Depending on what a driver has been convicted of, how long it stays on their licence and how long they will have to declare it to certain authorities when asked will depend on the conviction. Drink-driving offences and some more serious convictions remain on your licence for 11 years. Those included would be drink and drug offences shown on the driving record as DR10, DR20, DR30, DR31, DR61, and DR80.
However, when it comes to insurance companies looking to insure you after you have been convicted of a drink driving offence, the conviction is considered “spent” after five years under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Some firms may often ask if you have any “endorsements” on your licence in the previous 11 years, but this was deemed unlawful by a High Court ruling in 2002, considering it a breach of duty to disadvantage a driver for a conviction considered “spent”.
In short, an insurance provider is not allowed to make policy decisions based on convictions considered spent, and if decisions, including higher policy charges, are implemented based on spent convictions, a complaint can be made against the company.
Insurers are generally asking these questions with regard to previous drink driving convictions as an insight into a driver’s past behaviour. The industry uses statistical modelling to determine the likelihood of a driver making a claim in the future, considering numerous factors.
The result of this is generally the position that a driver with a previous DR10 or related conviction is more likely to make a claim in the future, which can, unfortunately, result in higher premiums for those drivers – but not once five years have passed. Some insurers would even refuse to insure drivers with previous drink driving convictions as they are seen as too high risk.
Even with that being the case, it’s of paramount importance that someone seeking drink driver insurance always declares a drink driving conviction when attempting to take out a policy, as the nondisclosure of information could result in a policy being invalidated if one were to attempt to make a claim against the policy at a later date, resulting in non-payment of a claim.
With all this being said, Insurance Revolution specialises in providing drunk driver insurance for vehicles and drivers, and we have extensive experience in providing policies for drivers with drunk driving convictions. While providers may consider a driver with a drunk driving conviction high risk, we believe it should not cost you the earth to get a drunk driver insurance policy.
We can help you find a competitive policy fast. If you’re unsure of how to proceed concerning acquiring insurance post-conviction, get in touch with one of our advisors, who will be able to talk you through the process and offer you a competitive quote to help you get back on the road.
Visit our dedicated website page to learn more about our drink driver insurance policies.