Driving offence
Careless driving sentence calculator
Choose the factors in the court guideline and enter weekly net income where it applies.
Summary: The guideline has three culpability levels and two harm levels. Their combination selects a fine from Band A to Band D and the points or possible ban. This is an adult magistrates' court guideline for England and Wales.
Checked on .
- CD10 endorsementPoints, retention and declaration rules.
- All driving offencesCompare eight common offence guidelines.
- Drink driving sentence calculatorThe alcohol reading selects the guideline row. A court must disqualify for at least 12 months and decides the final sentence after all case factors.
- Drug driving sentence calculatorThe guideline combines culpability and harm. It says a drug level cannot be directly connected to harm, so the calculator does not ask for one.
Guideline categories and sentence ranges
| Category | Starting point | Sentence range | Disqualification | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culpability A, harm 1 | Band D fine | Band D fine | Consider disqualification | 7 to 9 points if not disqualified |
| Culpability A, harm 2 | Band C fine | Band C fine | Consider disqualification | 7 to 9 points if not disqualified |
| Culpability B, harm 1 | Band C fine | Band C fine | Consider up to 56 days | 5 to 6 points if not disqualified |
| Culpability B, harm 2 | Band B fine | Band B fine | Consider up to 56 days | 5 to 6 points if not disqualified |
| Culpability C, harm 1 | Band B fine | Band B fine | No numerical range published | 3 to 4 points |
| Culpability C, harm 2 | Band A fine | Band A fine | No numerical range published | 3 to 4 points |
Which factors does the guideline use?
- Culpability A is driving close to the dangerous driving threshold or an extreme culpability B factor.
- Harm 1 means injury or damage to property or a vehicle.
Why is this not a sentence prediction?
- The court decides the sentence. This calculator reports the guideline and is not a prediction.
- The points or disqualification choice follows culpability, while the fine band also uses harm.
What is careless driving, and how is it sentenced?
The published out of court disposal is £100 and 3 points. The court guideline, in force from 1 July 2025, has three culpability levels and two harm levels. Their combination selects a fine from Band A to Band D and 3 to 9 points, or a possible ban. Culpability A is driving close to the dangerous driving threshold, or an extreme B factor. Culpability C is only just over the careless line, or a momentary lapse. Harm 1 is injury or damage to property or a vehicle. Harm 2 is the other cases.
A plus harm 1 starts at a Band D fine, £1,250 on £500 a week, with 7 to 9 points if not disqualified. C plus harm 2 starts at a Band A fine, £250 on the same income, with 3 to 4 points. That is a wide range, which is why two 'careless' stories in the pub are not the same sentence. Dangerous driving is a different offence with a different guideline. This page is due care and attention.
A fixed penalty is used for the lower end of the facts. A collision with injury, a motorway incident, or driving that looks close to dangerous is why prosecutors go to court. You can also refuse the offer and have the facts tried.
| Culpability and harm | Starting fine band | Points or ban |
|---|---|---|
| A and harm 1 | Band D | Consider disqualification; 7 to 9 points if not |
| A and harm 2 | Band C | Consider disqualification; 7 to 9 points if not |
| B and harm 1 | Band C | Consider up to 56 days; 5 to 6 points if not |
| B and harm 2 | Band B | A ban of up to 56 days may be considered; 5 to 6 points otherwise |
| C and harm 1 | Band B | 3 to 4 points |
| C and harm 2 | Band A | 3 to 4 points |
Sentencing Council, Careless Driving (drive without due care and attention), in force 1 July 2025, checked 10 September 2026.
- Police deal with a collision, a piece of driving reported by another road user, or a stop after an observed lapse.
- You may be offered £100 and 3 points, a driver improvement course where one is offered, or a court charge.
- If it goes to court, the bench sets culpability A, B or C and harm 1 or 2.
- The combination picks the fine band, the points, and whether a ban is considered.
- A guilty plea, previous convictions, and the standard of the driving can move the sentence inside the published range.
A driver on £500 a week: what do the bands mean in pounds?
Band A starts at £250, Band B at £500, Band C at £750, Band D at £1,250, all on £500 a week net. Those pounds are derived from the published percentages. A momentary lapse with no damage (C, harm 2) therefore starts at £250 and 3 to 4 points. The same income with driving close to dangerous and an injured person (A, harm 1) starts at £1,250 and 7 to 9 points, with a ban to consider.
The fixed penalty of £100 and 3 points sits under that court table. It is the out of court offer for cases that stay out of court. It is not a cap. A court can go to Band D and can disqualify.
A new driver who takes 3 points on a licence that already holds 3 is at the revocation line. A new driver who takes a first 3 point careless ticket is halfway there. Careless driving is how a lot of new drivers collect that first 3, because a lapse in a familiar car still counts.
Example
A new driver with 3 points, momentary lapse, no damage, £500 a week
- Existing points
- 3, still counting
- Licence
- Inside 2 years of the first pass
- Culpability
- C, momentary lapse
- Harm
- 2, no injury or damage
- Relevant weekly income
- £500
- C plus harm 2 selects Band A and 3 to 4 points.
- Band A starts at £250 on £500 a week.
- The published fixed penalty, if offered, is £100 and 3 points.
- 3 existing plus 3 new is 6, which revokes a new driver.
- A collision with damage would have been harm 1 and would have started at Band B, still with 3 to 4 points.
The money on Band A is £250 starting, or £100 if the offer is made. The licence problem is the 3 extra points taking a new driver to 6.
When does careless driving become a ban?
The guideline tells the court to consider disqualification in culpability A, and to consider up to 56 days in culpability B. Culpability C has points only on the published row. A ban instead of 7 to 9 points can be the better totting outcome or the worse work outcome. Exceptional hardship is a totting argument, not a careless driving starting point.
CD10 stays 4 years from the offence and counts for 3 years towards totting. 3 points is the bottom of the DVLA range. 9 is the top. The fixed penalty uses 3. A court on an A row uses 7 to 9 if it does not ban.
A company car, a hire car or a van does not change the culpability letters. The standard of the driving does. Commercial pressure, a tired delivery schedule, or showing off are facts that can push a B towards an A. They are not a separate tariff.
Does this careless driving guideline apply in Scotland?
No. The 1 July 2025 table is an England and Wales Sentencing Council guideline. Scottish careless driving is a Scottish court matter. Northern Ireland is a Northern Ireland court matter. The offence of driving without due care still exists. CD10 still goes on a GB licence. The Band A to Band D pounds on this page do not travel with you.
A driver improvement course, where one is offered, is a local operational choice. This page does not publish a national course fee, because the guideline sources behind the calculator do not set one. If a notice offers a course instead of points, read that notice. Do not assume every force offers the same thing.
Foreign drivers on UK roads can still be charged. The standard of driving is judged against the same due care test. A foreign licence does not import a foreign tariff onto an English road.
- Fixed penalty £100 and 3 points.
- Band A to Band D on £500 a week is £250 to £1,250 at the starting points.
- Points run from 3 to 9, or a ban is considered on the A and B rows.
- A new driver at 3 existing points is revoked by 3 more.
What do people get wrong about careless driving?
The first myth is that nobody goes to court for 'just careless'. They do, especially after injury. The second is that a momentary lapse is not an offence. Culpability C exists because it is. The third is that 3 points is the most you can get. The A rows use 7 to 9 if there is no ban.
People mix this with dangerous driving, mix a PCN with a criminal charge, and mix a course offer with a guaranteed cancellation. A course, where offered, has its own rules and its own refusal consequences. This calculator reports the court guideline, not a course.
Ignoring a collision is a different offence (failing to stop) which carries 5 to 10 points on AC10. Leaving the scene does not make the careless driving smaller. It adds a second code.
Common questions
- What is the fixed penalty for careless driving?
- The out of court offer for careless driving is £100 and 3 points. That is not a cap. The court guideline in force from 1 July 2025 runs from a Band A fine and 3 to 4 points up to a Band D fine and 7 to 9 points, with a ban considered on the higher culpability rows. Refuse the offer only if you dispute the facts or you have been advised to, not because the court 'might be cheaper'.
- Can careless driving lead to a ban?
- Yes. The guideline tells the court to consider disqualification in culpability A, and to consider a ban of up to 56 days in culpability B. Culpability C is points only on the published row. A ban instead of 7 to 9 points can protect a totting position or end a driving job. The court decides from the facts of the driving and the harm, not from the driver's preference.
- How much is the fine on £500 a week?
- Band A starts at £250, Band B at £500, Band C at £750, Band D at £1,250, all derived from the published percentages of £500 relevant weekly income. Culpability C with no damage starts at Band A. Culpability A with injury or damage starts at Band D. The court maximum is unlimited. The fixed penalty remains £100 if that offer is made and accepted.
- I am a new driver with 3 points. What does another 3 do?
- It takes you to 6. Inside 2 years of your first pass, DVLA revokes the licence at 6 points. Careless driving's published fixed penalty is 3 points, so a new driver who already holds 3 and accepts this offer is at the line. You then apply for a provisional and pass both tests again. This is not the 12 point totting ban. It is the new driver statute.
- How long does CD10 stay on my licence?
- 4 years from the date of the offence, counting towards totting for the first 3. DVLA publishes 3 to 9 points for CD10. The fixed penalty uses 3. A high culpability court row uses 7 to 9 if the court does not disqualify. Insurers ask about unspent convictions. No official premium percentage is published for CD10.
- Is a driver improvement course better than points?
- Where a force offers a course instead of a prosecution, the notice in your hand is the source for eligibility, cost and what happens if you refuse or fail to complete it. No national course fee is quoted here, because the source guideline does not set one. A completed course that avoids points is a different outcome from a CD10. It is not available in every case and it is not this calculator.
- Does this guideline apply in Scotland?
- No. It is an England and Wales guideline from 1 July 2025. Scottish and Northern Ireland courts sentence due care under their own procedure. CD10 can still appear on a Great Britain licence. Do not treat Band A or Band D on this page as a Scottish tariff. The due care offence still exists on Scottish roads.
- Is careless the same as dangerous driving?
- No. Dangerous driving is charged and sentenced under its own guideline. Culpability A on this page is driving close to that threshold, or an extreme B factor, but the charge is still due care. If you are charged with dangerous driving, this calculator is the wrong tool. The court will not sentence a dangerous driving charge off this table.
Related pages
- Drink driving sentence calculatorThe alcohol reading selects the guideline row. A court must disqualify for at least 12 months and decides the final sentence after all case factors.
- Drug driving sentence calculatorThe guideline combines culpability and harm. It says a drug level cannot be directly connected to harm, so the calculator does not ask for one.
- Mobile phone driving offence sentenceThe fixed penalty is £200 and 6 points. In court the ordinary starting point is a Band B fine, raised to Band C for the factors stated in the guideline.
- Driving without insurance sentence calculatorThe fixed penalty is £300 and 6 points. A court uses culpability and harm to select one of three categories and can impose an unlimited fine or disqualification.
Sources
Guideline and penalty figures were checked against the linked official pages on 10 September 2026.
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Careless Driving (drive without due care and attention) (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Approach to fines: fine bands (as of 10 September 2026)
- Sentencing Council for England and Wales, Out of court disposals (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, New penalties for careless driving come into force (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Penalty points endorsements: new drivers (as of 10 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 29 (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Driving disqualifications (as of 10 September 2026)