You sure? E Sure?
Many of the blogs on the sidebar have entered into the realms of insurance. Talking specifically, car insurance, and people with the distinct lack of it. I'm not sure of the official figure of the number of uninsured drivers on our roads, but based on my experience I'd put my estimate at 1 in 15 drivers on the roads is uninsured. As a driver who pays their money every year, this is one of the things that really irritates me.Mostly its due to the way its dealt with by the courts. A few points on the licence (presuming they have one of course) and a fine thats about a tenth of the price it would have cost them to insure their car anyway. I personally feel that there should be a fine on top, equal to a reasonable quote from a car insurance company, paid into a government fund that can then be used to pay out to people hit by uninsured drivers. Thats far too sensible to happen though.
This is why I love the new legislation allowing us to seize unisured vehicles. If I catch you now, you get the court appearence for the pathetic fine as above, but you also lose your vehicle, with a price of around £100 to get it back, plus £20 or so daily. If you don't claim it after seven days, its crushed. Oh, and heres the best bit - YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK WITHOUT INSURING IT.
Finally, some legislation with some sense behind it.
So look out. If you are driving without insurance, I'll find you and take your car. No, I won't give you a lift to the station. No, I won't give you a lift home. Not only do I not care that you live 20 miles away, I see this as a bonus. Yes ok, I'll give you directions to the station. They won't be accurate though. :)
posted by A non mouse
10 Comments:
At long bloody last, a measure to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on the roads.
The article here makes a very valid point: I as a 35 year old driver with over a decade of no claims bonus still must pay over 500 pounds per year to insure a car.
On the other hand, were I not to bother, I'd not stand all that much chance of getting caught and even if I did, the fines wouldn't come to anywhere near the annual cost of insurance, tax and MOT work onthe vehicle.
Criminals aren't all that stupid, and if they've already got a criminal record then a few minor motoring offences aren't going to hurt; not bothering with insurance is therefore a logical cost-saving measure for them (especially with an old, MOT-fail car too).
This change was long overdue.
A non Mouse: Whats the new legislation? I know there was the old section 59 which was same as section5 public order but with use of a vehicle and gave a power of seizure...
Heres the relevant link:
Its thanks again to the Serious Organised Crime blah, and it tags a nice bit on after the old section 165 now allowing us to seize vehicle on belief of no insurance, road tax, or driving licence.
Forgive my ignorance but is this not a local policy thing. Don't get me wrong I agree wholeheartedly with the idea. In my last job one of my colleagues actually stopped insuring his car for this very reason He decided that is was actually worth running the risk of getting caught rather than paying his insurance. As you know all of us that do, pay into an 'Onbudsman' which pays out to people that are victim of uninsured drivers. This bumps our premiums up. Bring on the crushing, it's the only way to actually have an effect as the people that drive without the docs will do it again and again.
i) No insurance is 6-8 points so a second offence is a six month totting ban. We ban deliberate cses first time in.
ii) Anyone who kids himself that no insurance is cheaper is a prat, because although the MIB pays out uninsured losses they then pursue the perp through the civil courts. Okay, the UB40s are relatively immune, but anyone with a job or a house is at risk of a nasty judgement.
While it is cheaper to have no insurance that will be the preferred option of scallies. Why not have a disc same as the Road Tax that has to be displayed on the windscreen. Then employ people to walk the streets checking vehicles for tax & insurance, any not displaying would be towed away. This would be a self financing operation
My car is insured for me and my wife only to drive. How would a disc help if it is lent to someone else?
The Pnc allready hold insurance details of nealry 90% of all insurance dealers and can be checked on the roadside by us.
No need for some silly disc in the window.
With the HO/RT1 system in place people do not HAVE to carry there documents with them at all times.
Maybe with this new ID card (Laughs) we can store your motortax and insurance details on it (if you have them)
and we can have roadside scanners to carry in our allready over bulked belt kit to check you on the road..
(oh dear.)
You do not need insurance to leave a car parked on the road, only to drive it. So the disc wouldn't let you tow them away
You don't need to employ anyone to walk the streets, just take the parking wardens back into something approaching public control, and give them the job. AFter sacking the hitler tendency, obviously.
The insurance disk idea DOES work, they use it in a number of European countries, it's a simple and cost effective method. OK, it can be fooled, but only for a while. In New Zealand they used to change the colour of the registration plate every year, and you had to have insurance to get the new one made. That worked too.IN Germany you needed a thing atached to your plate. All simple stuff.
You really don't need chips and pins and cards and satellites. You need a few more Police on the roads and pavements and a lot fewer filling in forms in their offices.
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