The latest crackdown on uninsured motorists could see over a million people being hit with £1,000 fines. The news will be welcomed by law-abiding motorists who should see their insurance premiums fall as a result of increasing the number of insured car owners. The change in legislation means that it could become an offence simply to own an uninsured vehicle, whereas offenders currently need to be caught behind the wheel to be liable.
The Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, is expected to agree to the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) plan within a few weeks. Under the scheme, car owners whose details are not registered on the DVLA and the Motor Insurance Database will receive letters of warning, then a fine of £100 and wheel clamping if they do not immediately get insured. If the owner still fails to get insurance, they risk a fine of £1,000 and further action including prosecution and losing their car altogether.
There are an estimated 1.2 million uninsured drivers in the UK. Some 160 deaths are caused by crashes involving uninsured drivers each year, as well as 23,000 injuries.
