Young Convicted Driver Insurance

Young Drivers with Convictions

Once you have passed your driving test, and you finally have your licence in your hand, like many young drivers you may be keen to get behind the wheel and start driving as much as possible. Due to inexperience, lack of awareness and even over-confidence, new or young drivers can often find themselves involved in accidents or breaking the rules of the road and receiving a conviction..

With there being more driving convictions available now, and the point system being much stricter on new drivers for the first 2 years, it is easy to find yourself on the receiving end of a conviction, losing your licence, or even a ban. For anybody who has been driving for more than 2 years, if you have 12 or more points on your licence within a 3 year period you can be disqualified from driving, whereas if you are a new driver in receipt of 6 points within the first 2 years of driving, you will have your licence revoked and will have to retake your driving test.

All of these rules for young drivers are based on the fact that inexperienced and new drivers pose more risk on the road than any other demographic, and therefore are more likely to cause or be involved in any accident, and need to make an insurance claim. This is the reason that under 25s have much higher premiums from the get-go. An insurance company does not want to take on a client that is considered to be an increased risk without receiving a substantial premium in return.

With insurance prices sometimes being extremely high for young drivers, it can be even more stressful if you also have a driving conviction. Any points on your licence or driving bans must be declared when applying for insurance, and with new drivers being more susceptible to errors there is a growing number of young drivers requiring convicted insurance.

Who Needs Convicted Drivers Insurance For Young People?

If you are a young driver between the ages of 19 and 24 and you have points on your driving licence, or have received any form of driving conviction, then you may be eligible for an insurance policy for young drivers with convictions.

With rules being stricter and convictions being far easier to gain, young drivers are now finding themselves with more temptation and opportunity to break the law, get points on their licence and much higher insurance costs as a result.

It is more difficult for new drivers, as receiving 6 points in your first 2 years of driving results in an automatic loss of licence, and you’ll have to start from scratch, taking your test again and going through the whole process once more.

If you’re a new driver under 25, getting affordable insurance is hard enough in the first place, without having to worry about the impact that having convictions or even a driving ban will have upon the cost of your policy, and many may find that it is too expensive to get back behind the wheel and as a result have to give up driving until they can afford it.

While many insurance Brokers don’t even consider anybody with certain convictions against their name, here at Think we offer a policy specifically for young drivers that have received convictions, whether it’s a couple of speeding offences, or something more serious like a drink/drug driving conviction. All convictions are considered, including non-driving convictions also.

For any driver, being convicted of a drink driving offense can have a major impact on their ability to get insurance once any ban has been served, and this is even more of an issue for someone under 25 years old. Across all age-groups, young drivers have the highest proportion of drink drive accidents, and it is said that young drivers are between four and five times more likely to be in a drink drive accident than older age groups.

What Driving Convictions Are Covered

We will consider most driving convictions and even non-motoring convictions too.

As well as the long-standing convictions such as drink driving (DR10), exceeding the speed limit on a public road (SP30) or being disqualified for having 12 or more points from a number of convictions (totting up – TT99), new convictions are always being added to the list.

Over time, as new technology develops, or new trends are spotted in the causes of accidents on the road, new convictions are introduced. The more possible convictions there are, the more laws you can be caught breaking, and therefore the more careful you have to be when getting behind the wheel. One example of a recently introduced conviction is the introduction of the penalties for being caught using your mobile phone when behind the wheel.

Did you know that it is illegal to hold a phone or sat nav while driving your car? The penalties for getting caught vary depending upon the severity, but you can get 6 points and a £200 fine for using your phone, or 3 points if you don’t have a full view of the road or proper control of your vehicle. In extreme cases, you may be taken to court and get a fine of up to £1,000.

The rules are that if you are using a phone or sat nav whilst driving, you must have hands-free access and the device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead, such as:

• a bluetooth headset
• voice command
• a dashboard holder or mat
• a windscreen mount
• a built-in sat nav

Don’t forget, the law still applies to you even if you’re stopped at traffic lights, queuing in traffic, and even supervising a learner driver, so be careful!

How Does Being A Young Driver With A Driving Conviction Affect Your Insurance Premium?

As a young driver you may already be aware of the stigma which surrounds your age group when it comes to road safety and driving. Statistically, young drivers are far less likely to pay attention to their surroundings and get distracted whilst driving, which has a strong connection to inexperience.

With more young drivers being involved in accidents than any other age bracket, that combined with a driving conviction is proof that you are a greater risk on the road and therefore less appealing to an insurance provider. This means that the likelihood of having a claim in the future is much higher than somebody who does not have a conviction, thus making your premium and potentially any excess you may have to pay in the event of a claim, much more.

Many insurers or brokers won’t cover young drivers or convicted drivers, so a young driver with a conviction(s) will find it even more difficult to get cover, however at Think Insurance, we have a specific policy available for young drivers with convictions. This much-needed scheme involves having a black box fitted to your car, and can help young convicted drivers get back on the road with a more reasonable insurance premium.

What Is A Black Box?

A Black Box, also known as a Telematics box, is a small device which is installed into the policyholder’s vehicle. The device records how the vehicle is being driven, and then relays information on the driver’s speed, acceleration, breaking, cornering and the times they drive, back to the insurance provider.

Drivers who have convictions could be facing insurance fees of up to £6,000, but in return for having a box fitted and your driving monitored with this new scheme, you have the potential to cut your costs by up to half!

Some providers of black box policies may have limitations and restrictions on when and how you can drive. At Think Insurance we believe that the freedom to drive when you like is a way to accurately judge a person on their driving capability. This means no curfews, no restrictions and no nonsense (though your driving score can be affected by the time of day you drive) To be eligible for one of our Young Convicted Driver insurance policies, you need to have either received a driving ban or have at least 6 points on your licence.

If you are considering a policy, here are some of the benefits that you could receive:

Monitor Your Driving - At Think we offer easy access to MyPortal that allows you to monitor your own driving score, miles, usage and other things at any time, or any place, provided you have an internet connection.

Total Miles – Keeping track of how many miles you’ve got left on your insurance can be quite stressful. With a black box policy, your driving performance is constantly being monitored and thus your miles are recorded helping you keep them in check. With access to MyPortal, not only can you monitor how many miles you’ve used recently, but it also shows you how many miles you have left on your policy. This means that you have the luxury of either purchasing more at any time during the policy, or altering your driving week-by-week if you are forecast to go over or under your allowed mileage.

Driving/Performance Score – Your driving score is a measurement of safe driving practices. This is measured through information that’s relayed from your box regarding your breaking, acceleration, speed and cornering. It also includes where and when you have driven. From this information gathered, you are rated on your driving performance and given a score. For somebody aiming to lower their premium costs, you should ideally have a high driving score – the higher the score, the bigger the potential discounts at renewal. Having access to MyPortal allows you to see your current driving score, and thus make amendments to the way you drive to ensure you are getting the best possible score you can.

If your driving score happens to drop lower than what is required, our team may be in touch and you may receive a call or a communication from us advising that you need to improve. In extreme cases, poor driving scores can lead to Warnings and even cancelation of your policy, so make sure you understand exactly what is expected of you so there are no shocks or surprises down the line if you have been driving badly.

Other Ways To Cut The Cost Of Your Insurance Premium

Finding the perfect policy when you have limitations such as inexperience or driving convictions, can be extremely difficult. We have made a list of potential factors that may impact the cost of any future quotes you receive and, while we understand that every individual has different circumstances and might not be able to make some / all of these changes, this information is just something for you to keep in mind when making your application for an insurance policy:

• Where The Car Is Kept

  Finding a safe place to park your car is an essential part of preserving the vehicle from potential damage and theft. This could even have an impact on your premium cost. Low risk / low crime areas and parking spots could be eligible for lower insurance costs, whereas high crime, industrial roads are quite the opposite.

• Lower Mileage

  While it’s not feasible for some people, taking public transport or walking when possible could cut out the need to pay for any unneeded miles. If you take the time to calculate your main journeys, such as to school or work and not take any unnecessary journeys, you should get a basic estimation of the number of miles you would need.

  If you overestimate the number of miles you need or don’t calculate accurately enough you could end up paying far more than you need to. However, be careful not to underestimate the number of miles you need as this could cause problems at a later date. You may have to purchase more miles mid-term, and the cost of them is influenced by your driving record to-date, so this error could become extremely costly depending on how much you have underestimated by.

• Type Of Car

  Choosing the perfect car is an exciting experience for a young driver. Unfortunately, these decisions could have negative effects on your insurance costs. While this may not be within your control if you have been given or gifted the car from family, it’s a good thing to consider as some cars have considerably cheaper insurance premiums than others.

  Knowing which cars to avoid from the get-go is a handy piece of information. If you look through a few statistics on which cars are viewed negatively or which cars have a higher accident rate you can get a rough idea on what to avoid.

• Named Drivers

  Adding a Named Driver to your policy could possibly lower your premium, particularly if they have a good driving record. This is one of the simpler methods on reducing your insurance cost. These Named Drivers are normally parents, guardians, siblings or partners – depending on their age, and can influence the cost of your policy due to their driving experience.

  While this can be a positive in terms of cost, you need to ensure that the Named Driver is trusted with your vehicle and aware their driving is being monitored (especially if you have a Black Box policy) as if anything were to happen to your car or if their driving was to break the rules of your policy, you will be the one liable for paying the consequences, as your policy can be cancelled and you may find it more difficult to get cover again in future.

• Rehabilitation course

  If you are convicted of anything related to drug and alcohol usage, you may have been offered the opportunity to complete one of the many rehabilitation courses that are offered all over the UK.

  These courses are there to show these drivers the severity of their actions and also all the potential outcomes. Upon competition of these courses you may be offered a discount to your insurance policy or even have your penalty time reduced on your licence, so it is definitely worth considering if you get the chance.

How To Get A Young Convicted Drivers Insurance Quote

At Think Insurance we believe that past mistakes like driving convictions should not mean you can’t get Car insurance, and as a specialist broker, we offer both young people and drivers with convictions the chance to get affordable cover and get back on the road If you find yourself reading page after page and still being unsure about potential insurance policies, then feel free to call our team of specialists on 0800 221 8077. They will happily offer their guidance and ensure you are fully armed to make a decision on which policy is right for you, based on the information provided.

Once you find yourself ready for a quote, ensure you have all the necessary information prepared for when your details are requested, including your title, first name, last name, date of birth, email, phone number, address, vehicle type and vehicle registration. You can either call our sales team direct, or simply click the ‘Get a Quote’ button below, fill in the required information and then sit back, until one of our sales team gets back to you.