Post Office Car Insurance have recently undertaken research that reveals many drivers in the UK are unaware of the current regulations that came into force in June 2011 whereby a car has to be insured even if it is not going to be driven unless it is registered as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).
If the car is not SORN and has no insurance you could be breaking the law.
The changes were made because of the number of uninsured drivers following the introduction of the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE).
However, twelve months later, despite a great deal of effort to increase awareness of the above, in excess of 20% of car owners are not aware. You should note that you are at risk of a large fine if you do not comply.
Gerry Barrett who is the Head of Insurance at the Post Office, stated: “Motorists can face a fixed penalty of £100 if a vehicle does not have insurance and receive a possible maximum fine of £1000, plus they could have their vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded or even destroyed.
“Motorists should ensure they are aware of the rules to avoid incurring penalties.”
It costs the car insurance industry a staggering £500 million per annum due to uninsured driving.
Whilst many drivers deliberately break the law there are some who genuinely are not aware of the legal requirement.
About 10% of the drivers who were surveyed admitted that at some point they had driven without car insurance whether it is due to forgetting to renew the policy or were between insurance companies.
Gerry Barrett added: “It’s clear many people find themselves accidentally uninsured, so we want to encourage drivers to tackle this problem by carefully checking insurance policy details and setting-up reminders to ensure they are aware when their policy is up for renewal.”
