Car Insurance dodgers to face fines of up to £1,000

Car insurance will be required for all vehicles under new Government plans, making it an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle as well as to drive it when uninsured.

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark has confirmed new measures to catch those who keep or drive a car without car insurance.

The new measures will mean uninsured vehicles will be identified by the DVLA working with the insurance idustry.

Those motorists identified as having an uninsured vehicle will receive a letter advising them that they have a set period in which to get the vehicle insured or they be fined.

If the vehicle is then not insured the keeper will be given a £100 fine (reduced to £50 if paid promptly) and 3 license points.

If the vehicle remains uninsured, even if the fine is paid, the keeper could face court prosecution and/or the vehicle could be clamped, impounded and ultimately disposed of. Those who deliberately ignore the law could be fined up to £1,000.

Those vehicles with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) will not need to be insured.

Uninsured driving is a major issue that does need tackling.

It’s estimated that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 160 people and injure 23,000 people each year.

There’s a maximum fine of £5,000 for driving whilst uninsured with up to 8 penalty points on your licence. Around 300,000 are convicted for uninsured driving each year.

A new offence was introduced last year of causing death by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured.

Having published its consultation results on how the new uninsured vehicle scheme will operate, the Departement for Transport will draft the regulations with them expected to come into force in the next financial year.