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The problem of the uninsured driver is
receding due to stricter policing and better technology - 20th
January 2008
The number of
uninsured drivers on the UK's roads is being reduced due to
stricter policing helped by new laws and advances in technology.
Police are cross checking registration
plates on the motor insurance database and along with automatic
number plate recognition cameras at the roadside are now
identifying more uninsured vehicles which they then have the
power to seize.
The new laws also mean that vehicle owners
are notified when they have no insurance, and must either take
out insurance cover on the vehicle or prove that they are not
using it, failure to respond could lead to prosecution.
Graeme Trudgill of
the British Insurance Brokers'
Association (BIBA) said: "In 2007, approximately 150,000
were seized by the police and in 2006 this number was 78,000. So
it's practically doubled in the last year and we're expecting it
to be much higher again this year".
BIBA report that the number of uninsured
drivers has fallen by more than ten percent in the last two
years.
It is estimated by
the Motor Insurers' Bureau
that uninsured drivers cost motorists around an extra £30 a year
in insurance premiums or over £500 million in total.
There are around 160 deaths caused each year
in
road accidents involving uninsured drivers and approximately
a further 23,000 injured.
Uninsured drivers are more likely to be
involved in
hit and run incidents than insured drivers, often resulting
with the insured driver making a
car accident claim
on their insurance affecting their no claims discount, even
though the uninsured vehicle may have been to blame.
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