February 01 2010
Government Plans Uninsured Car Blitz

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced new measures to curb the menace of uninsured drivers, of whom it has recently been estimated there are more than two million in the UK. Despite the fact that as many as 500 vehicles being driven without insurance are seized daily, and the ability of the police to impose a six-point penalty on anyone caught driving whilst uninsured, it is calculated that in Greater London, Manchester and Liverpool more than 10 per cent of all cars are driven without insurance. The cost of uninsured drivers adds more then £30 a year to every motor insurance policy and uninsured and untraced drivers injure more than 20,000 people annually and are responsible for the deaths of more than 150 people a year. At the moment, it is only an offence if someone drives a vehicle without having motor insurance in place. Owners of vehicles that are not used on the roads are not required to insure them. However, the DfT proposes to make it an offence to keep as well as to drive an uninsured vehicle. Vehicles so identified will be required to be insured and, if they are not, will be subject to seizure and destruction. A fine of up to £1,000 will also be levied on the vehicle owner.