BTW, check out
Simon's blog. There are some interesting questions addressed there, like:
Do Your Driving Convictions Really Disappear After 3 Years?
I did not read the blog but I can attest to two things:
1. Insurance companies have a super hidden list of everything you've ever done bad in your life, and they share it with every other insurance company. They are not allowed to say directly to your face they are using that list as reasons they won't take you as a customer, etc., they'll come up with some other excuse, but they know all about you.
2. The answer to the 3 years thing should read like "Insurance companies are not allowed to directly punish you for convictions over 3 years old."
By NO means are they gone. Example: In my criminal case "they" submitted to evidence, a photograph of me taken approx 4 years ago while I was under surveillance, like amazing DSLR quality as if someone was riding on my hood, of me in my G35 doing 193km/h on the 401 (that super boring stretch out of london heading east), overlayed with speed readings, etc. The smile on my face was from ear to ear, the back seat piled right to the roof with (legal) guns. I flip the photo over and BOOM, there is every single ticket I got EVER, including one when I was 14 and had no license! Every conviction, what I plead it down to, how fast I paid the fine, etc!!! So for special stuff I guess the courts can pull your driving record, but the average joe doesn't have access past 3 years.
My lawyer said the reason it was in there was to try and prove it showed how reckless I was, especially "with the guns" lol. He got it tossed which sucked because that meant I didn't get a copy of the photo to keep!
-Jamie M.