Insurance — 6 to 8 penalty points or discretionary disqualification. Mobile Phone Offences — 6 penalty points. Driving While Disqualified — a charge carrying a real risk of custody.
Distance, Isolation and the Cost of a Ban
Penicuik is served by buses into Edinburgh and by very little else. There is no railway station, and from Carlops, Howgate, Silverburn or the outlying farms there is no realistic alternative to a car at all. That shapes who a disqualification hurts here: farm and estate staff who need towing entitlement to work, trades and contractors covering the Lothians and the Borders from a van, care workers driving long rural rounds, and the many residents commuting to the research and science sites at Roslin and Bush or into the city. Where a ban would cost you your income or leave a dependent relative without support, that must be put to the court with evidence rather than asserted. Call 0141 345 5735 and ask about Legal Aid.
Areas Served Across Midlothian and the Pentlands
We act for drivers charged anywhere in the Penicuik district, including Auchendinny, Roslin, Bilston, Loanhead, Howgate, Carlops, Silverburn, Rosewell, Bonnyrigg, Lasswade, Eskbank, Dalkeith and Gorebridge. Charges commonly arise on the A702, the A701, the A703, the A6094 and the A720 city bypass. Call 0141 345 5735.