Police forces and insurers are launching a coordinated battle against uninsured drivers this week, after it was revealed that more than 117,000 convictions have been handed down against motorists in 2022 for not having cover.
Last year, 76,500 people were convicted of driving without insurance and 40,150 drivers were convicted of owning a vehicle without valid insurance, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.
However, AA Insurance Services estimates that the total number of uninsured cars on the road is closer to one million – and this is one of the driving forces behind rising average premiums.
That said, drivers can protect themselves from uninsured drivers with a provision in their policy: as we explain below…
During the action week, the police use the Car Insurance Database – a live registration of all car insurance policies – to see whether cars are insured. If they do, they will be confiscated
Since 2005, the Motor Insurance Bureau’s efforts, with support from the government, insurers and police, have helped seize more than 2.5 million uninsured vehicles.
Drivers caught without cover will face a minimum fine of £300 and six penalty points on their driving licence.
In the most serious cases, this can lead to prosecution, with the prospect of an unlimited fine and disqualification from driving, and the vehicle may be seized by police and possibly destroyed.
Of the 76,774 drivers convicted of driving without insurance last year, around a quarter were passed to drivers aged 18 to 24, the AA’s insurance team found.
However, the majority of convictions were against motorists between the ages of 30 and 39; a total of 23,395 people were found guilty by courts.
In 94 percent of cases this resulted in points being awarded on a driver’s license, while 2,140 drivers were disqualified. The average fine imposed by the courts was £352, last year’s figures show.
According to the MIB, every 20 minutes someone in Britain is injured by an uninsured driver.
This amounts to approximately 26,000 injuries and 130 deaths per year.
It is estimated that insurers pay out more than £300 million in compensation claims every year to victims of uninsured collisions.
Crackdown: ‘Op Drive Insured’ is a week-long coordinated effort by the Motor Insurers Bureau and police starting today (Monday, November 20) and will target vehicles identified as uninsured
According to the Association of British Insurers, uninsured drivers add an extra £53 to the cost of every car premium in Britain
And the cost to the UK economy is a further £2.2 billion per year, with the extra bills for emergency services, medical care, lost productivity and property damage.
According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), uninsured drivers add an extra £53 to the cost of each car premium.
In addition, uninsured motorists are often found to have links to broader crime, such as hit-and-runs, making it all the more important that they are identified and prosecuted.
The problem reached such a scale in 2016 that the MIB launched the first ‘Operation Drive Insured’: an awareness week for enforcement to tackle law-breaking drivers.
This year’s seven-day campaign starts today and liaison officers will be present at roadside police operations to provide a direct link to the motor insurance database.
The measures are part of a new £5 million investment from the MIB announced in October as part of its own efforts to get uninsured drivers off the road faster to make our roads safer.
MIB’s Martin Saunders, who is leading the programme, said: ‘We have expanded our enforcement team to support and equip roadside police, committed to funding Operational Tutelage for a further three years, and have already started to renew of how we work with the DVLA to compare a list of vehicles on the road with those that are insured, to help identify problem vehicles and inform motorists to take out insurance.
‘But we are going to do much more. We will place a major emphasis on leveraging technologies and data in our digital world, such as using predictive analytics; better informed “hotspots” and building partnerships with those we believe can help address the uninsured problem.
‘We will all continue to influence the government because we do not believe that the current fines for driving without insurance are a sufficient deterrent. With this more targeted and coordinated approach, there will be no hiding places for those who continue to flout the law.”
AA Insurance Services estimates that the total number of uninsured cars on the road is almost one million. Motorists can protect themselves directly with a provision in the policy
How to protect yourself from uninsured drivers
Every driver suffers the consequences of uninsured drivers.
However, Gus Park, director of AA Insurance Services, says licensed motorists can directly protect themselves from those at risk of driving without insurance.
“Unfortunately, every law-abiding driver feels concerned when it comes to uninsured vehicles because the collisions they cause have to be paid for,” he explains.
“Checking to see if your policy has an uninsured driver promise is a great way to protect yourself if you are in an accident with someone without insurance.”
Uninsured Driver Promises are a guarantee that your no-claims discount will be reinstated and your deductible will be reimbursed if you are involved in an accident with a motorist who does not have cover.
Many fully comprehensive policies include an uninsured driver promise as standard, but not all.
When renewing a policy, it is always worth checking whether an uninsured driver promise is included.
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