Courts too lenient with uninsured drivers
AA Insurance has warned that uninsured drivers are being let off too lightly by the courts, even though they may be putting people at serious risk.
According to the motoring organisation, honest drivers are being let down because uninsured motorists are being given fines and sanctions that fail to reflect the seriousness of the offences they have committed.
Driving without insurance against third party risk is an offence which carries a fixed penalty of £200 and six penalty points.
The police will often prosecute uninsured drivers but the AA believes the fines imposed by the courts fail to adequately discourage repeat offences.
Uninsured drivers are estimated to cost other motorists around £380 million a year, including bumping up the cost of motor insurance by around £30 for honest drivers.
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance said: “I believe uninsured drivers should pay the equivalent of the unpaid insurance premium, which can easily be calculated, in addition to a fine.
“What’s more, the fine should be sufficiently great to make them think twice before offending.”
In related news, an investigation by Money Mail has revealed that drivers are having their insurance claims rejected because insurance companies are failing to carry out simple checks on drivers’ past claims.
This means that drivers who fail to mention a minor accident, which they may have forgotten about, could have a subsequent claim rejected.
Insurance companies are able to check customer details with the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (Cue), but instead of doing so when a customer applies for cover, checks are only being made following a claim on the policy.
However, according to the Association of British Insurers, Cue was established to help prevent fraud and there is no requirement for insurers to check details when a customer takes out a policy.
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