Crackdown on uninsured drivers 12 | 01 | 2011

UNINSURED CARS in Scotland are set to become a target for the government after road safety minister Mike Penning announced imminent legislation which will make it illegal to keep an uninsured vehicle. The new powers, which set to come into force in the spring, would make it illegal to keep an uninsured vehicle rather than just drive one.

The DVLA will join forces with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to help track down uninsured vehicles. Letters will be sent to the owners of cars they believe to be uninsured and they will be fined £100 if they fail to act. If the vehicle remains uninsured – whether the fine is paid or not – the car could be seized and destroyed.

An illustration of just how costly uninsured cars are to 'legal' motorists comes can be seen when you consider an estimated £30 of every annual insurance premium is paid towards covering crashes that involve uninsured and untraced drivers. Uninsured drivers are also believed to be involved in accidents that kill 160 people and injure 23,000 each year.

“Uninsured drivers push up premiums for other motorists and often drive with no regard for other road users," Penning said, "so it is vital we do everything we can to keep them off the roads.

“More than 400 uninsured vehicles are already being seized by the police every day, but it is simply not possible to catch every uninsured driver in this way. That is why we are bringing in these new powers, which will help us to take targeted action while freeing up police time to deal with the hard core of offenders.”

Vehicles registered with the DVLA as SORN are not required to be insured.

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Jim McGill