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Apparently HMG wants to tap into the Motor Insurers' Database and link it with the DVLA's own records to enable the creation of an automated fine issuing system similar to that which now issues penalties for untaxed vehicles. They reckon 'legit' drivers pay around £30 extra on their policies to cover the cost of those who just don't bother. Seems like a good, simple, idea to me but will it work in practice and will our insurance costs come down as a result?
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The Police in Northampton had a crack down on uninsured drivers the other week, Everybody they caught had a choice of either giving up there car to be crushed that day or paying the release fee & providing proof of insurance, mot, tax etc before they got the car back.
A lot of people had there cars crushed that day & it serves them right too!
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"will our insurance costs come down as a result?"
Hmm - that's a tough one...
Who are they going to fine, though? It's a bit difficult to tax your car if it ain't insured!
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"It's a bit difficult to tax your car if it ain't insured!"
I believe the method is: Get insurance, receive temporary cover note, use this to tax car, cancel insurance and don't pay. Car now taxed and uninsured.
Crushing the cars sounds good - gets the driver off the road, if only for a short while. Don't know where it comes under common law, Magna Charta and all that - no one to be separated from property without the courts' involvement.
V
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As I recall no insurance no tax.no MOT no insurance or tax.problem lies in no enforcement.I think need for more police is needed.without more will get away with it.right or wrong?
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Was mech1
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OK so what about if insurers had to issue 'tax disc like' certificates which were harder to forge, had to be displayed in the car at all times and had to be returned to the issuing company before any cancellation refund was paid. It wouldn't solve the problem of those who ride around in stolen cars but would make it much harder for those (the vast majority probably) who choose to evade insurance because it's so easy to do so.
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volvoman, the "insurance disc" has been a legal requirement in Ireland for over a decade. Seems to work quite well.
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Interesting NW - I know nothing we do about such problems is going to prevent all abuse of the system but if we could prevent those on the periphery of criminality from abusing the system there'd be more resources to tackle the harder core.
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volvomna, exactly -- the disc system makes it possible for uninsured cars to be detected quite easily when parked, unless the disc is forged, which is likely to be a route only for the hardcore baddies
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If we had a reasonable number of traffic police then the illegal drivers wouldn't be able to get away with it so much. The fines will just get sent to the registered keeper so the toe rags won't bother to change the details when buying a car as they already do so we'll have to rely on them being stopped by policemen. The fines handed out by courts for no insurance in no way reflect the actual cost for that actual person to have had insurance. I think they should work out what they should have paid and double it so they realise it is no longer an easier way out.
Insurance costs may in fact rise as higher risk drivers will now be fully insured whereas before things may not have been claimed for when an unknown person did it compared to an actual insured driver (assuming they stop of course).
The supply of cheap throwaway cars is partly responsible for the rise in illegal driving as it now becomes a simple economic decision. If you are stopped driving illegally, let your car get crushed, give a false name and address and just go buy another car. Much cheaper than paying several hundred/thousand a year in insurance. You'd have to get stopped once a month or more even at the cheaper end of things before buying insurance becomes cost effective in that sense.
teabelly
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Such system doesn't make sense in light of current policies and law. Here's an example. Driver has DOC (Drive Other Cars) clause in his insurance policy, the third party cover extension that pretty much allows him to drive any car as long as it doesn't belong to him. So he can keep his sons car on driveway, while his kid is in university, and if the car needs to be moved to MOT station and back he can drive it there without proprietary insurance as long as the car in question has valid TAX. Also, there is no law that would prohibit someone to have a car, even if they don't have driving license. So in fact, his wife can own a car and he may chauffer her around local shops and once again, because of being covered under DOC extension, as long as the car is taxed there is no need for proprietary insurance.
Also, it's not uncommon for the driver (not owner) to have "any car" insurance, and drive entire fleet of cars owned by someone completely different. I don't think there is a law that states owner must have insurance for the car. Person that drives them must be insured, but not neccessarily bound to particular vehicle.
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What contribution to the cost of the Motor Insurers' database do they have in mind?
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If we had a reasonable number of traffic police then the illegal drivers wouldn't be able to get away with it so much. The fines will just get sent to the registered keeper so the toe rags won't bother to change the details when buying a car as they already do so we'll have to rely on them being stopped by policemen.
Which is why now the onus is on the seller to inform the DVLA of the change of owner.
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