Careless driving fixed penalty could hit car insurance premiums

There are proposals to allow police to issue fixed penalty notices for careless driving but will this lessen the impact of the offence and hit car insurance premiums?

Currently, as AA Insurance points out, careless driving must be proven by a magistrate’s court.

It’s a serious offence that can result in up to 9 penalty points on your driving licence and a £5,000 fine.

Car insurers recognise the seriousness of road traffic offences, such as careless driving, and impose increased premiums.

Insurance claims history supports this by the fact that drivers who have been convicted of traffic offences are more likely to be involved in an accident.

By comparing car insurance you can see the different premiums offered for a driver with offences, compared with one who hasn’t any.

You can compare car insurance premiums using a comparison website such as that offered by Gocompare.com, Confused.com or go direct to a car insurance provider such as AA Insurance.

As Simon Douglas, Director of AA Insurance says ‘A careless driving offence with a £1,000 fine and say, six penalty points would be taken much more seriously (by insurers) than, for example, a fixed penalty for a speeding offence. It could double a driver’s insurance premium or even make it difficult to find insurance at all.

This in itself acts as an important deterrent. But making careless driving a fixed penalty would not only reduce that deterrent effect, but reduce it to a similar status as other fixed penalties, leading to a sharp rise in the number of relatively small premium increases.’