< Go Back How Can Motoring Offences Affect My Insurance? Posted: Feb 28, 2020 For car drivers, there are few better feelings than driving your car on the open road. If the sun’s shining, the music’s turned up and the roads are clear, the sheer joy of driving your car is hard to surpass. But this is assuming the car’s roadworthy and you’re driving legally!
It might sound like an obvious assumption, but it’s not always the case. With the increase in driving offences , whether it’s speeding fines, seat belt offences, drink or drug-driving, not having insurance or using a mobile phone whilst driving. A clean licence is beginning to be a very rare thing indeed. If you don’t know your SP30 from your SP50, then let’s take a look at how the price you pay for driving offences cuts both ways.
Road Offences Before 1988, if you were caught breaking the rules of the road, you were either fined or banned. Simple. You could be fined over and over again without anything other than a financial hit.
Since then, a new system was introduced designed to give the police and the courts another way to punish repeat offenders .
From then to now, if you are guilty of an offence your licence is penalised with points. The number of points you get is directly related to the seriousness of the offence you’ve committed. Once you get enough points, you’re banned from driving for a period of time.
If you receive any points on your driving licence as a consequence of a motoring offence, then the concern becomes how it will affect your insurance.
Insurance companies price their policies based on a range of factors to determine your risk. If you're caught driving too quickly, driving under the influence or using your phone whilst driving, they will consider the risk of you having an accident to increase. The greater the risk, the higher the premium you have to pay. Statistics show that people with motoring convictions are more likely to make a claim, which is why they increase their rates.
Each insurance company will have its own set of algorithms to evaluate risk criteria. But the more serious motoring offences will mean your premium rises more than others. In some cases, it might mean that you are refused insurance entirely. This is especially true if you’re already a younger driver.
If you’re starting a policy with a new insurer, or simply renewing and have received points on your licence in the time between policies, then you might consider not disclosing the conviction. It’s an interesting strategy to keep the price down, but you are legally required to tell them. If you don’t and they find out, then your insurance will be invalid, and that’s a whole other offence you’ve committed!
You might think there’s nothing you can do to potentially prevent penalty points appearing on your licence, but that’s not always the case. Many people rely on their licence for their livelihood, so the chance that it is revoked can be devastating.
There are a number of specialist motoring offence solicitors around the UK that may be able to help you out of a legal jam. If you’ve received a summons or notice of prosecution, contact one as soon as possible so they can clarify your options.
We all want the roads to be safe for road users and pedestrians alike. We’ve all been guilty of going a little too fast now and again, but it’s up to all of us to keep safe and treat the roads with respect.
Incidentally, an SP30 is the most common motoring conviction for both men and women - it’s speeding on a public road, one that isn’t a motorway, that’s an SP50! Now you know!
Here at Fosse Law, we offer professional and dependable legal support services throughout Leicester, Loughborough, and the Midlands. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you, get in touch today , we’d love to hear from you. Pop us an email atinfo@fosselaw.com or give us a call on 07852 291081.