Tuesday 20th January 2009

Time Up for Uninsured Drivers

New regulations make it an offence to own an uninsured vehicle

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6.5% of cars on the road are uninsured

New rules on insuring vehicles have been set out that will make life much harder for those who own taxed vehicles without insurance.

Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick today announced that it will become an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle. Current law only punishes people for driving an uninsured vehicle, meaning that people can only be caught on the road.

These new regulations will follow existing rules on road tax in making it possible to identify uninsured vehicles using databases from the DVLA and the insurance industry.

Cars identified as uninsured will be flagged up, and a warning letter sent to the car's registered keeper. Failure to respond to the warning letter will result in a £100 fine, and failing that the owner could find their car seized and crushed.

Around 2 million motorists are estimated to drive around uninsured (6.5% of all motorists in the UK), and these drivers are said to add approximately £30 per year to all of our insurance premiums.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: 'The selfish minority of drivers who refuse to insure their cars push up premiums for other motorists and kill or injure thousands of people each year.'

The new regulation does not affect cars with Statutory Off Road Notices (SORN).

[dwilkie]

So they'll be bringing down the insurance premiums to reflect the lowered risk of uninsured drivers then?

I thought not.

[SGirl]

Hang on, hang on...

They send a warning to the car's registered keeper? Assuming the car has a registered keeper in the first place...

[Soovy]

SGirl said:

Hang on, hang on...

They send a warning to the car's registered keeper? Assuming the car has a registered keeper in the first place...

DING!

So the criminal under class Labour voters will be, as always, unaffected.

[BRO5E]

So what would happen if i am the sole owner of the car in my name etc but only 1 member of my family is inusred to drive it ...........


So i am the Owner but im not insured in the car and somebody else is taxing and insuring it.

[Saab_of_Doom]

The law only affect people who follow the rules as always.

Short of some kind of orwellian seizing of all unregistered vehicles and crushing them I don't really see any way that the government can stop uninsured drivers.

Uninsured drivers = scum.

[dougc]

BRO5E said:

So what would happen if i am the sole owner of the car in my name etc but only 1 member of my family is inusred to drive it ...........


So i am the Owner but im not insured in the car and somebody else is taxing and insuring it.

I don't think you're allowed to do that anyway are you?

[SGirl]

Soovy said:

SGirl said:

Hang on, hang on...

They send a warning to the car's registered keeper? Assuming the car has a registered keeper in the first place...

DING!

So the criminal under class Labour voters will be, as always, unaffected.

Kind of par for the course with this lot though, isn't it? I knew as soon as I saw the thread title that "registered keeper" would be involved somewhere.

Don't get me wrong - I'd be ecstatic if this initiative takes some uninsured idiots off the roads. But what about the thousands, maybe millions, that it'll miss?

[SGirl]

BRO5E said:

So what would happen if i am the sole owner of the car in my name etc but only 1 member of my family is inusred to drive it ...........


So i am the Owner but im not insured in the car and somebody else is taxing and insuring it.

The car is insured. They wouldn't touch you.

[tomTVR]

Credit for trying though.

[BootLace]

"Current law only punishes people for driving an uninsured vehicle".

I had an old X1/9 parked up uninsured 20ft from the road, but technically still on her majesty's highway. The battery was flat and the brakes seized, following a plea of guilty (advised by two seperate lawyers), I received an IN10, 5pts and a small fine+costs. Driving in my case was not a prerequisite for punishment.

The actual law says something along the lines of "use the vehicle", but "use" can be interpreted as "has the use of" as well as "using" (apparently).

[mk1salami]

Third party insurance should be included in the price of fuel.

[tobeee]

£100 fine. How terrifying. Surely they can come up with something better than this!

[blueST]

My Father is restoring an old MG. It is not insured as it is currently reduced to it's component parts in the garage, and has been for 10 plus years. Does this mean his car will now have to be insured?

[AMacA]

blueST said:

My Father is restoring an old MG. It is not insured as it is currently reduced to it's component parts in the garage, and has been for 10 plus years. Does this mean his car will now have to be insured?

If its SORN'd it'll be fine... Last line of article above.

[SlimJ]

blueST said:

My Father is restoring an old MG. It is not insured as it is currently reduced to it's component parts in the garage, and has been for 10 plus years. Does this mean his car will now have to be insured?

No, as I guess it will be SORN'd

Read the article.

[Horse_Apple]

Crushing all uninsured or untaxed vehicles (and taking an axe to the hands of the offenders?) would do more to aid congestion and road safety than any other innitiative.

[Negative Creep]

Oh good, some more automated justice. That will turn this country around, just like the automatic fine for car tax evaders

[Soovy]

Horse_Apple said:

Crushing all uninsured or untaxed vehicles (and taking an axe to the hands of the offenders?) would do more to aid congestion and road safety than any other innitiative.

But it would be unpopular with Labour voters who run them.

[Seven Smiles]

"The new regulation does not affect cars with Statutory Off Road Notices (SORN)."

[steven252]

so as my cars off the road with no tax, mot or insurance (i lost my job last year) so they are going to force me to buy insurance for the car that i cant afford in the first place?!? hows that going to work.

insurance premiums are too high anyway thats why people dont pay for it in the first place.