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hat is a driving conviction?
A driving conviction is what you’re issued by the police if you get caught breaking a traffic law. Offences for which driving convictions are given are associated with specific endorsement codes, and depending on the offence, given a certain number of penalty points. For example, if you fail to stop after an accident, you could get as much as 5 to 10 penalty points more.
What are its implications?
A driving conviction is a blot on your licence. The blot will stay on your licence for at least 4 years, but if the offence is something serious like drunk driving, it may remain for up to 11 years. Driving convictions are basically indications of your past indiscretions on the road. Your past behaviour on the road is indicative of the future, so it plays a major role in calculating the risk you face and hence the amount you have to pay to get your vehicle insured. It may even affect your chances of landing a job, because some employers want a clean licence.
How exactly does it affect insurance?
Depending on the number of penalty points and the number of offences, the rate of insurance will increase. If you think you can get away with not telling them about your past record, well, you can’t. If any information regarding convictions of the past five years or pending convictions presently is not disclosed to the insurance agency, it could make your policy invalid.
There is a silver lining, however. If you’re caught, say, for speeding, you have an option. You could either accept the conviction and pay a fine, or attend a speed awareness course. Better attend a course than having a blot, right?
