Types of offence

There are various levels of an offence committed under the Road Traffic Act. Where multiple offences occur simultaneously then the court will determine the appropriate outcome. Offences occur when a mechanically propelled vehicle is on a road or public place, they do not apply when driving on private land.

 

Defending yourself against any of these offences is highly recommended, this is based on the following advice: -

• Any points on your driving licence will probably put insurance costs up for several years (note that legally ALL offences must be reported to your insurers);
• If hiring a car then you may be charged extra, or simply refused the hire;
• You may change jobs and a clean licence may be a job requirement, hence points would mean you could not accept any job offer with an obvious economic impact; and
• There is a risk that any undefended offences will result in points, these can soon add up if you are not careful, for instance, if you are caught doing 35Mph in a 30 limit you receive 3 points. You only have to commit this slight error 4 times in three years to face a potential driving ban.

 

All minor offences must be declared to your insurance company. Depending on the offence, it may affect your premium at renewal time, although most tend to allow one or two speeding convictions before putting up prices.

 

Examples of Careless Driving would include:

• Cutting in front of another vehicle when emerging from a side road;
• Driving through a red light;
• Distractions such as tuning a car radio or using a mobile phone;
• Eating or drinking whilst driving;
• Driving inappropriately close to another vehicle;
• Failing to adhere to the relevant parts of the Highway Code;
• Lighting a cigarette whilst driving; or
• Remaining in the overtaking lane.

The court must be sure in every case that the elements of the offence are proven.

 

Examples of Inconsiderate driving would include:

• Purposefully splashing pedestrians with your car;
• Flashing your lights or sounding your horn to force another vehicle to give way to you;
• Braking unnecessarily; and
• Driving with high beam headlights.

 

Examples of Dangerous Driving would include:

• Reading a map whilst driving;
• Racing other vehicles; and
• Disregarding passengers' warnings.

 

All minor offences must be declared to your insurance company. Depending on the offence, it may affect your premium at renewal time, although most tend to allow one or two speeding convictions before putting up prices.