Direct Line calls for increase in uninsured driver penalties

Direct Line is calling for an urgent review of penalties for uninsured drivers with figures revealing average fines have fallen from £224 to £185 over the last decade. This is despite the £500 million financial burden of uninsured driving adding around £30 to insured drivers' premiums.

With accidents involving uninsured drivers killing around 200 road users each year, the average fine of £185 stands in stark contrast to the maximum penalties for a range of lesser misdemeanours such as;

Failure to pay your TV licence fee: £1,000
Smoking in a smoke-free place: £200
Conviction for graffiti: £5,000
Fare evasion on London buses: £1,000
Overfilling your bin: £110

Of the 1.5 million uninsured drivers on our roads, only 260,000 are convicted each year. Despite the magnitude of the problem, courts are doing little to discourage this illegal and dangerous practice by imposing fines which are often less than half a third party, fire and theft premium.

Significantly, drivers in higher risk demographic groups are more likely to be uninsured with almost a fifth under the age of 20. Uninsured drivers are 10 times more likely to have a drink driving conviction, six times more likely to be driving an unsafe vehicle and four times more likely to have a driving without due care and attention conviction.

As well as the emotional damage caused to the family and friends of those affected by road accidents, each road fatality costs society around £1.2 million pounds and serious accidents £140,000. By not paying for an insurance policy, uninsured drivers are banking on law abiding motorists and the government to pay for the damage they cause.

Maggie Game, Head of Car Insurance at Direct Line, says, "With uninsured drivers costing British society around £500 million each year, the severity of penalties must act as a deterrent to those considering driving without insurance."

"Uninsured drivers cause accidents which kill around 200 people each year and seriously injure hundreds more. The fact that the average penalty for driving uninsured is less than a quarter of the potential fine for not owning a TV licence is alarming."

"As the credit crunch tightens household budgets, the last thing drivers need is the prospect of losing their No Claims Discount and a whopping excess if they are hit by an uninsured driver."

"Direct Line is one of the few insurers to offer as standard a nil excess and maintain its customer's No Claims Discount if they are hit by an uninsured driver. With uninsured drivers already adding around £30 to everyone's insurance premium, drivers shouldn't have to pay even more if they are hit by an uninsured driver."

The average fine imposed at magistrates courts for uninsured driving was £185 in 2006 (the most recent year for which figures are available). This compares with £224 in 1997.

263,000 uninsured drivers were convicted by magistrates courts in 2006. This compares with 255,000 in 1997.

Almost a fifth of uninsured drivers are under 20 years old.

It is estimated that one-in-twenty drivers are uninsured. This represents around 1.5 million motorists.