There are over 80 different driving conviction codes in the UK that you may accidentally violate. These driving codes cover offences that range from driving a vehicle with a cracked mirror to driving dangerously, or without a licence. They can all have a bad effect on any vehicle insurance you need to buy in the future. Luckily, though,there are still ways of buying reasonably priced insurance from reputable insurance companies.

After a guilty verdict in a prosecution for alleged driving offences, or even whilst a court case is pending, many drivers find it difficult to get insured at a reasonable cost. If the worst came to the worst and you were disqualified from driving, returning to motoring after the ban is lifted may be very difficult. One factor that makes the return difficult is that you could have to retake your driving test, unless it was just a short-term ban. However, what makes it worse is the difficulty in obtaining adequate insurance cover at an affordable price. The fact remains that having a high number of points on your driving record can make it more difficult to obtain car insurance at any price because many insurers may refuse to cover you at all. Other insurers will sell you cover, but only at a much higher cost. Some may also insist on increasing the amounts of excess payable if you were involved in an accident. There are reasonable prices out there, however, if you know where to look.

One UK legal information web site conducted surveys of various insurers recently, to find out just how much a few points on a licence affected the cost of insurance. The sample quote was for a 34 year old male driving a Ford C Max worth £10,000 with a voluntary £150 excess. The overall survey results were: • With 6 points, all over 4 years old: average premium out of 61 companies was increased by 7.91% • With 6 points, all over 3 years old: average premium out of 63 companies was increased by 8.82% • With 6 points, with half being older than 4 years old and half less than 2 years old: average premium out of 62 companies was increased by 14.31% • With 6 points, entirely within the past 2 years: average premium of 61 companies increased by 24.35%. However, some companies had increases of over 85 per cent. • With 9 points entirely within the past 2 years: average premium of 49 companies increased by 46.94% • With a 28 day disqualification for speeding: average premium of 51 companies increased by 23.35% • With a drink drive disqualification: average premium of 38 companies increased by 53.37%.

However, there are a few things you can do to lower the cost:
1) Using a conventional price comparison engine is often a waste of time because most of them are geared towards finding cheap quotes for average motorists who have not been accused of a driving offence for at least five years. You may save a lot of time and leg work by getting insurance quotes online from specialists.
2) Secondly, be flexible about the insurer you deal with. Many smaller or lesser known companies are more understanding about the difficulties of staying within the UK's driving laws, particularly when so many drivers regularly flout speed limits and seem to get away with it! Often, a smaller company may not charge you as much as a bigger one will.
3) After you’ve found the right company and cover to fit your situation, research all your options. Check to see if the insurer will lower the premium if you take driving courses, can prove a change of lifestyles, or seek rehabilitation treatments. Find out if reducing the amount of driving you do will help to lower the premium. Once again, you will probably need to contact a company which specialises in this market to get the right advice.
4) You should also take the time to look into any legal recourse you may have. In some cases, it’s possible to reduce the amount of time that an endorsement stays on your driving record. Since some can stay on your licence for up to eleven years, you may wish to appeal any that you believe are not warranted. However, please bear in mind that, win or lose, costs could be very high and be sure to retain the services of a professional motoring law expert. Obtaining affordable car insurance after being found guilty of one or more driving offences may not be easy to do. However, it’s not completely impossible. The best way to find a good deal is to go through an insurance broker or an insurance specialist who is familiar with your specific type of alleged offences.