No car insurance, go to jail, do not pass Go

[Musicman 0]

Heard this story on the news this morning

 

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4295834.stm

 

Uninsured motorists facing fines

 

Uninsured drivers are to face automatic fines of at least £60 in an attempt to reduce rising levels of illegal driving in the UK.

 

New laws being announced by the government will give police access to insurance company records.

 

Currently police have to catch uninsured drivers using their cars in order to prosecute them.

 

But the new powers will make it illegal to own a car without insuring it or declaring that it is not being used.

 

As well as the fines, the new powers will mean uninsured drivers could have their vehicles seized or crushed.

 

BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds says the estimated one million uninsured drivers in the UK cost law-abiding motorists £30 each in extra insurance premiums each year.

 

Uninsured drivers are also more likely to have accidents and police say they often commit more serious offences.

 

The planned change will mean police can automatically send out fines based on insurance company records.

 

Cameras that can read number plates - such as those used in London's congestion charging zone - will also be used to trap uninsured drivers.

 

In August, figures showed that the number of uninsured drivers on London's roads had risen by 40 per cent between 2001 and 2003, double the average for England and Wales.

 

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[ emphasis added ]

 

So, if your car is off the road, uninsured and you haven't filled in a SORN, the DVLA issue a nice little fine and then send the Police round to crush your car (other powers they acquired in July).

 

I'm all in favour of reducing the number of uninsured drivers on public roads, but I wonder what impact this will have on any number of vintage and veteran car and motorbike enthusiasts that might have vehicles stored off road with log books dating back to 1946, to say nothing of the headaches and more red tape it will generate for the second hand motor trade.

 

... and I'm sure this has to have impacts elsewhere too.

[corradophil 3]

That would be a pain in the arse for me at the moment. I am selling my Seat Leon, which is insured until mid November. My insurance and tax run out today on my C. My plan is in the next couple of weeks to sell the Seat and transfer it's remaining insurance to the C.

 

Therefore my C which is currently uninsured for a couple of weeks and parked on private land which would make me a crimial!

 

I tried to tax the C yesterday, but was not alowd, I would have been if my insurance ran out tomorrow though! So technicaly I am breaking the law because it is currenty neither taxed or sorned. If I sorn it today and sell my Seat on Monday which is when it ends on e-bay, I will be trying to unsorn and tax the C in a big hurry, after I receive a cover note which must be posted by my insurance company.

 

Being a law abiding citizen becomes very complicated by all these rules and regulations.

 

I think they will need to re-organise the way we insure cars for this system to work i.e. insurance needs to be available at reasonable cost on a daily rate, if it was I could pay say £1.50 per day to keep the C insured and also be able to buy a tax disc and stay legal.

[logicaltuning 0]

im pulling my rado off the road monday - it will be sorn, but why the hell should i pay insurance for a car that is sat on axle stands in my garage!

[GIXXERUK 0]

surely there will be the equivalent of the sorn but for insurance....surely ?

 

as for the clampdown on scabby scabsters driving with no ins , i say shoot on sight or crush the car with them in it

[logicaltuning 0]

surely there will be the equivalent of the sorn but for insurance....surely ?

 

as for the clampdown on scabby scabsters driving with no ins , i say shoot on sight or crush the car with them in it

 

shoot on site

 

its usually not their car :mad:

[GIXXERUK 0]

logicaltuning, not the car the driver

[gsbellew 0]

What if you have a trade policy or a policy? The car itself is not insured but you are, how would that work??

[mr.ots 10]

"But the new powers will make it illegal to own a car without insuring it or declaring that it is not being used".

 

Judging by the quote from the article it appears you will not have to insure the vehicle if you declare it's not being used.

 

I would fully support this measure as the number of uninsured drivers is becoming a joke not to mention the number of unlicenced drivers!

 

String up the lot of em!

[gsbellew 0]

If you's introduced the insurance cert in the window system we have in Ireland that would help a lot would it not?

[lukeage 0]

I honestly think this is not so much away to just hit criminals but another way to extort money more money. Like Phil said - i often used to be fixing up old banger's parked in drive way as i could not afford anything else at the time due to being at college, that does not mean i would have dreamt of going on the road without insurance. I just wanted to pay out on a car that could move from a to b first.

 

I can only imagine that there was a few golden handshake coming from the bigwig insurance's companys to implement a scheme like this. Reeks of big brother if you ask me.

 

*EDIT - just read this again and clocked the part about off road declare.

 

Ill get me coat!

[GIXXERUK 0]

if you declare its not being used then you dont have to insure it

 

its a way of decreasing the amount of cars on the road as the speed camera's are getting stressed :-)

[lukeage 0]

its a way of decreasing the amount of cars on the road as the speed camera's are getting stressed :-)

 

don't even get me started on the speed camara's :mad:

[mr.ots 10]

Ultimately people who pay to insure their cars are paying for the accidents of those who are not insured.

 

Big brother or not, why should I pay for someone elses accident?

[GIXXERUK 0]

Mr.Ots, totally agree mate, they should be banned and fined , the losers cost me £'s and do they care about the victims pfft no way

these are the most likely people to hit and run or drink drive, same for the losers who drive with no licence aswell

 

i have to pay to get a licence and insure the car so should they !!

[Campaign 0]

Although my Rocco is off the road it is still insured, but I use a classic policy, so it only costs about £120 per year, similar with the Corrado when that's off the road.

 

Indeed, what they are saying is that provided it is declared SORN you don't technically need insurance.

 

You can tax a car if it is SORN'd, and you haven't got the SORN form back yet, but it is a bit of a complicated procedure.

[lukeage 0]

Think i may have jumped onto the conspiracy wagon a bit to hastily there - please excuse the rant.

 

I agree wholeheartly when it comes to uninsured drivers on the road. But then again insurance companies will find any old reason in the book to pump up their premiums. It would not surprise me if they use the figures collated from the said act to justify an increase again.

[lukeage 0]

You can tax a car if it is SORN'd, and you haven't got the SORN form back yet, but it is a bit of a complicated procedure.

 

So if a car is has a SORN declaration you can still tax it without providing a insurance policy? Did'nt know that.

[Yandards 0]

There is one other problem with this and that is the government are considering placing an 'administration charge' on sorned vehicles.

 

I am all for it but what are the odds you get a letter from your insurance company with a refund of £30?

 

....F**K ALL

[Henny 0]

Lets clear some of this up shall we...

 

If your car has been listed with SORN, then you are NOT allowed to keep your car on the road at all, insured or not. It MUST be kept off the public highway. It doesn't need insuring or taxing, just the SORN certificate.

 

You CAN NOT tax a vehicle with out a current MOT and a valid insurance document. If your car is SORN registered, then that will not affect your ability to tax your vehicle as it's just the same as taxing your car as your old tax disk runs out...

 

(trust me, I have 3 cars which are SORN declaired! ;) )

[Musicman 0]

You CAN NOT tax a vehicle with out a current MOT and a valid insurance document.

 

Precisely. That's the current situation and nothing will change in that respect. They're going to come after you for not having a current valid Tax disc anyhow under the current rules (or you've provided a fake insurance certificate to get your tax disc). So why the need to tie this in with the Insurance companies' data and ANPR implementations? How else are people getting round the system as it stands?

 

The whole ANPR issue vs your rights to travel without your movements being monitored by the State is another debate again.

[Tempest 0]

How else are people getting round the system as it stands?

 

Unfortunately by constantly buying old bangers with just enough tax on them to be able to drive them 9uninsured, of course). I have some Georgian neighbours where I live, and there is no way on Earth that they without even having an EU driving license can afford the UK insurance on their bangers. Hence they sell them before the tax runs out, and buy a new banger with enough tax. If they cause an accident, they just walk away!

 

I'm all for tighter rules, like in Germany, where there has always been a link between insurance data and the car registration office, to track down uninsured drivers. Hopefully that'll bring down premiums for the honsest citizens, although I suppose I can dream on on that one, greedy gits that insurance companies are.

 

What strikes me as a contradiction, is the government-ruled necessity to have insurance, yet not offer that service themselves, and instead leave that to some profit-oriented (not service oriented) private companies, who only want our cash.

 

Tempest

[Jim 2]

I have some Georgian neighbours

 

Picture of Erics neighbours:

 

 

Sorry, sorry.. couldnt help myself ;)

[Musicman 0]

:D

[Tempest 0]

I wish ... :lol:

 

Tempest