New Measures Targeting Uninsured Drivers

New Measures Targeting Uninsured DriversAuthor: Jayne HenryOn 16th September 2009 the Road Safety Minister, Paul Clark, confirmed that new plans were in the works that would attempt to lessen the number of uninsured drivers on the road.   To do this, it will become illegal, not only to drive an uninsured vehicle on public roads but to actually possess one in the first place.   Statutory Off Road Notices (SORNs) can still be requested, allowing people to declare that they will not be insuring their vehicle but will not be taking it on the road either, but vehicles possessing neither a SORN nor insurance will result in the owner receiving a notice to acquire one or the other.

If they don’t do this, they’ll be fined 100, and if they still don’t get insurance or a SORN, their vehicle can be seized and destroyed.   The reasoning behind this is that whilst an uninsured driver who is not on the road is not a danger, it is almost pure chance. Police teams on the look out for uninsured drivers can’t be everywhere and it can only take one trip to result in an accident.   These plans take the fight in to people’s homes so to speak, rather than relying on the police to catch them if they do start driving. Previously, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, or ANPR, was used to monitor traffic. The recorded license plates were then compared to a database of insured and uninsured vehicles, and those without insurance were contacted and dealt with.

If you had an uninsured vehicle but didn’t drive it, you were in the clear.

Pages: [1] 2