Getting insured after a conviction

Specialist brokers may get you the best deals

Statistically, the average motorists who have licence points for speeding offences or even drink-driving or dangerous driving records are more likely to have accidents in the future, so all insurers view them with caution and some just won't cover them at all. The 'average' driver doesn't exist though. You may have been just unlucky or a borderline case. Some motorists, indeed, become safer drivers because they have no wish to go through a court case again. However a run-of-the-mill insurer will still penalise them the same. There are some insurance companies, however, that take a more personalised view and that may be able to offer more competitive premiums. Motorists with convictions might get a much better deal by dealing with a broker who specialises in the more non-standard cases.

Can you hide your driving record from insurers?

Every year several thousand drivers fail to inform their insurance companies that they have been found guilty, or have been charged with, endorsable offences. They are inevitably caught out because the insurers cross-check details with numerous different sources; they know more about our driving records than we know ourselves. Deliberately withholding information leads to, at best, an increased premium and, at worst, a refusal to pay out on a claim and /or extreme difficulty in finding future insurance at any price. This could also lead to a criminal charge of insurance fraud. It is therefore absolutely essential to be completely up-front about any past misdemeanours.

Can you drive without insurance?

Every vehicle on UK roads has to be insured. This is enforced by traffic cameras. The number plates of most vehicles are photographed several times a day and read by number recognition software. They are then compared with a database which carries details of every motor insurance policy in Britain. This happens almost instantaneously so, if no insurance cover is in place, there is plenty of time for a nearby police officer in a patrol car to be informed. The result is usually a conviction for driving without insurance and a possible driving ban. Insurance difficulties can then get far worse than before.

Are price comparison sites always the cheapest?

Major price comparison sites are designed to produce cheap quotes automatically. However: every motorist who has been accused, or sentenced, for a driving (or criminal) offence is unique, and this means that producing a fair quotation cannot be done automatically. A real live human has to be involved and this should be someone who is familiar with all the major endorsable misdemeanours such as SP30 (Exceeding The Statutory Speed Limit); SP50 (Exceeding The Motorway Speed Limit; P10 (Speeding In A Goods Vehicle); SP60 (Other Speeding Offences); TS10 (Traffic Light Offences); IN10 (Driving Whilst Uninsured; DR10 (Driving Whilst Over The Alcohol Limit); LC20 (Driving Licence Related Offences); CU80 (Driving Whilst Using A Mobile Phone); and CD10(Driving Without Due Care And Attention).