Imminent government legislation will make it illegal to keep an uninsured vehicle, it has been confirmed.
Road safety minister Mike Penning said the new powers, set to come into force in the spring, would make it illegal to keep an uninsured vehicle rather than just drive one.
The DVLA will work with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to help track down uninsured vehicles, sending letters to owners of cars they believe to be uninsured and fining them £100 if they fail to act. If the vehicle remains uninsured – whether the fine is paid or not – then it could be seized and destroyed.
It is estimated that around £30 of every annual insurance premium is paid towards covering crashes that involve uninsured and untraced drivers, people who are also believed to be involved in accidents that kill 160 people and injure 23,000 each year.
Penning said: “Uninsured drivers push up premiums for other motorists and often drive with no regard for other road users, so it is vital that we do everything we can to keep them off the roads.
“More than 400 uninsured vehicles are already being seized by the police every day, but it is simply not possible to catch every uninsured driver in this way. That is why we are bringing in these new powers, which will help us to take targeted action while freeing up police time to deal with the hard core of offenders.”
Vehicles registered with the DVLA as SORN are not required to be insured.
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