If you’ve been convicted of drink driving, you may be wondering how long the offence will stay on your driving licence and what impact it could have on your future. Drink driving is a serious offence in the UK, and depending on the offence, the endorsement will stay on your licence for either 4 years or 11 years. It’s important to understand how long the offence will remain on your record, what this means for you, and how it can affect things like insurance and employment.
In this article, we will break down everything you need to know about how long drink driving stays on your licence and the implications it has. Let’s get into the details.
What Does Drink Driving Mean for Your Licence?
When you are convicted of drink driving, your licence will receive an endorsement. An endorsement is essentially a record on your driving licence that shows you’ve committed a specific offence. In the case of drink driving, there are various types of drink driving convictions, and each comes with different rules for how long it stays on your record.
There are different codes that represent different drink driving offences, and these codes are linked to how long the conviction will remain on your licence. The endorsements for drink driving offences can last either 4 years or 11 years, and this depends on the type of offence you were convicted for.
Types of Drink Driving Offences
The most common types of drink driving offences are associated with the following codes:
- DR10: Driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol.
- DR20: Driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink.
- DR30: Failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
- DR31: Other offences related to drink driving.
- DR61: Causing death by careless driving due to drink.
These codes represent the most common drink driving offences, and each will stay on your driving record for different lengths of time.
How Long Will Drink Driving Stay on Your Licence?
Depending on the specific offence you committed, your endorsement can remain on your driving licence for either 4 years or 11 years.
11-Year Endorsements
For serious drink driving offences, the endorsement will stay on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction. These offences include:
- DR10, DR20, DR30, DR31, DR61 – These are all related to driving with excess alcohol, driving while unfit through alcohol, or failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
- DR80 – Driving under the influence of drugs.
Additionally, if the offence caused death by careless driving due to alcohol or drugs, the following codes will also result in an 11-year endorsement:
- CD40, CD50, CD60 – Death caused by careless driving due to drink or drugs.
- CD70 – Death caused by careless driving.
These offences are treated more seriously, and as a result, the endorsement will remain on your record for 11 years, which can have long-lasting consequences on your driving history.
4-Year Endorsements
For less serious drink driving offences, the endorsement will stay on your driving licence for 4 years. This typically applies to offences like:
- DD40, DD60, DD80 – These codes are related to dangerous or reckless driving, which may involve alcohol or drugs.
For these types of offences, the endorsement lasts for 4 years, either from the date of the offence or from the date of conviction, depending on the circumstances.
What Does It Mean When the Endorsement Is Spent?
After a certain period, your endorsement will be considered spent. This means that the conviction will no longer count as a current offence for certain purposes. For example, after 5 years, whether you have a 4-year or 11-year endorsement, the points are considered spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Once your endorsement is spent, you no longer have to disclose it to car insurance providers or potential employers.
How Long Before Your Endorsement is Spent?
The law states that your conviction will be spent after 5 years, regardless of whether it’s a 4-year or 11-year endorsement. This means that after 5 years, you won’t need to tell your car insurer or employer about the conviction. However, some employers may still ask you to disclose any criminal convictions, and if they do, you are required to answer truthfully. But legally, they are not allowed to use spent convictions to make decisions about your insurance policy or employment.
How Does a Drink Driving Conviction Affect Insurance?
One of the most immediate impacts of a drink driving conviction is on your car insurance. Insurance companies take into account your driving record when calculating the cost of your insurance premium. Having a drink driving conviction on your record can cause your insurance premiums to rise significantly.
Even after your endorsement is spent, some insurers may still ask you if you’ve had any previous convictions. While they cannot use spent convictions to influence your premium, they may still take them into account in some cases, depending on their policy.
How Long Do Points Stay on Your Licence for Drink Driving?
When you are convicted of drink driving, you will also receive penalty points on your licence. These points will remain on your licence for a set period. For most offences, the points will stay on your licence for 3 years from the date of the offence. However, in the case of serious offences that result in a ban, the points will remain on your licence for 10 years after the conviction.
The points from a drink driving conviction can affect your ability to drive, particularly if you accumulate 12 or more points within 3 years. This could lead to a disqualification from driving, which can be a major inconvenience.
What Happens If You Are Caught Drink Driving Again?
If you are caught drink driving again, the penalties can be much more severe. Not only will you face the usual penalties associated with drink driving, such as points on your licence and potentially a driving ban, but repeat offenders may also face longer driving bans or even imprisonment.
Repeat offences will be taken into consideration by the court, and the severity of the penalty may be increased. This is why it’s so important to avoid drink driving and to take responsibility for your actions.
Can You Get Your Endorsement Removed from Your Licence?
Unfortunately, you cannot remove an endorsement from your licence early. Once an endorsement is added to your licence, it will stay there for the duration of the time specified by the offence. The only way to reduce the impact of a drink driving conviction on your driving history is to wait until the endorsement is spent.
How Can You Avoid Drink Driving Convictions?
The best way to avoid a drink driving conviction is simple: don’t drink and drive. If you plan to drink, arrange for an alternative means of transportation, such as a taxi, public transport, or a designated driver. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
If you’ve already been convicted of drink driving, taking steps to improve your driving habits and avoid further offences is crucial. Attending a drink driving rehabilitation course or seeking professional help to address alcohol-related issues can demonstrate to the court and insurance providers that you are committed to being a responsible driver.
Conclusion
Understanding how long a drink driving conviction stays on your licence is important, as it can affect your driving record, your insurance premiums, and your ability to drive. Depending on the severity of the offence, your conviction may stay on your licence for either 4 years or 11 years. However, after 5 years, the conviction will be considered spent, and you will no longer need to disclose it to employers or insurance companies.
If you’ve been convicted of drink driving, take the opportunity to learn from your mistake, and remember that the best way to avoid these consequences is by never drinking and driving in the first place.
