New Laws On Uninsured Vehicles Update

New Laws On Uninsured Vehicles Update

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The Blake Lapthorn Motoring Offences team reminds motorists that a new system cracking down on uninsured drivers has moved a step closer to implementation. At present, uninsured and untraced drivers are estimated to kill 160 people and injure 23,000 each year and all other motorists pay an average of 30 extra each year within their premiums to cover crashes involving such drivers. As we reported in our previous update, the Continuous Insurance Enforcement regulations will toughen the rules on insurance and make it an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, as opposed to just driving without insurance. Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, has now laid the final regulations for these changes in Parliament.

Under these new regulations, details of insured vehicles will be entered on the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) database, which will then be compared with the DVLA's database to identify those that are registered but are not insured. The MIB will contact the registered keepers warning them to insure the vehicle within a set time. The first of these letters are expected to be sent at the end of June 2011, following an awareness campaign. If the owner does not comply within the timeframe, their details will be sent to the DVLA, which can issue a fine of 100. The latest regulations laid in Parliament mean that if the vehicle still remains uninsured it could be clamped, seized and destroyed (even if this fine has been paid). The vehicle will only be released when evidence can be provided to show that it is now insured and the person proposing to drive it away is insured to do so.

As the Blake Lapthorn Motoring Offences team explained in its previous article, if there is an innocent explanation for a vehicle not being insured (such as it has been stolen, scrapped or exported) then the registered keeper is obliged to notify the DVLA. Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice will still not be required to be insured.

Most recent estimations state that approximately 1.4 million motorists in Great Britain drive uninsured with 242,000 convictions for this offence being made every year. It should be remembered that the maximum penalty for driving without insurance is a fine of 5,000 and 6-8 penalty points. This number of points would bring a driver worryingly close to the 'fatal' 12 points, which may lead to a ban, leaving difficulties with everyday work and family life, along with a sharp increase on future insurance premiums. Consequently, it is always important to seek specialist legal advice as early as possible. The Blake Lapthorn Motoring Offences team has vast experience in advising on all aspects of driving offences, including insurance issues and clients who find themselves with 12 points on their licence.


About the Author:
If you would like any further information or advice on any of these issues, please contact the Philip Somarakis, a member of the motoring offences solicitors team at Blake Lapthorn.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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