UK Ramping Up Efforts To Deal With Uninsured Motorists
The United Kingdom may be across the pond from the United States but sadly it has the same exact problem when it comes to drivers who break the law and go uninsured. A new study has found that approximately 1.4 million out of 34 million vehicles in the UK are uninsured right now.
Some drivers have vehicles that they do not use such as those that belong to young people who will be living at school on campus. Now there is a law that states that if you will not be driving your car that you will need to inform your car insurance company.
The problem can become a hazardous one due to the fact that more than 160 people lose their lives because of uninsured drivers and another 23,000 end up injured. People who do not comply with the law will receive a written warning through the mail. On the second offense, the driver will receive a 100 pound fine that they will pay. If the driver commits any subsequent offenses then they can receive up to a 1,000 pound fine and have their car seized or clamped.
The United States has similar monetary penalties for drivers who are not insured and some cities have laws which allow uninsured cars to be towed at the same time that the driver is caught while being uninsured.
In the United States, many drivers feel as though this infringes on their rights because their car is their personal property and they often feel that being uninsured should be a right. Most states have mandated coverage but the fines are minimal so going uninsured is actually saving them money even if they do happen to get caught by police officers during a traffic stop.
The fines in the UK are more severe so that they can act as a deterrent to the crime. There is a motor insurance database online that drivers can use to make sure that their insurance information is up to date. The database is updated every single day so it can make sure that the likelihood of an innocent driver gets fined or punished is very slim.
One thing drivers need to think about is how their actions could impact someone else. If an uninsured driver gets involved in a car accident then they might make it so that the other driver cannot repair their vehicle.
In today’s day and age, most drivers use their vehicles to get to work so not having an operational vehicle to get to work could make a person lose their job and livelihood. The much stricter law could be used in the United States because many drivers do not inform their insurance companies if they are not driving their vehicle.
