Stricter Car Insurance Rules Introduced

Until this week, uninsured drivers had to be caught at the wheel to be prosecuted. Now if you’re without car insurance, you can be fined or lose your car – even when you’re not using it.

If you haven’t got round to renewing your car insurance, you’d better head over to a price comparison website fast – it’s just got very easy to rack up a £100 fine or see your car seized or destroyed.

That’s because, from the beginning of this week, car owners have been subject to the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement law.

This legislation means you can be fined £100 and your uninsured car could be impounded or crushed – even if you don’t drive it.

Until now, you had to be caught driving without insurance before you could be fined.

How Continuous Insurance Enforcement works

Under the new law, you have two options: buy car insurance or be issued with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN). The latter is an official declaration that your car won’t be kept or driven on the public highway.

If you have neither insurance nor a SORN, you will be sent a warning letter, followed by a £100 fine if you take no action.

And if you still continue to refuse to take out car insurance or a SORN your car could be taken away or destroyed, or you could face a fine of £1,000.

So if you car insurance has lapsed or is due for renewal, now is certainly the time to act.

Moneyhighstreet comments: “Official figures state that there are 1.4 million uninsured drivers on the roads, and the Department of Transport says that 23,000 people are injured and 160 killed annually in incidents that involve uninsured drivers.

“Beginning to get those cars insured or off the roads is good news, but law-abiding drivers need to be extra vigilant that their car insurance doesn’t lapse. Make a note of when your insurance is up for renewal and be sure to take out appropriate car insurance in good time”