Archive
Latest Press Releases

13^th July 2007 (Source: Quay2Media )

The ABI estimates that the total cost of uninsured motoring in the UK exceeds half a billion pounds each year.

During 2006 the Motor Insurers’ Bureau levy alone on the honest motorist to cover the cost of uninsured and untraced driving in the UK exceeded £350 million.

A total of 36,000 uninsured claims were reported to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau during 2006. This represents a 4.7% reduction in the number of uninsured and untraced driver claims on the previous year.

According to records held by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, the areas in the UK with the worst record for uninsured motoring in order of severity are:

• Manchester/West Gorton - Greater Manchester
• Bradford - West Yorkshire
• Birmingham/Newtown - West Midlands
• Birmingham/Smethwick - West Midlands
• Birmingham/Nechells Park - West Midlands
• Liverpool/Everton - Merseyside
• Birmingham/Hockley - West Midlands
• Birmingham/Handsworth - West Midlands
• Liverpool/Croxteth - Merseyside
• Manchester/Cheetham Hill - Greater Manchester

In West Gorton in Manchester you are 6 times more likely to be hit by an uninsured driver.

Based on population count you are 4 times more likely to be hit by an uninsured vehicle in the following London areas:

• London/Tottenham
• London/Peckham
• London/Seven Sisters

There are more uninsured vehicles on the roads in London than in any other part of the UK with the figure currently standing at around 450K.

In April this year the Motor Insurers’ Bureau launched the Police Helpline, which is a dedicated ‘hot line’ for the Police to call when they stop a vehicle on the suspicion of no insurance.

Some drivers may be adamant that they have insurance cover.

A quick call to the 0845 MIB Police Helpline will enable dedicated call handlers to make additional enquiries to insurers to ascertain the validity of insurance cover. The officer is called back in minutes to confirm the validity of the cover. If no cover can be confirmed the officer may decide to seize the vehicle.

The MIB Police Helpline is currently being rolled out to all Police forces in UK.

19 forces are using the Helpline and around 40% of calls to the Helpline result in a vehicle being seized.

MIB has given access to the Police Helpline to those forces with the worst record of uninsured driving as a priority.

The roll out of the MIB Police Helpline is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. Once the roll out is complete all forces in England, Wales and Scotland will be able to use the Helpline.

One phone call to the Helpline will determine the status of insurance on a vehicle.

In the past each officer had to make numerous phone calls from the roadside, which may not have got through to the right department of an insurance company.

The MIB Police Helpline is designed to take the burden of outbound calls from the Police so that dedicated call handlers can carry out checks on their behalf.

In one record week MIB received 650 calls to the Police Helpline.

The MIB Police Helpline is an important new tool in the fight against uninsured driving.

The typical profile of an uninsured driver varies but young people between the age of 17 and 21 are over represented. Prosecutions for uninsured driving would confirm this group of drivers as over represented.

During 2006 15% of uninsured drivers were aged 17 to 21 and 33% were aged 21 to 29.

48% of uninsured driving during 2006 was by drivers under the age of 30.

25% of uninsured driving was in the age range 30 to 39 and 14% was in the age range 40 to 49.

Ashton West, the Group CEO for the Motor Insurers’ Bureau says,

“Time and time again we see the consequences of uninsured driving. Innocent lives are ruined by the selfishness of drivers who think they are above the law. All the indications are that the rate of uninsured driving is beginning to fall, which is encouraging. But more can and must be done in the fight against uninsured driving.

Ashton goes on to say,

“MIB is working closely with the Police to tackle uninsured driving. Insurance is there to ensure proper compensation is available to the innocent victims of accidents. Those who think they can get away with not getting insurance are in for a big shock. The Police can seize vehicles if they have reason to believe there is no insurance and with the support of the MIB Police Helpline and additional resources committed by the insurance industry the public can be reassured that checks are in place to avoid seizing vehicles which have valid insurance.”

Last year 78,000 vehicles were seized by the Police for no insurance. This is a conservative figure as each force records statistics on vehicle seizures differently.

Meredydd Hughes, the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire and the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) Lead on Roads Policing says,

“ACPO has discovered that the number of vehicles seized during 2006/7 using Section 165 of the Vehicle Crimes Act exceeded 100,000. We know that 78,000 vehicles were seized by the Police for no insurance. 17,500 were seized for no driving licence and 6000 for no vehicle excise duty. 41 out of the 43 forces in England and Wales took part in the review and the figures do not represent seizures in Scotland.

The Chief Constable goes on to say,

“Driving without insurance is irresponsible in the extreme. Too often the Police attend traffic collisions where one of the drivers had no insurance. Evidenced shows that uninsured drivers are 10 times more likely to commit other road traffic offences. The MIB Police Helpline is making a real difference at the roadside and is a vital tool in the fight against uninsured driving.”

End

Back to latest press releases