AA calls for tougher fines as millionth uninsured car seized

AA Insurance has welcomed the seizure of the millionth uninsured vehicle, but warns the battle against uninsured drivers is far from won.

West Midlands police seized the millionth insured vehicle today, which the AA said underscores the progress being made by the police and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) in the fight against uninsured drivers.

However, the insurance broker pointed out that more needed to be done and asserted that fines for uninsured drivers are too lenient.

AA Insurance director Simon Douglas said: “Honest young drivers may have to pay £3,000 or more for their first car insurance policy, a figure that has been pushed up by uninsured drivers, yet the average fine for driving without cover is only about £200. Many go on to reoffend.”

He added: “A million cars seized is great news, yet there are still an estimated 1.2 million vehicles on Britain’s roads, being driven without cover – that’s about one out of every 25.

“The MIB, which provides compensation to victims involved in collisions with uninsured drivers and drivers who fail to stop, is doing great work with the police and community leaders to get through to persistent offenders. But we are still a long way from cleaning up Britain’s roads.”

The AA said that since 2005, when police were given powers to stop vehicles identified as being driven without insurance, an average of 500 vehicles have been seized each day. Of those, an estimated 30% are crushed.

West Midlands Police alone is seizing, on average, one uninsured vehicle per hour.

“In uninsured driver hot-spots such as parts of Birmingham, innocent motorist are eight times more likely than average* to be hit by an uninsured vehicle,” Douglas said.

He added: “Every year, uninsured drivers kill 160 and injure 23,000 innocent people. What’s more, the cost of the work carried out by the MIB adds around £33 to every honestly bought car insurance policy. It is not a victimless crime.”