Cars To Be Crushed If They Are Uninsured

A clampdown on uninsured drivers who don’t have valid insurance could help to cut premiums for motorists. Around two million uninsured drivers will feel the crackdown and will face having their vehicles seized and crushed.

Crush down the cost of your premiums:

If you're caught red handed without car insurance you're forced to hand your keys to the police at the roadside. There are no exceptions - it doesn't matter if it's just a forgetful mistake or conscious driving without insurance.

A shocking 400 uninsured vehicles are confiscated every day, where they are impounded until a fee is paid. Motorists have just 14 days to produce a valid insurance policy to the police and collect their vehicle before it is crushed. But before motorists can collect their vehicle, they have to pay the cost of kerbside recover- which can be around £105.

If motorists are caught without insurance they will also have to pay the cost of secure storage, which could easily amount to £15 a day - so if motorists leave collecting their car to the 14th day, they could be in for a bill for £315.

Drivers who do not bother insuring their cars are known to be involved in more than 23,000 deaths and injuries on the roads every year, adding £30 to the average premium for other road users.

The government are really cracking down on motorists who are caught driving without valid insurance, once caught motorists will receive a warning letter followed by a £100 fine for non-compliance. If a vehicle remains uninsured, it will be seized and destroyed.

Dangerous Drivers:

The UK road safety minister, said: "The selfish minority of drivers who refuse to insure their cars push up premiums for other motorists and kill or injure thousands of people each year.”

Uninsured drivers who could not be traced were responsible for crashes that killed 160 people and injured 23,000 a year. Accidents involving uninsured drivers cost £500m a year, adding £30 to average motor premiums. If the number of uninsured drivers was cut by a third it would save insurers £764m over five years which could then be used to keep premiums down.

"Increased police powers already mean more than 400 uninsured vehicles are seized every day, but these tough new measures will leave uninsured drivers with nowhere to hide."

If an uninsured vehicle collides into your car, it's still recorded as a "fault claim" on your policy. This means you'll have to pay the excess when your car is repaired and unless you've got Claims Protection on your policy; your no-claims bonus will take a knocking. Over a two-year period, the reduction in your no claims bonus could easily cost £275 in higher premiums – and all because of uninsured drivers.

The crackdown is aimed at the estimated 6.5% of drivers who do not insure their vehicles, in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents caused by uninsured drivers and lower other driver’s premiums. The Association of British Insurers has criticised the leniency of punishment handed out by the courts to motorists who are found without insurance – they want tougher penalties. Offenders are typically fined just £150-£200, with time to pay and the amount being much less than the average car insurance premium. Surely this cannot be true justice?