DR10 is the endorsement for driving or attempting to drive with alcohol above the legal limit. Of all the motoring convictions, it is the one that stays with you longest, and it brings a set of rules that no other endorsement does.
Eleven years, not four
Most endorsements come off a licence after four years. Drink driving convictions, DR10 included, remain on the driving record for eleven years from the date of conviction.
That is worth knowing early, because people often assume the slate clears at the same point it would for a speeding offence and are surprised to find the question still being asked seven or eight years later.
Insurers generally ask about convictions over a five year period, so the two timescales are different. Answer what is actually asked on the form rather than assuming one implies the other.
The rehabilitation course
Courts can offer a place on the Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme. Completing an approved course can reduce a disqualification by up to a quarter, which on a twelve month ban is three months back.
It costs money and takes several sessions, but the saving in time off the road is substantial. Some insurers also view completion favourably at the point of quoting, though none are obliged to.
High risk offenders
If you were more than two and a half times the limit, refused to provide a specimen, or have had two drink driving convictions within ten years, you are classed as a high risk offender.
That changes how you get your licence back. Rather than it being returned automatically at the end of the ban, you must pass a DVLA medical examination first, and the licence is not restored until you do. Build that time into your planning, because the process is not quick.
What it does to a quote
Expect the mainstream market to withdraw almost entirely. Comparison sites typically return nothing, and the few quotes that do appear are often priced to decline.
Specialist insurers price convictions deliberately rather than filtering them out. They will want to know when the conviction occurred, how far over the limit you were, what has happened since, and whether the rehabilitation course was completed.
Declaring it
A conviction that emerges after a claim allows an insurer to reduce the settlement, refuse it, or treat the policy as though it never existed. There is no version of leaving it off that works out well.
Getting cover
Call Alternative Insurance Brokers on 0161 388 2520 and we will place it with an insurer that underwrites convictions properly.
