New offence to catch uninsured drivers
A new offence of being the registered keeper of a vehicle without insurance has been proposed which would mean that fewer people would be able to evade the law and drive on the roads uninsured. The proposed offence is listed as an amendment to the Road Safety Bill and is currently going through Parliament.
The new offence would only be applied to people who have not given a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) declaration. Whilst at present it is illegal to drive a vehicle that is not insured, this change in the law would mean it is illegal to be the registered owner of one.
It would be much easier for the police to identify people without car insurance under this law. They would simply have to consult a car insurance database to see which people have neither got car insurance nor have declared their car as being off the road.
Driving without car insurance is a significant problem in the UK , with 5% of cars estimated to be without insurance. Statistics show that people who drive without car insurance are up to nine times more likely to be involved in an accident, and six times more likely to drive a vehicle that is not roadworthy.
Drivers who have an accident where an uninsured driver was at fault can make a claim to the Motorists Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), who pay out around £500 million each year as a result. This cost is passed on to drivers who have car insurance, putting up the price of premiums by £30.