Driving with no insurance — a one way ticket to prison
No insurance
Driving with no insurance is a criminal offence in the UK. Anyone driving a vehicle in a public place in the UK must have an insurance policy in place which at least covers third party damages should you be involved in a traffic accident.
Driving with no insurance can be punished by a means tested fine of up to £5000 and may also result in an instant driving ban or a licence being endorsed with at least 6 points, this is decided at the court’s discretion. Vehicles being driven with no insurance can also be seized by the police and crushed.
Driving with no insurance is what is known as an ‘absolute offence’, meaning that there are no defences or excuses – the car is either insured or it isn’t. This means that vehicle owners can be prosecuted even if their policy is cancelled without them knowing or they lend their car to someone who lies about having adequate insurance.
Police claim that there is a close link between drivers with no insurance and other motoring offences, statistics show that uninsured vehicles are considerably more likely to be unsafe, dangerously driven or driven by people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The main reason that driving with no insurance is treated as such a serious offence, however, is the massive inconvenience it will cause to anyone involved in an accident.
Hit by a driver with no insurance
If you are hit by a driver who has no insurance getting your vehicle fixed or claiming compensation could be difficult, to give the best possible chance you need to get as much information as possible, including:
- The make, model and registration of the vehicle with no insurance
- The drivers name and address
- Details of all the damage
- Details of the scene; whether road conditions were a contributing factor, where the cars ended up etc.
- Contact details for any witnesses
If you have fully comprehensive car insurance your repairs will be covered, if you only have third party cover the insurance won’t pay for any damage to your car. You may able to seek compensation by taking the driver with no insurance to small claims court, however, there is no guarantee they will be able to pay anything.