Just £200: that’s the average fine meted out by courts in England and Wales to people caught driving without insurance, according to new figures released in a House of Commons written statement.
The AA says that honest motorists will rightly be outraged by the statistics, which were released by the Justice Minister, Crispin Blunt MP following a parliamentary question by Karl McCartney MP (Con, Lincoln).
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, points out that uninsured drivers kill 160 and injure 23,000 innocent victims every year. He adds that the majority of those guilty of driving without insurance are young men who are five times more likely to have other motoring offences to their name (such as dangerous driving, driving without tax, MoT or driving license), failing to comply with traffic regulations and to have engaged in other criminal activity.
“I certainly think that the UK is far too soft on hard-core uninsured drivers and most people will consider a fine of £200 is an insult,” he says.
“Although there is a fixed penalty of £200 and six penalty points for driving without insurance, the police will prosecute for serious offences– yet the fines imposed by the courts are often less than that. It is hardly a disincentive, given that typical cost of insurance for someone aged between 17 and 22 is around £2,500.”
Mr Douglas accepts that in most cases the defendant’s car will be confiscated and disposed of by police, the value of which can be added to the cost of the fine. Last year, police crushed over 100,000 uninsured vehicles.
“Most of these were old and with little value; as well as being poorly maintained or even downright dangerous,” he says
Mr Douglas notes that penalties are means-tested which is why the maximum fine available, £5,000, is rarely, if ever, imposed.
“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.
“This could be coupled with community service orders and for repeat offenders, possibly custodial sentences.”
He points out that the chances of being caught are high, given that the vast majority of traffic police cars are equipped with automatic number plate recognition technology which instantly identifies uninsured vehicles.
“We’re failing honest motorists by such lenient fines. In my view, it’s vital to get the message over to this motoring underclass and, importantly, to their friends and families, that driving without insurance is socially unacceptable,” Mr Douglas says. “People need to be stopped before they get behind the wheel of an uninsured car and go on to risk killing or injuring others.”
During 2010, courts in England and Wales issued 105,082 fines averaging £200 (in addition to fixed penalty notices). Topping the league of uninsured driver fines is the Metropolitan Police area, whose courts issued 21,449 fines averaging £290 during 2010. The highest fines were issued in the City of London, averaging £390.
At the opposite end of the scale, average fines of just £150 were issued in Durham, to 1,040 offenders.
It is estimated that 1 out of every 25 motorists drives without insurance in the UK, one of the poorest records in Europe. It compares with an estimated 1 out of every 500 in Germany.
Top and bottom areas for number and value of fines
England & Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland figures not available)
# Highest average fine
At £150, the lowest average fine was in Durham which issued 1,040 fines
Source : The AA
Ian Crowder, 01256 492 844 or ian.crowder@theAA.com
