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Capital tops league of uninsured drivers
Ben Bailey24.09.09
More than one in 10 cars in London is thought to be uninsured, research showed today.
The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) said 13% of vehicles in the Metropolitan area were flagged as being driven illegally because they were uninsured, the highest proportion for any region.
It was followed by Merseyside, where 12% of vehicles are thought to be uninsured, and Greater Manchester at 10%, while West Yorkshire and the West Midlands came in joint fourth place at 7%.
The West Midlands also contains six of the 10 worst postcodes for uninsured drivers, while nearly half of all vehicles registered in the BD3 postcode of Barkerend in Bradford, West Yorkshire, were flagged as being uninsured.
Overall, the MIB estimates more than 1.7 million motorists broke the law during 2008 by driving despite not having motor cover.
The figures were released as the group, which compensates people involved in accidents with uninsured drivers, launched a campaign aimed at drivers who may be tempted to let their insurance lapse in a bid to reduce their motoring costs.
It warned that people who drove without insurance could have their vehicle seized, while they would also receive a minimum of six penalty points on their licence and incur a fixed penalty of £200.
It added that up to 500 uninsured vehicles were seized each day due to the use of automatic number plate recognition technology combined with information from the Motor Insurance Database to spot drivers who did not have cover.
Ashton West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers' Bureau, said: "The fact that 1.7 million motorists still take to the roads without insurance is staggering; but there is no doubt that the number of drivers caught each year is increasing significantly, so drivers simply cannot afford to be complacent.
"Indeed, the number of drivers across the UK who were caught without insurance last year would fill Wembley Stadium more than twice. The message to motorists is clear: driving uninsured is simply not worth the risk."
Meanwhile, research carried out by moneysupermarket.com found that 62% of people think motorists caught driving without insurance should face heftier penalties.
Around 18% of the more than 1,800 people questioned thought the age at which people can drive should increase from 17 to 21, while 16% said either the Government or the motoring industry should subsidise younger drivers to stop them getting behind the wheel uninsured.
AA Insurance welcomed the campaign to encourage drivers not to cancel their insurance.
It said it had seen a 17% increase in the number of people paying by direct debit who had defaulted, underlining the importance of the campaign.
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "The MIB initiative focuses on the vital importance of keeping your car insurance up-to-date.
"Customers who cancel their cover or don't renew run a serious risk of being stopped by the police, who are increasingly using automatic number plate recognition technology to identify uninsured drivers."
He also urged people to check the registration number on their insurance certificate was accurate, as there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who are stopped because their registration number has been recorded incorrectly.
Reader views (8)
Alan Green: and what superbe motorways they are!! Perfect surface, in-built camber, slightly higher speed limit, huge distance between vehicles, traffic using one lane to drive and the other to over-take, regular fully-equiped service stops, picnic areas and view points, very few speed cameras (with an on-the spot fine of £50 and nothing more if unfortunately you are naughty and get caught by a real policemen, but no further action if it's automatic and your car is foreign) - well worth the money, especially if you're used to parking on the Magic Roundabout/M25. It probably isn't French or Swiss cars that you're talking about in the UK - last time I took a late-night ferry from Calais there were a huge number of clapped-out cars from Eastern Europe . . . or the lady backing her car may be from South Africa: I have a license to drive an HGV1 from there, without actually having to prove I can parallel park!
- Roz, France
Life ban , large fine & confiscate the car, sell it, proceeds to cover insurance companies costs for claims.
- Ray, Surrey
Don't forget this figure does not include the vast majority of uninsured cyclists in London. This scourge causer injury and damage to pedestrians every day of the year !
What ever penalty is decided to apply to uninsured motorists, it must equally apply to uninsured cyclists, after all this menace demand equality and better treatment, lets see if they are prepared to agreed to having a reasonable requirement of insurance !
- James, City of London
In Denmark if your car is uninsured or doesn't have a test, you have to hand the number plates in. If you fail to do this the Police come, and with great fanfare, so the neighbours can come out and gawp, remove the car's number plates. If they catch you on the road, they'll do it there and then, and you'll have to pay for a tow-truck to take the car to a pound if you haven't somewhere to park it off road.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
I'd support paying a tax-free bounty for reporting uninsured cars to the police. Then, publishing the list of uninsured number-plates would fix the problem once and for all!
It wouldn't cost the tax-payer a penny. The uninsured driver's fine, failing which forfeiture and sale of the uninsured car, would pay the bounty.
- Nigel, London
Five years ago I was hit by a lorry in a car park, registered in italy. Fortunately I photographed the lorry so i had the firms buisness address. It still took me three years, against my own legal advice, who wanted to give up, to get full settlement. Last year I was side swiped at a round about by a white van registered abroad, that did not stop. In parts of London one sees hundreds of vans registered abroad owned by foreign builders, how does one know if they have any insurance.
Recently in Stoke Newington in a road with cars parked on both sides my way was blocked by a car going the other way. I suggested to the lady driving she backed into a space behind her, as I had to back half a mile. She asked me to do it for her, as she had never learnt to back a car into a small space. It appeared she came from a country where they did not have a driving test, although her license was valid here.
Yet when I go to abroad, to France or Switzerland I even have to pay just to drive on their motor ways.
- Alan Green, England. The forgotten country.
The penalty should surely include backdated premium payments to the MIB for the period of uninsured driving: this would help reduce the amount honest drivers have to pay to help the victims of these criminals. Leaving someone crippled without access to insurance is a terrible thing to do.
- Mdj E10, london uk
Recently visiting a friend's house I read their local free paper. There was a summary of cases from the local magistrates court. Driving without insurance or driving without a licence seems on a par with not having a TV licence or not putting yourself on the register of electors!
- Michael D'Ferrari, London
