The government is planning to tighten laws around those who drive without auto insurance by making it illegal to own a registered vehicle that is not insured even if the vehicle is not used according to transport ministers.
Those who are caught failing to follow the new legislation could face fines up to £1,000 along with the possibility of having their vehicles seized.
At the moment, it is only illegal for individuals to drive without proper insurance in the UK and as of last January drivers were allowed only to keep uninsured vehicles if they registered the vehicles as unused with the DVLA and kept the cars off of the roadways.
Organizations of motorists welcomed the new laws to combat the amount of uninsured drivers on the road but fear that motorists who are normally law abiding may face punishment for the new laws due to innocent mistakes such as a temporary lapse in insurance while they are away on a holiday.
According to figures from the Department of Transport every year uninsured drivers and those that are not able to be traced are responsible for the deaths of 160 people, 23,000 injuries, and add about £30 a year to the total cost of plans that are purchased by responsible people who do take out insurance.
On average police seize about 400 vehicles a day from those without insurance.
Under the new plan, the DVLA will check insurance details on their motor database to insure that motorists have insurance and will send out reminders to anyone they find that appears to have allowed their coverage to lapse.
