Worst area for uninsured drivers revealed

uninsured-car

The area of the UK where uninsured drivers are most prevalent has been revealed as West Yorkshire as 17 of the most problematic postcodes in the country for drivers with no insurance are situated in the West Midlands or West Riding region.

Out of the 17 postcodes highlighted for having a high level of uninsured drivers, 5 of the postcodes are situated in Bradford where figures show there are 7 times more illegal drivers than the national average.

It’s estimated that 4% of cars on UK roads are being driven illegally with no insurance, which works out as 1.4 million cars out of the 34 million cars on British roads. Uninsured drivers have a negative impact on honest motorists, with £30 being added to each and every car insurance policy for insured motorists because of reckless drivers who take to the roads with no cover.

From June of this year, it became illegal to own a car without either taking out an insurance policy for the vehicle, or declaring it off the road. The authorities now have the power to seize any vehicle which does not comply with the new legislation.

Due to the high concentration of uninsured drivers in the Bradford region, the authorities are having to work extra hard to clamp down on these illegal motorists. Since the legislation came into force in June, 1,110 vehicles have been seized in Bradford, which averages at 6 vehicles per day, well above the national average.

30% of Brits choosing to not insure their vehicles

car-insurance-keys

A report by the Motor Insurers Bureau has found that almost a third of motorists are failing to take out car insurance, despite the fact that the Bureau has records of all uninsured vehicles in the country.

The Motor Insurers Bureau’s recent report into uninsured vehicles and drivers focuses upon four main areas, namely Birmingham, Essex, Manchester and West Yorkshire and estimates that a massive 1.4 million drivers are using UK roads without any type of cover.

Research has shown that uninsured drivers are responsible for causing 23,000 injuries and 160 deaths on UK roads every year. In addition, drivers without insurance add £30 to the insurance premium of every driver in the UK. The negative effect uninsured drivers have on other drivers is unacceptable, according to Motor Insurers Bureau, and they say they are taking steps to tackle the problem.

The rising cost of car insurance has been cited as one possible reason for the high volume of uninsured drivers on UK roads as many motorists are simply unable to afford the extortionate annual insurance premiums, and so choose to risk driving without. The Office of Fair Trading has just outlined plans to investigate the rising cost of car insurance, the results of which will be ready by the end of the year. If they find the rises in car insurance are unfair, measures may be made to curb the spiralling rate of motor of insurance costs.

Scottish police stage crackdown on car insurance dodgers

car-insurance-keys

The Scottish police forced staged a 3-day long intensive crackdown on car insurance dodgers over the August bank holiday weekend. The operation, which was coordinated in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), used the very latest technology, including sophisticated registration plate recognition systems, to help seek out drivers using the roads without legitimate car insurance on their vehicle.

With increased police powers, the authorities are able to dole out on-the-spot fines of £200 to anyone caught driving without motor insurance. However the heaviest penalty for anyone caught dodging insurance stands at a fine of £5,000 and also as the addition of 8 points on a licence. In the most serious cases, police can have the uninsured vehicle removed and even destroyed as a result of the driver not having taken out motor insurance.

The tougher penalties for uninsured drivers are part of a UK wide drive to stamp out the practice of driving a vehicle without cover. Recent statistics show that uninsured drivers pose a major safety risk as they are involved in accidents which have caused 160 deaths over the last year, and smashes which have caused 23,000 injuries. Drivers without insurance also cost the economy a whopping £500 million every year.

In addition to the worrying statistics mentioned above, the police have found that uncovering a driver with an uninsured vehicle is often the tip of the iceberg as these motorists are often involved in other criminal activities.

As more and more police forces stage clamp downs on uninsured drivers across the UK, the warning is clear, car insurance dodging will not be tolerated, and those caught doing so will face tough penalties.

Drivers warned as changes introduced to car insurance

car-insurance-keys

Drivers in the UK are being warned about changes to car insurance which are due to come into force in spring of this year.

The DVLA and Motor Insurer’s Bureau have been distributing leaflets with information regarding the change to car insurance rules with the V11 renewal tax forms and online at the direct.gov.

The new legislation will make it illegal for any car owner to not have car insurance, unless the car has been registered as off the road with the DVLA.

The new rules have been introduced as part of the government’s plan to clamp down on uninsured drivers. On average it’s been estimated that £30 on the insurance policy of every driver is there to cover the costs of uninsured drivers on UK roads.

The MIB and DVLA have described the new rules as stepping up in the enforcement on uninsured drivers. It is hoped the new guidelines will encourage car owners to keep their vehicles registered with the authorities at all times so they can keep track of who is insured, and who isn’t, making it easier to uncover drivers who are not abiding by the rules.

The authorities are planning to monitor the situation closely following the introduction of the new guidelines to see if this has a positive impact on the number of uninsured drivers on UK roads.

Changes to car insurance rules could make it illegal to not have breakdown cover

Car-Breakdown

Under proposed changes to car insurance legislation, it would become illegal to not have breakdown car insurance cover in place on your vehicle. At present, it’s considered illegal to keep a vehicle with valid motor insurance, however there are no rules on breakdown insurance.

The new proposals put forward by the coalition government would change the current system by making it a legal requirement to hold a valid breakdown insurance policy on a motor vehicle.

The British Insurance Brokers Association has welcomed the news as they believe it will encourage a responsibility culture amongst UK motorists and also create a “fairer system” for honest and conscientious drivers.

The penalties for being caught in possession of a car without a valid breakdown insurance policy have not yet been specified.

The change would come under the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) regulations, legislation which the BIBA have been fighting for since 2004.

As well as changing the law on breakdown cover, the CIE regulations are also considering a change to the rules on uninsured drivers which would mean a car owner could be charged for simply owning a vehicle without adequate car insurance, whereas currently, the driver must be caught behind the wheel of the illegal vehicle for police to be able to take action.

Crackdown on uninsured cars could spell good news for honest motorists

car-insurance-keys

A planned crackdown on uninsured cars planned for 2011 could spell good news for honest drivers as this has the potential to lead to reduced car insurance rates.

Up to 1 million people could potentially be hit with fines of up to £1,000 during the campaign which will aim to take uninsured cars and their drivers off the UK roads.

If a proposed change in legislation on uninsured vehicles goes ahead, it would be an offence to simply own an uninsured car, whereas currently the owner needs to be caught driving the uninsured car for legal action to taken against them.

The proposed new legislation, known as Continuous Insurance Enforcement, is expected to get the green light within the next few weeks. If this does go ahead, all car owners who are not registered on the Insurance Database or DVLA system will be issued letters warning them that if they don’t get adequate motor insurance in place, the car can be clamped or they will be hit with a hefty fine.

If the scheme is successful, motorists could see the cost of car insurance premiums fall. Car insurance policyholders currently pick up the tab for uninsured drivers as insurance companies pass on the losses they make as a result of accidents caused by drivers without cover to their customers in the form of raised premiums.

Target car insurance fraud to stop premiums rising

car-rear-end-crash

Car insurance fraud needs to be targeted if insurance premiums are to be stopped from rising at an uncontrollable rate, that’ the opinion of several car insurance companies.

On average, the cost of a comprehensive car insurance policy has risen by 40% in the last 12 months. If this kind of increase continues, many drivers will be priced out of the market and unable to afford to keep a car on the road. For younger drivers the hike is car insurance premiums is even more severe, with drivers aged between 17 and 25 seeing an increase of on average 51% in comprehensive cover.

Fraudsters are the reason car insurance is rising at an unprecedented rate with personal injury claims, and cash for crash incidents pushing up the cost of cover for all honest drivers.

With the average cost of car insurance for young drivers standing at between £2,000 and £3,000, yet the maximum fine for being caught without a licence standing at £1,000, many youngsters are tempted to take the risk. Insurance companies are urging authorities to enforce stricter penalties to act as a more effective deterrent for uninsured drivers.

Car insurance companies say drivers can help in the fight against fraud. If they are involved in an accident, take as many details as possible, and also take pictures if possible and count how many people were travelling in the other vehicles involved in the accident as this may help insurance companies uncover any potentially fraudulent claims.

Aussie cops trial cameras which spot uninsured drivers

speed-camera-sign

Police in New South Wales, Australia, are trialling a new type of camera which spots cars which are uninsured by automatically screening their number plate.

As well as detecting uninsured vehicles, the high-tech cameras also flag up vehicles which are unregistered and which have been reported stolen, or wanted for any other kind of serious motoring offence.

At present only one new police patrol car has been equipped with this special equipment which uses number plate recognition to screen the vehicles. The advanced technology used in the cameras means that the device is able to read up to 6 number plates simultaneously every second. Cars to the front and side of the police patrol car can be picked up.

The mobile camera can be used while on the move, and it can even read the number plates of speeding vehicles up to a maximum speed of 110km/h.

A similar type of camera is also being trialled in Europe currently. These static “Big Brother” style cameras can also detect a multitude of vehicle details including whether or not the vehicle has a tax disc, and also whether the passengers are wearing seat belts, or if the car is tailgating the vehicle in front by measuring the distance between the two vehicles.

If the tests in Europe on these new style cameras are deemed a success, we could see this technology on UK roads within the next couple of years.

Uninsured drivers and fraudulent claims pushing up the cost of cover

car-accident

The cost of uninsured drivers and fraudulent claims is estimated to stand at £2 billion, which is pushing up the cost of motor cover for all UK drivers.

Market research carried out to investigate the effect of uninsured drivers and fraudulent claimants took into account 100,000 insurance quotes and calculated that drivers will face a rise of £2 billion on the cost of insurance when compared to the same time last year.

It’s been a bad year for motorists on the whole as figures revealed that insurance premiums have risen by 20% in the last 12 months.

Taking all of this into account, the insurance group AA say the cost of comprehensive cover has increased by 18.7 in the last year which means drivers are faced with premiums of on average, over £1,000.

Uninsured drivers are said to exasperating the situation with companies having to deal with 30,000 claims a year carried out by drivers with no cover. Out of the 1.5 million uninsured drivers on UK roads, half of these are under the age of 29.

It’s been suggested that the high cost of car insurance for younger drivers is playing a significant role in preventing these motorists from purchasing cover as they simply can’t afford it. Also the penalties for drivers who are caught without insurance are very low in some cases, with fines costing as little as £50, meaning there is not a strong enough deterrent in place to warn these motorists off driving without insurance.