According to the road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, the number of drivers with points on their licence has rapidly increased from 2022 to 2023. 1
Drivers will need to change their driving habits and behaviours to avoid driving bans, or worse still, injuring or killing themselves or someone else. In addition to being a threat to yourself and other drivers, dangerous driving can negatively impact on your insurance.
How can penalty points impact on your motor insurance?
Driving offences can affect your motor insurance, often leading to increased premiums or even policy cancellations. Understanding the most common driving offences and how they could affect your cover is essential. In this article, we explore some of the most common driving offences, such as speeding, driving under the influence, and distracted driving, and how these could affect your insurance costs and cover.
Driving Without Insurance
Driving without insurance is illegal in the UK. If your vehicle is insured but you’re not insured to drive it, you could be considered by the police and your insurer to be driving without insurance. Similarly, if you are using your van or car for business purposes and you don’t have the appropriate insurance to cover you, you could face serious problems should you need to make a claim.
Impact on Insurance: If you’re caught without insurance, your current insurer may cancel your policy and finding new insurance can be challenging and expensive. In fact, driving without insurance is the most expensive driving offence in relation to hiked up insurance costs. It is considered even more serious than some of the other driving offences which could potentially cause injury or death. If you are caught without cover, your premium could cost over £2200 a year.2
Driving Over the Alcohol Limit
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a severe offence with heavy legal and financial consequences. If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you could face heavy fines, suspension of your licence and imprisonment.
Impact on insurance
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is one of the most severe driving offences in terms of its impact on insurance, and many insurers will double or triple the premium for drivers with this conviction and many may refuse to insure you.
At BCD we understand that as a driver, you still need cover to get on the road. We work hard, searching from a wide panel of insurers to provide convicted drivers with motor insurance that is as competitively priced and suitable for you, as possible. If you have been convicted of drunk driving, talk to us about finding appropriate cover for you and your vehicle.
Distracted Driving | Driving Whilst Using a Phone
The third most costly driving offence and a common one, is distracted driving. Distracted driving involves any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating, talking to passengers, or fiddling with the stereo or navigation system. The rise of smartphones has made distracted driving one of the leading causes of accidents.
Impact on insurance
If you’re caught whilst using your mobile phone and driving, your insurance could be on average around £1,300 a year.3 This rise in cost reflects the fact that insurers consider distracted driving a major risk and cause of accidents. The amount your premium could increase also depends on the number of times you have offended and whether an accident has been caused by your driving behaviour.
If you have a distracted driving offence on your record and are finding it hard to get insurance, we may be able to help. At BCD, we specialise in insurance for convicted drivers, which means our team understands the complexities of finding the right level of cover. With us on your side, you might be able to insure your car or van despite having this type of driving offence.
Speeding
Speeding is one of the most common driving offences. It involves driving at a speed that goes above the legal limit set for a particular road or area. Speeding violations are classified based on the extent of the excess speed and whether it was in a residential area, near schools, or a motorway.
Impact on Insurance
Speeding tickets almost always result in increased insurance premiums. Insurers view speeding as a sign of reckless behaviour, increasing the risk of accidents. Depending on the severity and frequency of speeding violations, the increase in premiums can range from moderate to high. In some cases, repeated offences may lead insurers to categorise the driver as high-risk, which could lead to much higher premiums or even refusal to renew the policy.
If you have been convicted of a speeding offence, the BCD team can search for cover from a large panel of insurers. Years of experience in finding insurance for convicted drivers means that even if you have been turned down by other insurers, we will work hard to get you an effective level of cover.
Reckless or Dangerous Driving
Reckless driving is a broad term that can include a variety of unsafe driving behaviours, such as aggressive driving, tailgating, or making unsafe lane changes. It is generally defined as driving with a wilful disregard for the safety of people or property.
Impact on Insurance
Reckless driving is a serious offence that can lead to significant insurance consequences. Insurers see reckless drivers as high-risk individuals, and a conviction can result in a sharp increase in premiums. In some cases, a reckless driving charge can be as damaging to your insurance costs as driving over the alcohol limit. Repeat offences or severe cases can lead to policy cancellation or non-renewal by your insurer.
Driving offences can have a direct and often severe impact on car insurance costs. Insurers assess risk based on a driver’s history, and traffic violations are key indicators of potential risk. The severity of the offence, frequency of violations, and whether the offence led to an accident all influence the extent to which your insurance premium could increase. Maintaining a clean driving record is crucial for keeping insurance costs low. Understanding the financial implications of common driving offences can help drivers make safer choices on the road and avoid the long-term costs associated with higher insurance premiums.
How we can help you
If you have driving offences on your record, own a high-performance vehicle, or work in a job which insurers see as high risk, get in touch with our team. We’ll search from a panel of leading insurers to source insurance that is affordable and tailored to suit you.
Call: 0344 776 5304
2-3. https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/guides/top-motoring-convictions