Government plans crackdown on uninsured cars

The government is proposing a tough new crackdown on car owners making it an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle rather than simply to drive while uninsured.

Presently it is perfectly legal to keep a car registered with the Drivers and Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA) as "off the road" as long as it is parked on a driveway or kept in a garage. It is not a criminal offence for a vehicle itself to be uninsured unless it is kept on the road.

If a car owner is caught driving their car without insurance they face a maximum fine of £5,000 and 6-8 penalty points being added to their licence. Around 300,000 offenders are convicted for uninsured driving every year.

The government says the new legislation would change little but its proposals would mean tougher action would be taken against those that failed to complete a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) form.

Official estimates suggest around 2 million British motorists drive uninsured adding around £30 a year to insurance premiums while uninsured and untraced drivers kill 160 people and injure 23,000 every year.

The police have already been given powers to seize and destroy vehicles being driven uninsured, along with improved access to the Motor Insurance Database to enhance their capability to detect uninsured driving by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment. Police removed around 150,000 vehicles in 2007 - more than 400 a day.

Under the new system the DVLA will work in partnership with the insurance industry to identify uninsured vehicles. Uninsured motorists will then receive a letter telling them their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them they will be fined unless they insure it within a set period. If the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine. And if the vehicle remains uninsured - regardless of whether the fine is paid - it could then be seized and destroyed.

Paul Clark said: "Each year uninsured and untraced drivers kill 160 people and injure 23,000, and uninsured driving costs law-abiding motorists more than £400m in extra premiums.

"We've already taken action to force this irresponsible minority off the roads -increased police powers mean more than 400 uninsured vehicles are seized every day. But these tough new measures will catch anyone who is keeping an uninsured vehicle, leaving them with nowhere to hide."