How Long Does Careless Driving Stay on Your Record?

Understanding the duration of careless driving’s presence on your driving record is essential, particularly when dealing with insurance companies. Your driving record, also known as a driver’s abstract, plays a crucial role in insurance considerations.

The Driver’s Abstract

  • A driver’s abstract provides a comprehensive view of your driving history over a three-year period. It records various incidents and convictions that occurred during that time frame, including careless driving.

Time Frames

If you have a careless driving conviction on your driver’s abstract, you need to know how it affects your record over time. Here’s the breakdown:

  • First Two Years: For the initial two years following a careless driving conviction, your driver’s abstract will display the careless driving charge along with six demerit points.
  • End of Second Year: At the end of the second year, the driver’s abstract will still show the conviction for careless driving, but the demerit points will no longer be present.
  • After Three Years: Once the third year has passed, and you consult your driver’s abstract, the careless driving charge will no longer be visible. Your record will appear clean.

Insurance Considerations

  • Understanding how careless driving duration affects your driver’s abstract is essential, especially when dealing with insurance companies. It can impact the rates and coverage you receive.
  • If you have any concerns or uncertainties about your driving record and its implications on insurance, consider reaching out to OTD Legal for expert advice and guidance.

 

Video Transcription:

A common question in the industry is how long does careless driving stay on your record? A good question. I think the importance of that question is actually with your insurance company. You need to understand that an insurance company is going to deal with something like your record. It’s actually called a driver’s abstract.

What a driver’s abstract is, is a view of your license and what happened over a three year period. Over that period interesting things happened. So if you have a careless driving on there, you need to understand for the first two years, you will see on that abstract, you will see careless driving and you will see six demerit points.

If you were to look at that record at the end of that two year period, you would notice that you would simply see a conviction for careless driving with no demerit points. After the third year, so if you were to go back, or you were to go to an insurance company and you were to tell them at the end of three years, and you were to tell them that you don’t have a record, you would be accurate because what they would be looking at is your abstract. And if it’s three years old, that careless driving is now three years old, there would be no indication that it’s there in any way, shape or form. It is important to know how that works as you negotiate through with your insurance company. I would suggest if you are not sure and you need some advice on that particular matter, please reach out to OTD Legal and we will do our best to answer that question for you and help you through that.

A common question in the industry is how long does careless driving stay on your record? A good question. I think the importance of that question is actually with your insurance company. You need to understand that an insurance company is going to deal with something like your record. It’s actually called a driver’s abstract.

What a driver’s abstract is, is a view of your license and what happened over a three year period. Over that period interesting things happened. So if you have a careless driving on there, you need to understand for the first two years, you will see on that abstract, you will see careless driving and you will see six demerit points.

If you were to look at that record at the end of that two year period, you would notice that you would simply see a conviction for careless driving with no demerit points. After the third year, so if you were to go back, or you were to go to an insurance company and you were to tell them at the end of three years, and you were to tell them that you don’t have a record, you would be accurate because what they would be looking at is your abstract. And if it’s three years old, that careless driving is now three years old, there would be no indication that it’s there in any way, shape or form. It is important to know how that works as you negotiate through with your insurance company. I would suggest if you are not sure and you need some advice on that particular matter, please reach out to OTD Legal and we will do our best to answer that question for you and help you through that.

by | Jun 16, 2023

Ron Harper

Ron Harper

Ron Harper, owner of OTD Ticket Defenders Legal Services, is a former Ontario Prosecutor and Licensed Paralegal with over 40 years of experience in traffic offences.

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