Quick question about not insuring a car
Discussion
One of the cars is due to be insured but will not be used for a month or so.
It's got tax / MOT and my thinking was to not bother insuring it until I give it away to a family member. Appreciate that whilst on the drive it's at my own risk if it gets stolen.
But I seem to remember that some new law says that unless it is SORN it has to be insured? Would I face a penalty?
It's got tax / MOT and my thinking was to not bother insuring it until I give it away to a family member. Appreciate that whilst on the drive it's at my own risk if it gets stolen.
But I seem to remember that some new law says that unless it is SORN it has to be insured? Would I face a penalty?
As part of Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), it is now a legal requirement for registered vehicle keepers to insure their vehicle(s) at all times.
You don’t have to be driving to be caught. It is an offence to keep a vehicle without insurance unless you have notified DVLA that your vehicle is being kept off the road by means of a Statutory off Road Notice (SORN).
Under the new system, MIB and the DVLA will work in partnership to identify uninsured vehicles by comparing DVLA vehicle records against those held on the Motor Insurance Database (MID).
The registered keeper will be sent an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action. If the keeper fails to comply with the advice set out in the letter they will face:
• a fixed penalty notice of £100
• their vehicle being clamped, seized and disposed of
• a court prosecution with a maximum fine of £1,000
These new measures are in addition to the powers the police already have to seize an uninsured vehicle and fine the driver.
For more information on CIE please visit www.direct.gov.uk/stayinsured and see relevant press releases in the MIB Media Centre.
BIBA’s Graeme Trudgill interviews Ashton West from MIB and David Hancock from DVLA regarding the latest updates on motor insurance and continuous insurance enforcement. Click here to view the interview on Youtube.
You can also check the Motor Insurance Database for FREE to see if you have a valid insurance record at www.askMID.com
You don’t have to be driving to be caught. It is an offence to keep a vehicle without insurance unless you have notified DVLA that your vehicle is being kept off the road by means of a Statutory off Road Notice (SORN).
Under the new system, MIB and the DVLA will work in partnership to identify uninsured vehicles by comparing DVLA vehicle records against those held on the Motor Insurance Database (MID).
The registered keeper will be sent an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action. If the keeper fails to comply with the advice set out in the letter they will face:
• a fixed penalty notice of £100
• their vehicle being clamped, seized and disposed of
• a court prosecution with a maximum fine of £1,000
These new measures are in addition to the powers the police already have to seize an uninsured vehicle and fine the driver.
For more information on CIE please visit www.direct.gov.uk/stayinsured and see relevant press releases in the MIB Media Centre.
BIBA’s Graeme Trudgill interviews Ashton West from MIB and David Hancock from DVLA regarding the latest updates on motor insurance and continuous insurance enforcement. Click here to view the interview on Youtube.
You can also check the Motor Insurance Database for FREE to see if you have a valid insurance record at www.askMID.com
falkster said:
Dave_ said:
So to keep it legal you would have to SORN it , reclaim the tax then tax it again in a month.
Madness.
Not madness. This way its easier to catch the offenders rather than waiting for a ping on ANPR Madness.
falkster said:
Dave_ said:
So to keep it legal you would have to SORN it , reclaim the tax then tax it again in a month.
Madness.
Not madness. This way its easier to catch the offenders rather than waiting for a ping on ANPR Madness.
). As the OP's car won't be on the road it's not being driven while uninsured.It's a recent law with unintended consequences; a law which was designed to catch a particular client profile (uninsured drivers) but whose net is cast much wider (because it's not been thought through and because "enforcement by database" is 'sexy', cheap and lazy), and as such inconveniences the vast majority of motorists who will not drive their vehicles uninsured (such as the OP) for arguably little common benefit (as those "driving without insurance" afficianados have ways round being pinged by ANPR such as cloned number plates)...
aw51 121565 said:
It's a recent law with unintended consequences; a law which was designed to catch a particular client profile (uninsured drivers) but whose net is cast much wider (because it's not been thought through and because "enforcement by database" is 'sexy', cheap and lazy), and as such inconveniences the vast majority of motorists who will not drive their vehicles uninsured (such as the OP) for arguably little common benefit (as those "driving without insurance" afficianados have ways round being pinged by ANPR such as cloned number plates)...
Do you have any better ideas about how the system should operate?It seems entirely sensible to me. A car is either in use and needs to be insured or isn't in use and can very eaily be SORNed - with the added benefit of getting a refund of unused months on the tax disc.
As for cloned number plates, that's supposed to be harder these days although the system is not completely foolproof. Having said that, you can sure the big online makers of plates are fully cooperative if Bib phone up and ask "have you ever made a show plate AA12 BBB and if so, who bought it?".
I sorned my car for winter at the end of December and the form says you should only son if you don't plan to retax in the next 6 weeks, so that's the first flaw.
If your insurance runs out on, say, the 15th of the month and you sorn your car, you lose the whole month's tax, not just the part you used. If you then need to put it back on the road on the 25th of that month, you have to pay for that months tax again, so you have paid 60 days tax for 20 days use.
Let's be completely honest - the whole VED system - especially the paper disc in the window - is outdated and serves little useful purpose nowadays. Stick a few pence on fuel to raise the same amount of money with little or no risk of avoidance and revenue raised in proportion to the fuel-efficiency of the vehicle AND the mileage covered.
If your insurance runs out on, say, the 15th of the month and you sorn your car, you lose the whole month's tax, not just the part you used. If you then need to put it back on the road on the 25th of that month, you have to pay for that months tax again, so you have paid 60 days tax for 20 days use.
Let's be completely honest - the whole VED system - especially the paper disc in the window - is outdated and serves little useful purpose nowadays. Stick a few pence on fuel to raise the same amount of money with little or no risk of avoidance and revenue raised in proportion to the fuel-efficiency of the vehicle AND the mileage covered.
Matt UK said:
So much potential hassle...
Feck it, I've renewed the insurance online this evening.
I think that pretty much sums up the thread. It is a law that is going to infringe on honest people as it has done you but the upside is it is getting more and more difficult for the people who shouldn't be on the roads.Feck it, I've renewed the insurance online this evening.
ModernAndy said:
I think that pretty much sums up the thread. It is a law that is going to infringe on honest people as it has done you..
Such is life in the UK nowadays...ModernAndy said:
..but the upside is it is getting more and more difficult for the people who shouldn't be on the roads.
True, but I can't help think that scammers will continue down the fake number plate / V5 registered to Donald Duck at a dead drop address.Matt UK said:
True, but I can't help think that scammers will continue down the fake number plate / V5 registered to Donald Duck at a dead drop address.
Or just not bother their arse with tax in the 1st place.If no insurance doesnt bother them then the lack of a pretty paper disc isnt going to keep them awake at night.
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