Tuesday 6th April 2004

Uninsured Scumbags

If you can't afford it you shouldn't be driving!

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More than a third of male drivers aged 18 – 20 have driven without insurance or a licence, according to the RAC Foundation.

Approximately 5% of all motorists now drive uninsured which adds £30 to £60 to the premiums of other motorists. The RAC Foundation believes a police crackdown on the uninsured drivers, more co-ordinated databases and extra incentives to reduce the premiums of younger drivers, would help to solve the problem.

The RAC Foundation dossier on uninsured drivers reveals:

• 35.1 % of male drivers aged 18-20 have driven without insurance or a licence*
• 21.5% of 16-17 yr old males have driven without insurance or licence*
• 9.2% of 16-17 yr old females have committed the same offence*
• 30% of males and 12% of females aged 21 to 25 have also offended*
• The Motor Insurance Bureau paid out £500 million to the victims of uninsured motorists last year. This is paid out of the premiums of honest motorists.
• There were 266,750 convictions for driving without insurance in 2001
• Approximately 16% of uninsured drivers get convicted each year
• One in ten drivers have been involved in an accident with an uninsured driver
• Uninsured drivers are up to nine times more likely to be involved in an accident
• Uninsured drivers are more likely to be involved in hit and run collisions.

Edmund King, Executive Director of the RAC Foundation, will tell the conference;

Edmund King from the RAC Foundation blurted, "Uninsured drivers now account for five per cent of motorists. These drivers cause more accidents and are more likely to be involved in other serious crimes than insured drivers. A higher profile police presence on our roads might help to deter some of the opportunist uninsured who take a calculated risk that they are unlikely to be stopped. The reduction in traffic police has been linked to the increase of speed camera enforcement. Unfortunately the speed camera does not deter the uninsured motorist.

"Sentences also need to act as a deterrent. Many drivers estimate that if they get stopped they might be fined £200, which is often a fraction of their insurance premium. Recently a 19-year-old offender was told his fines would be waived if he sat quietly at the back of the court for 35 minutes. This hardly sends out a strong message about the importance of having insurance. If offenders cannot afford to pay fines, then other appropriate punishments such as community service should be demanded.

*Study based on a national sample of 1,721 young people aged 14 to 25

[Nano2nd]

IMO this is something the police should be really cracking down on.

My friend was recently hit by an uninsured driver, causing minor damage(he admited no insurance). When it was reported to the police they said they couldn't really do anything unless they actualy caught him driving uninsured!!! WTF?

obviously if he drives everywhere under the speed limit he will be fine forever

[chris_crossley]

I had a head on crash three years ago (Not going fast and it was his fault). He didn't have a valid tax disc but the cops couldn't give a toss. They took 2 hours to get to the scene. Then they took a year to decide that he was a dangerous driver and tried to prosecute him. But the witnesses i had couldn't remember a year ago so they wouldn't sign there statement(Don't blame them).

[dodge]

Those stats are shocking! 35.1% of male 18-20 yr olds have driven without insurance or a licence!

How can 1/3rd of all young blokes people be such cheating lying scumbags? It doesn't seem possible!

[rmhodv]

Tell me about. About 6 years ago now I was waiting at a junction, when someone stuffed into the back of me and wrote my car off!.Exchanged details etc. then it turns out the block isn't insured. After about 9 months the motor insurers bureau gave me some money but they were taking the P. I bet you the uninsured scum got away with it though.

[atom290]

A fair and simple method needs to be had to give everyone on the road 3rd party insurance.

Pay extra at the pump, would be the best method. I know we pay enough as it is, but if it meant that everyone had at the minimum 3rd party insurance, teh roads would be a safer place. The MIB could be abolished as it stands at the moment, and then if you want theft or comprehensive insurance you pay a small premium on top of your existing right.

18 year old kids in their cars wouldnt be on the road without insurance, as their current thoughts are why bother? For the majority of them, the insurance is more than the car, often up to 10x the amount.

Also all visitors coming into the country would pay towards the fund, as they all have fuel. It kills the silly question of how many miles do you do each year, as I bet no one answers that one honestly!!!

[guydw]

this is why on the several occasions someone has driven into the back of my car I haven't allowed the other person to leave the scene until I have verified their address, insurance details etc. If I was in doubt I would have called the police and kept them there - these figures are national, I reckon it is much more prevelant in London.

It just seems as though some people are outside the law
(and yes - they are the same people that burgled my house and damaged my car...)

[BCA]

dodge said:

Those stats are shocking! 35.1% of male 18-20 yr olds have driven without insurance or a licence! How can 1/3rd of all young blokes people be such cheating lying scumbags? It doesn't seem possible!

Look in my profile at the costs of insuring a cupboard at 17. Thats under dads name too btw...

Insurance has become far too expensive for most people to afford. Even I am starting to think about going back to my Raliegh Max a few years earlier than planned.

[mcecm]

atom290 said:

A fair and simple method needs to be had to give everyone on the road 3rd party insurance. Pay extra at the pump, would be the best method. I know we pay enough as it is, but if it meant that everyone had at the minimum 3rd party insurance, teh roads would be a safer place.

Sounds like an idea but would end up hiurting those that spend a lot at the pumps compared to those that do little driving. If prices went up, those that couldn't afford the insurance would then steal the fuel instead. So in principle it would be difficult to implement.

[v8thunder]

Problem is that the government know no other way - there won't be increased Police presence or a crackdown on insurance fraud, they'll just come up with a daft excuse that links younk male drivers, speeding and lack of insurance, put up more scameras and hike up premiums further.

[lanciachris]

Those statistics have got to be another example of wonderfully twisted things. I have driven cars without insurance or tax, for example running my cars that are otherwise laid up up and and down the road to keep some life in them. If they are counting anyone whos done anything like that, or even a 17 year old whos parked his dads car for him or anything then there you go. doesnt seem an unreasonable percentage.

[atom290]

mcecm said:

Sounds like an idea but would end up hiurting those that spend a lot at the pumps compared to those that do little driving. If prices went up, those that couldn't afford the insurance would then steal the fuel instead. So in principle it would be difficult to implement.

The idea was that your premium is linked to the number of miles you travel each year, and the type of car you drive.

IF you use a lot of petrol it is either that you are covering a large number of miles, you drive a lambo and your economy is bad, or both. Your increased risk is then settled.

As for people stealing petrol, if the pumps went to pay before you fill through either insert credit card or cash at the till, then no more problems there either.

I would hate an increase in the cost of petrol, but if it meant that everyone on the road had insurance, then what an achievement that would be. It would I am sure bring the cost of premiums down in the long run, as there would no longer be the need for a slush fund.

[nickwilcock]

Why not develop a system for future cars which would mean that the ECU wouldn't allow the car to be started unless a valid tax/insurance smart card was entered into an onboard card reader? Also that the tax disc would include the registered keeper's insurance details.

Good program on Ch 5 last night where a sting operation cleared some of the scum from Teesside's society.

[cptsideways]

If the Czech Republic can do it why can't we

When you have your annual MOT you buy your 3rd party annual insurance. It's a fixed price & available from private ins co's.

Your MOT & Insurance are diplayed on the vehicle windscreen.

It's simple & it works

Syicking it on petrol would be a fair way to account for mileage done & engine size/economy.

[atom290]

The problem with these paper based systems, is that there are too many people out there that don’t care whether they have the insurance/tax/MOT at all. I had to sell my car, and buy a heap for a while, it only cost £300 and whilst the guy was filling in the paperwork I phoned my insurance company and informed them of the change of car. The guy was amused, and told me I was probably one of the first to insure his cars. It had tax and MOT so it wouldn’t be obvious to anyone that it wasn’t insured.

There is no point in having a central database of names of drivers, because most of the scroats that drive the cars uninsured do so without owning the vehicle, that isn’t going to help anyone. It just makes for more paperwork, and the taxpayer has to pay for it.

Without fuel the car doesn’t go anywhere, therefore for every mile you do you’re covered. It would be very simple to administrate as well.

[vetteheadracer]

IMHO The government should scrap all car tax and raise tax on fuel then the user pays. I have 4 cars, all taxed, but I can only ever drive one at a time.

It is the same with insurance I have 4 policies for 4 cars.

Why not have personal insurance?

That way I am insured to drive anything, whether I own it or not. As the government is so keen to introduce identity cards as an anti-terrorist measure (which any self respecting terrorist will get around btw) why not have it that it uses a chip which contains your car insurance details. Then the police can check the details on the spot using a card reader, rather than the paper based system.

I would always call the police to a car accident after being shafted by a guy who gave me a false name and address.

[JohnL]

Hmm ... I have to confess to having accidentally let my insurance lapse last year - after about a month, I had one of those "oh SHIIIT" moments ... stopped the car, quick phone call, flex the plastic, deep breath ... it can happen by accident. But if I'd been asked (far too old for that survey tho' ) I'd have put the statistic up by one as well.

[tja]

BCA said:

Insurance has become far too expensive for most people to afford.

Driving a car is a privilege not a right. If someone can't afford to insure a car then they should not be driving. They should get a job/education/inheritance in order to afford it.

No one held a gun to my head and forced me to buy and drive my first car. I did it once I had the money to buy, tax, MOT and insure it.

[wagoneer]

I'm a good example of someone who's insurance costs more than the car did (£500 Volvo estate) but my moral responsibility to society dictates that I also buy fully comp insurance.
Of all the good solutions posted, whacking a load on fuel seems to be the only way of actually ensuring these scum carry some insurance as their own morals certainly don't exist.
You can bet that if a relative or friend of one of these people got injured by an uninsured driver they'd be screaming the walls down for compensation.

[atom290]

Thank you, I was beginning to think I was talking a load of bull, and that the proposal was inconceivable!

At the same time they sort the insurance out they should also sort the claims issue out.

Long gone are the days where people used to brush themselves down and say "oh well". This compensation society we live in now is pathetic.

[mojocvh]

There was a thread on here not so long ago about this subject..the "average" punishment was around a fine of £350-380.

Soooo where the incentive to spend a LOT of money insuring your car(s) when all your gonna get is a slap on the risk??

cheers

MoJo.