(1) Driving Under the Influence - Drink driving is arguably one of the most common convictions that will cause insurance premiums to rise dramatically. In Wales and England, an offence occurs when the blood alcohol limit of the driver exceeds 80 milligrams of alcohol for even 100 millilitres of blood. This automatically adds eleven penalty points to a licence. Although the first incident is bad enough, multiple convictions can lead to great difficulty in getting insured at any price, and in some cases, imprisonment.
(2) Leaving the Scene of an Accident - Whether intentional or not, the results are very severe in the event that a driver flees the scene of a motor vehicle accident. This normally occurs if one of the two parties is not insured or a driver fears that he or she may be at fault and decides to simply leave. Failure to remain on the scene is another serious conviction and this is even more severe if another party was injured.
(3) Fleeing from the Police - Fleeing from the police is considered one of the most serious offences in the United Kingdom, and for good reason. The lives of other drivers, pedestrians and the police themselves are all placed at risk. So, it only makes sense that this act may cause up to eleven points to be placed upon a licence.

Let's first note that your licence will be suspended if you accumulate more than 12 points within any given three-year period. This results in an automatic six-month suspension although the courts reserve the right to extend the window based upon the exact offence.

In any event, your premiums are likely to rise. This might not happen immediately, as some providers will only increase rates once a policy is renewed. Certain companies will charge higher for speeding offences, as these drivers are thought to be more likely to cause accidents in the future. Let's also remember that any penalty points will remain on your licence for four years, so the premiums are not likely to drop.

In terms of exact premium hikes, these will naturally depend upon the provider. However, it has been shown that those with six points on their licence pay approximately nine per cent higher than normal rates. Anyone with more serious convictions such as drink driving may experience substantial increases. There can also be times when an insurer simply refuses to provide cover to the driver. So, it is clear to see that the only way to avoid these situations is to maintain a safe and clean driving record.