Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Transport), said yesterday that continuous insurance enforcement (CIE) will help drive uninsured drivers off the road without a shadow of a doubt.
During his address at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s (BIBA) parliamentary reception in the House of Commons he also said that CIE is one of largest changes since legislation went on to the statute book.
Penning thanked the insurance industry for the work they had done together on continuous insurance enforcement, saying he wanted to “drive down the risk and work together”.
Penning also spoke about allowing insurers to confirm details such as a driver’s penalty point record with the DVLA to reduce fraud.
Graeme Trudgill, BIBA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: “We welcome the Minister’s comments, CIE has been a great example of how the insurance sector can work closely with Government for the benefit of motorists, we will be working hard over the next few months to ensure insurance brokers are ready for the launch of CIE and doing everything we can to help motorists comply.”
CIE is the new offence of being the keeper of an uninsured vehicle where a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) has not been made. It will systematically compare records between the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and the DVLA’s registered vehicle database to identify keepers of potentially uninsured vehicles. This will clearly identity the 1.4 million vehicle keepers who do not have a valid insurance policy on the MID.
Following an initial warning letter, a series of escalating penalties will apply starting at a £100 fixed penalty through vehicle clamping, seizure and destruction of the vehicle, as well as court prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
Source : BIBA Press Release
