Cops spotted my wheelie

I have been sent court papers saying I need to go to attend for not being in proper control of my motorcycle and driving without due care and attention. I was recorded pulling two wheelies on the same stretch of road by an unmarked police car. I was not stopped and reported at the time. The summons refers to two counts of each offence, I guess one for each wheelie. Is there anything I can do to get off this or should I plead guilty? I don’t deny I did it.

James, by e-mail

Answer

It is lucky that you are only being charged with driving without due care and attention. A wheelie is a specific example of the offence of dangerous driving. This is a more serious offence which they could have charged you with and the consequences could have been more serious.

An early guilty plea could reduce the penalty. You could also try to persuade them that you will plead guilty to just one of the offences as they were so close in time it is arguable they constituted the same act. This is known as a “same occasion offence” defence. This defence can be found at section 28 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. The court may or may not agree with you but it is definitely worth a try.

If you have anything to argue in mitigation, for example, that it was a dry, quiet road with no pedestrians about then this would be worth doing.