How many drivers are convicted in the UK each year?

It’s fair to say that the vast majority of convicted drivers in the UK probably regret their actions. Some people will admit that they made a poor decision in the heat of the moment, while other drivers may not have realised they were even committing an offence at the time.
 
Convicted drivers pay the price – quite literally. Most insurance providers charge higher premiums to drivers with motoring convictions, because they think they’ll be more likely to make a claim (which costs insurers money to pursue and resolve). They see them as a greater risk to insure, and so, offset this risk with higher insurance costs.
 
Things are different at the Insurance Factory. We understand that the past is the past, and we do all we can to help you get back behind the wheel with minimal hassle. Our convicted driver insurance policies are designed to reflect the driver’s individual circumstances, and we strive to be as competitive as possible with our pricing.
 

How many drivers are convicted each year?

If you were to hazard a guess as to how many drivers commit a motoring offence every year, what would you say? 100,000? 200,000? Half a million?
 
The real answer is closer to a staggering 2.4 million – which may surprise you! According to the Home Office’s most recent Police power and procedures, England and Wales report, the Penalty Point (PentiP) system recorded a whopping 2.4 million motoring offences in 2017 – that’s an increase of 0.2% compared with the previous year. These include offences which resulted in the driver receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or another outcome.
 
Broken down, it looks like this:
 
  • 853,153 cases led to the driver receiving an endorsable FPN (36%)
  • 115,824 cases resulted in a non-endorsable FPS (5%)
  • In 1,085,180 cases the driver went to a driver retraining course
  • 341,738 cases result in court action
 
As the report notes, the number of endorsable FPNs has remained relatively stable in the past few years. At the same time, the number of non-endorsable FPNs have dropped year on year.
 
According to the No Penalty Points website, around a quarter of a million drivers are banned from driving every year here in the UK.


 

What are the most common driving convictions?

The No Penalty Points website explores some of the UK’s most common driving convictions. They are:

 

1. Speeding

Perhaps unsurprisingly, speeding tops the list of motoring offences in the UK. In fact, if we look back to the Home Office statistics, it was revealed than more than four fifths (84%) of the recorded motoring offences in 2017 were for speed limit offences – totalling 2,018,408.
 
The report explains that speed-related offences have increased slightly every year since 2011, now standing at the highest level since records began.
 
You could receive up to three and six points for speeding, with a maximum fine of £2,500. Drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by 50% may face an instant driving ban.

 

2. Drink driving

There are around 3,000 drink driving-related accidents every year in the UK, and around 100,000 drivers fail a breath test when they’re stopped by the police. According to a drink-driving accident report from the Department for Transport, between 200 and 280 people were killed in Great Britain in accidents where at least one driver was over the limit in 2016.
 
The same report estimated that 9,050 people were killed or injured in an accident involving a driver over the limit.

 

3. Driving distractions

Third on the list are driving distractions that lead to penalty points and fines. These include eating and drinking at the wheel, and using our phones. The latter can result in a maximum fine of £1,000 and three penalty points on your licence. You could get a £200 fine and six points just for holding a phone when in control of a car.

 

4. Failing to stop after accidents

Convictions for failing to stop after an accident is another common offence here in the UK. This is often the case when drivers are involved in minor bumps and incidents, and drive away because they believe no damage has been done. Failing to stop, even after a small accident, could result in a full driving ban in some cases.
 
Failing to stop and failing to report an incident are two separate offences – it’s possible for a driver to be prosecuted for both in one incident. You could be fined up to £2,500 and receive between five and ten penalty points on your licence.

 

5. Driving without insurance

Driving without car insurance is a common and serious offence. There are approximately two million drivers in the UK without insurance. As a result, police spot-checks are becoming more common, with around 300,000 people caught without cover each year. Offenders face a fine of up to £5,000 and between six to eight penalty points.
 

How do you get  convicted driver insurance?

As we’ve mentioned, getting a good deal on insurance cover can be difficult if you’ve received a motoring conviction in the past, especially if you’ve been banned from driving. Some insurers charge sky-high premiums because they don’t want to provide convicted drivers with cover, while others might refuse to insure you altogether.
 
But, competitive cover and excellent benefits needn’t be a thing of the past. Insurance Factory’s convicted driver insurance can cover a range of motoring offences, including:
 
  • Driving without insurance
  • Driving/attempting to drive with a blood alcohol level exceeding legal limits
  • Exceeding the speed limit on a motorway
  • Driving in a dangerous manner
  • Driving at a dangerous speed
  • Reckless driving
  • Non-motoring convictions
 
We’ve got 20 years of experience providing convicted driver insurance to motorists in the UK, and have access to a specialist panel of insurers. So, you can rest assured that you’ll be well looked after at Insurance Factory. Get a quote today!