Cengolio · Fines · Codes · CD90
CD90 : causing death by driving: unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers
Checked 22 July 2026 · How we check our figures
What it means
CD90 wears a label older than the law: the table still says unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured, but the disqualified case moved to its own offence in 2015 and lives at BA40, so a modern CD90 means unlicensed or uninsured, s. 3ZB RTA 1988. The other correction came from the Supreme Court: after Hughes, the driving itself must contribute to the death, mere presence on the road while uninsured is not enough. The insurance half of the story sits in the no insurance guide.
Points and how long it stays
3 to 11 points.
On the licence for 4 years from the date of conviction.
The CD family is one driving standard, careless, stretched across three different clocks, and the clocks are the map (gov.uk, checked 2026-07-22): CD10 to CD33 run 4 years from the offence, the drink and drug quartet CD40 to CD70 runs 11 years from conviction on the same shelf as the DR codes, and CD80 with CD90 run 4 years from conviction. The ladder underneath is consequence, not driving: s. 3 RTA 1988 is fine-only in the ordinary case, s. 2C adds serious injury and custody, s. 2B and s. 3ZB add a death, and s. 3A adds death plus drink or drugs, with a ceiling the 2022 reforms lifted to life imprisonment. Careless itself is defined once, driving below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver, and it never changes on the way up. The drink and drug mechanics sit in the drink driving guide at /fines/guides/drink-driving.
The usual route
Nothing here is dealt with by penalty notice; the case is charged and heard.
If it goes to court
Custody territory under s. 3ZB RTA 1988; the paperwork offences do the aggravating, so the fine bands never enter the room.
Read next
Calculator: the code decoder, every code on the official list →
Authority
gov.uk, Penalty points (endorsements), checked 2026-07-22