Uninsured drivers are more likely to get behind the wheel while over the drink-driving limit than those with insurance, revealed research from the ABI.
Its research revealed that uninsured drivers are:
· Ten times more likely to have been convicted of drink-driving,
· Six times more likely to have been convicted of driving a non-roadworthy vehicle, and
· Three times more likely to have been convicted of driving without due care and attention.
ABI director general Mary Francis said: “These are worrying findings. They reinforce our call for a tough crackdown on people who drive without insurance.
“There really is no excuse and this is not a case of financial exclusion. Motor insurance is competitively priced and widely available.
“We need to ensure that anyone who drives understands that they have the means of inflicting serious injury, and that insurance is there to protect other people as well as themselves.”
The ABI said it estimated that one in 20 motorists in the UK are driving without insurance at any one time. Accidents involving uninsured drivers cost up to £500m a year.
The survey questioned nearly 3,000 UK motorists, including some who have been or currently were driving without insurance.
Key findings were:
· 13% of all drivers admit that they have driven at some time without insurance.
· 83% of motorists view uninsured driving as a serious offence.
· Over a quarter (28%) of young drivers (aged 18 to 29) have at some time driven uninsured.
· The chances of being caught are seen as remote. 89% think there is more chance of being caught speeding.
· Insured drivers support tougher penalties. Confiscation of the offender's vehicle, a prison sentence, and back-payment of insurance costs are all widely supported deterrents.
