New Year Surprise for Motorists without Insurance

01/11/2007

According to new figures from the Department for Transport, one in fifteen British motorists is driving without insurance. That equates to over two million vehicles. The number of uninsured motorists has increased by 100,000 in just twelve months, meaning the total figure now amounts to 6.5% of all vehicles in Britain.

New Year’s Eve 2007 could be the last chance for these drivers to get away with their evasion. From January 1st next year, insurers will be required to register customers’ details on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) within seven days. The current deadline is 14 days, and the Government hopes that shortening the timeframe will make it easier for the police to identify uninsured motorists.

Research suggests that uninsured drivers are most likely to be the ones drinking and driving this New Year’s Eve: they are approximately ten times more likely to drink and drive than an insured motorist, and are less likely to stop after an accident.

John Close, Insurer Relations Director at the AA Insurance welcomes the new legislation: “Police use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology which instantly cross-checks registration numbers against the MID. If a checked vehicle is not on the database the equipment alerts police who can then stop it. If the driver can’t prove that he or she is covered, the car could be confiscated”.