Finepost · Fines · Codes · DR61
DR61 : refusing to give permission for analysis of a blood sample that was taken without consent due to incapacity in circumstances other than driving or attempting to drive
Checked 22 July 2026 · How we check our figures
What it means
DR61 is the anomaly of the shelf: in-charge facts, the refusal of permission to analyse blood taken during incapacity under s. 7A RTA 1988, yet it keeps the 11-year clock of the driving variants while carrying the in-charge 10 points. That mix makes it the heaviest non-driving entry on the record: a decade of paperwork and 2 points short of the totting line in a single code. The penalty points calculator does that arithmetic; the drink driving guide does the rest.
Points and how long it stays
10 points.
On the licence for 11 years from the date of conviction.
The DR family is the 11-year shelf of the endorsement system, but only half of it sits there. DR10, DR20, DR30, DR31 and DR61 stay on the record for 11 years from conviction, not from the offence, though third parties such as insurers can see an 11-year code only through its first 5 years, where a 4-year code shows throughout (gov.uk, checked 2026-07-22). The in-charge and roadside codes, DR40, DR50, DR60 and DR70, run on the ordinary 4-year clock from the offence, or from conviction where a court disqualifies (gov.uk, checked 2026-07-22). The driving variants carry a mandatory ban of 12 months or more, 3 years for a second drink offence inside 10, so their points column is mostly theoretical; the others carry fixed points instead, 10 for the in-charge entries and 4 for the roadside test. High readings, refusals and a second drink-related disqualification inside 10 years add the high risk offender scheme, where the licence returns only after the DVLA is medically satisfied. The tables, the course that shortens the ban and the courtroom mechanics sit in the drink driving guide at /fines/guides/drink-driving.
The usual route
There is no fixed penalty at this end of the table; the charge is heard in person, as the drink driving guide sets out.
If it goes to court
The in-charge scale applies: up to 3 months and a level 4 fine with a discretionary ban; the courtroom mechanics sit in the drink driving guide.
Read next
Calculator: the code decoder, every code on the official list →
Authority
gov.uk, Penalty points (endorsements), checked 2026-07-22