New legislation coming this spring will mean that car owners need to either insure their vehicle or have it registered off road with a SORN notice. This change in the law means that owning, rather than driving an uninsured vehicle, will be an offence.
These regulations, enforced by the CIE, mean that drivers who do not comply will be faced with stiff penalties – including £1000 fines or having their vehicles destroyed. Owners of uninsured vehicles will receive ‘Insurance Advisory Letters’, advising them that they may be committing an offence – even if the vehicle is parked off road or un-roadworthy.
These changes have been brought after a 7 year campaign to bring about a fairer and more equitable system by BIBA, the British Insurance Brokers Association – Who estimate that an average 1.4 million vehicles are driven uninsured, costing the average motorist an extra £30 on their insurance. Though being seized at a rate of 500 a day by the police, uninsured vehicles last year contributed to the deaths of 160 people, and were involved in incidents which left 23,000 injured. With 34 million vehicles on the road, BIBA expects the number of letters sent to number “in the thousands”.
Drivers who operate a motor vehicle without valid insurance are committing a criminal offence, and are urged to take out proper insurance at once. Drivers with valid insurance are encouraged to contact their insurer or check the Motor Insurance Database to ensure their insurance record is current and up to date. Those with cars off the road can fill in a SORN/V14 form, returning it with any previously held tax discs.
