Cengolio · Fines · Codes · AC10
AC10 : failing to stop after an accident
Checked 22 July 2026 · How we check our figures
What it means
AC10 is the graver half of the s. 170 RTA 1988 pair: the duty to stop at the scene and exchange particulars, broken. Two things widen it beyond the hit-and-run of imagination: damage alone triggers the duty, no injury needed, and an accident you did not cause still obliges you to stop. Its floor is the tell, 5 points minimum, the highest starting price of any everyday code, before a court has considered anything else.
Points and how long it stays
5 to 10 points.
On the licence for 4 years from the date of the offence.
The AC codes are the s. 170 RTA 1988 family: what the law demands after an accident, and the price of skipping it. The duties come in sequence, stop at the scene, give particulars where someone has grounds to ask, and where particulars were not exchanged, report to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours, a ceiling drivers persistently misread as an allowance. Damage alone triggers all of it, injury is not required, and an accident you did not cause still obliges you to stop. The family's signature is its floor: 5 to 10 points on the named codes, the highest starting price of any everyday family, on the 4-year offence clock (gov.uk, checked 2026-07-22). The money mechanics sit in the fine bands guide at /fines/guides/fine-bands.
The usual route
Nothing here is dealt with by penalty notice; the case is charged and heard.
If it goes to court
Custody is available, up to 6 months with an unlimited fine, s. 170 RTA 1988; and with a points floor of 5, even the fine-only outcome is expensive on the record.
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Authority
gov.uk, Penalty points (endorsements), checked 2026-07-22