All Sections

1 in 200 drivers caught without insurance

You’d have to have a brain running on 2 cylinders to consider driving without insurance, but that hasn’t stopped 1 in 200 drivers in the UK from racking up points by doing just that.

226,803 drivers have been caught driving without insurance and have been given points for doing so, according to a freedom of information request made by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), 194,997 of which had a full license and 31,806 had a provisional.

The data revealed one in every 100 people aged between 17 and 24 with a full driver’s licence have points to their name for driving uninsured, and that men in this age group were four times more likely to have committed the crime than women.

Drivers aged 25 to 35 were the most likely to drive uninsured, with a total of 81,003 drivers in the UK packing points. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, drivers aged 65 or over were the least likely to have any, with a mere 3,867 people (0.06 per cent) of the total number of drivers who’d been caught representing that age bracket.

“These findings are shocking,” IAM chief executive Simon Best explained. “Those 200,000 individuals who drive whilst uninsured place the burden back on those who abide by the law through higher premiums and potentially the cost of vehicle repair.”

“The most concerning fact is that this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as these numbers only represent those who have been caught and penalised. Insurance fraud and uninsured driving are also growing problems that need to be tackled through a coordinated approach from enforcement authorities. It is not acceptable that drivers pay up to £70 in higher premiums to compensate for those who ignore the law,” he added.

The research also outlined the financial cost driving uninsured can have on a young person. According to MoneySupermarket, an 18-year-old with six points and a fine for driving uninsured would see his premium increase from £950 to £2,195, based on using a 2009 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2L parked in the area of Surrey (KT17).

Even someone aged 60 would see around a 100 per cent increase in premium costs from £146.48 to £315.71 ─ assuming he has the benefit of a 5-year no-claims-discount.

“It’s astonishing how many drivers are still prepared to hit the road without insurance,” car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket Peter Harrison said. “Not only is it illegal but you could face thousands of pounds in liability, a conviction, six points on your licence and a hefty fine should you be caught out or be involved in a crash.”

Image: Flickr 

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *