£200 fine for no insurance!
Discussion
Given that most peoples insurance costs at least double this figure and young scrotes probably 4 or 5 times will "Darren Scrote" bother insuring his car?
I Recently got fined double this (plus solicitors fees
) and the same points for exceeding the speed limit whilst putting no-one at risk, except in theory myself, and I'm insured for that FFS
Tough on crime....My Ar5e!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2975366.stm
Motorists to escape insurance ban
Number plate scanners will catch insurance dodgers
Thousands of motorists caught without insurance can now escape a driving ban.
Under new Home Office rules, offenders who agree to pay a roadside fine will not go to court for their first offence, providing they have less than six points on their licence.
Until 1 June, a court appearance could have meant a driving ban. Now the penalty will be a statutory £200 fine and six points.
The new law, introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002, has received a mixed reaction from magistrates.
Arthur Winnington, a magistrate for 28 years who sits on the Magistrates Association's criminal justice system committee, believes it is a green light to motorists to break the law.
It is a green light to people not to pay their insurance
Arthur Winnington, magistrate
He said: "I'm afraid where people have to pay excessive amounts in insurance, some will decide to risk not paying it in favour of a fine and penalty points if they get caught.
"Not paying insurance is a serious offence in my book, and this is a retrograde step. I think if you were to do a survey of the public, most people would agree.
"It is a green light to people not to pay their insurance."
But Eliot Griffiths, chairman of the Magistrates Association's road traffic committee, said he welcomed the move.
He said the level of fine and number of penalty points would be in line with what the courts would give a first-time offender.
Price deterrent
"We are limited anyway in the fine that we can impose," he said. "The fine must be one which someone can reasonably be expected to pay within a 12-month period, and for an unemployed person that is usually around £5 per week."
Perhaps it is time to look at alternative ways of ensuring they have got insurance cover - for instance, including third party insurance in the road tax
Magistrate Eliot Griffiths
Of 293,889 drivers in England and Wales convicted of insurance offences in 2001, 79,264 were under 21.
Mr Griffiths says the high cost of insurance for young people is a big deterrent to them paying for adequate cover.
"Perhaps it is time to look at alternative ways of ensuring that they have got insurance cover. In the State of Victoria in Australia, for instance, third party insurance is included in the road tax," he said.
Mr Griffiths said on-the-spot fines would initially ease the burden on the courts.
Number plate scanning
But he said the new regulations in conjunction with the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system being introduced in police forces throughout the country would ultimately bring more serial offenders into the courts.
This system instantly scans number plates and matches them against information stored in databases.
It can tell police whether a car has been stolen or involved in crime, as well as whether the vehicle is insured, has a current MOT certificate, and a current tax disc.
Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA Motoring Trust, said the new laws combined with the use of new technology would bring more people to court.
"My view is that it will lead to more people being caught, act as a better deterrent, and lead to fewer people being uninsured," he added.
I Recently got fined double this (plus solicitors fees
) and the same points for exceeding the speed limit whilst putting no-one at risk, except in theory myself, and I'm insured for that FFS Tough on crime....My Ar5e!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2975366.stm
Motorists to escape insurance ban
Number plate scanners will catch insurance dodgers
Thousands of motorists caught without insurance can now escape a driving ban.
Under new Home Office rules, offenders who agree to pay a roadside fine will not go to court for their first offence, providing they have less than six points on their licence.
Until 1 June, a court appearance could have meant a driving ban. Now the penalty will be a statutory £200 fine and six points.
The new law, introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002, has received a mixed reaction from magistrates.
Arthur Winnington, a magistrate for 28 years who sits on the Magistrates Association's criminal justice system committee, believes it is a green light to motorists to break the law.
It is a green light to people not to pay their insurance
Arthur Winnington, magistrate
He said: "I'm afraid where people have to pay excessive amounts in insurance, some will decide to risk not paying it in favour of a fine and penalty points if they get caught.
"Not paying insurance is a serious offence in my book, and this is a retrograde step. I think if you were to do a survey of the public, most people would agree.
"It is a green light to people not to pay their insurance."
But Eliot Griffiths, chairman of the Magistrates Association's road traffic committee, said he welcomed the move.
He said the level of fine and number of penalty points would be in line with what the courts would give a first-time offender.
Price deterrent
"We are limited anyway in the fine that we can impose," he said. "The fine must be one which someone can reasonably be expected to pay within a 12-month period, and for an unemployed person that is usually around £5 per week."
Perhaps it is time to look at alternative ways of ensuring they have got insurance cover - for instance, including third party insurance in the road tax
Magistrate Eliot Griffiths
Of 293,889 drivers in England and Wales convicted of insurance offences in 2001, 79,264 were under 21.
Mr Griffiths says the high cost of insurance for young people is a big deterrent to them paying for adequate cover.
"Perhaps it is time to look at alternative ways of ensuring that they have got insurance cover. In the State of Victoria in Australia, for instance, third party insurance is included in the road tax," he said.
Mr Griffiths said on-the-spot fines would initially ease the burden on the courts.
Number plate scanning
But he said the new regulations in conjunction with the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system being introduced in police forces throughout the country would ultimately bring more serial offenders into the courts.
This system instantly scans number plates and matches them against information stored in databases.
It can tell police whether a car has been stolen or involved in crime, as well as whether the vehicle is insured, has a current MOT certificate, and a current tax disc.
Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA Motoring Trust, said the new laws combined with the use of new technology would bring more people to court.
"My view is that it will lead to more people being caught, act as a better deterrent, and lead to fewer people being uninsured," he added.
I'm facing insurance premiums that have risen by 20% because I had to claim after an uninsured driver hit my car. That equates approximately to an extra grand over the five years it will apply.
The guy who did the damage is likely to be fined less than half that already (£350), now it's dropping to £200. He saved the cost of his insurance in the first place, which would have been more than that. He was already driving illegally because he had no insurance, so the points are really going to hurt him, NOT.
Unbelievable. It's inciting young drivers, facing huge premiums, to break the law. Then having had a first strike, they'll never be able to afford insurance because the code for driving without insurance is as bad as death by dangerous driving in the view of insurers.
The guy who did the damage is likely to be fined less than half that already (£350), now it's dropping to £200. He saved the cost of his insurance in the first place, which would have been more than that. He was already driving illegally because he had no insurance, so the points are really going to hurt him, NOT.
Unbelievable. It's inciting young drivers, facing huge premiums, to break the law. Then having had a first strike, they'll never be able to afford insurance because the code for driving without insurance is as bad as death by dangerous driving in the view of insurers.
outlaw said: the simple truth is the know very well young drivers cant affirt insharance for a skate board soon.
so figered then may as well cash in on what they can get out of em.
Totally agree mate, this is exactly the direction this country is heading towards.
"If we can't screw them - we'll tax em!"
The other issue is that having an IN10 on your licence sends the premiums through the roof, not only that but there are some insurance companies who will simply refuse to cover you.
Most of those driving without insurance do so for one of two reasons:
1: They cant afford it
2: They simply dont care
Assuming its the first reason for a lot of people (An earlier post showed that the majority convicted are under 21) the system then makes it EVEN more expensive for them to drive legally in future. Essentially making it more and more attractive to drive without cover.
I picked up an IN10 a couple of years ago (Thought I was insured, its a rather convoluted tale previously mentioned here) and the result has been that insurance prices, even on miniscule engined hatchbacks, are seriously scary.
Ive ended up paying more on an old 1.4 golf than I did on a tuned 205 1.9 GTi with a clean licence.
Most of those driving without insurance do so for one of two reasons:
1: They cant afford it
2: They simply dont care
Assuming its the first reason for a lot of people (An earlier post showed that the majority convicted are under 21) the system then makes it EVEN more expensive for them to drive legally in future. Essentially making it more and more attractive to drive without cover.
I picked up an IN10 a couple of years ago (Thought I was insured, its a rather convoluted tale previously mentioned here) and the result has been that insurance prices, even on miniscule engined hatchbacks, are seriously scary.
Ive ended up paying more on an old 1.4 golf than I did on a tuned 205 1.9 GTi with a clean licence.
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