Some straight talking from the Editor;
What can we do about uninsured driving? As an estimated one million drivers have no cover, or incorrect insurance – no business use cover for example when delivering items in their own car or van, legal drivers are put at risk by those who would flee the scene of a crash rather than face Court proceedings.
It is a growing problem as car insurance costs rise to over £1000 a year in major cities, even for those with no points, no claims and manufacturer security. But there is a wider issue here; a sub-culture of separation from the UK State and people choosing to reject many of its laws and regulations. These are parallel societies in a nutshell, where Sharia law, or decisions by “community leaders” take precedence over UK laws. Gangs of men fighting with weapons is becoming a more common sight in Britain as various cultures settle their debts, marital issues or housing disputes by other means. The evidence is there, you just have to look for it, with the MSM describing cases as isolated incidents.
But how many isolated incidents does it take to make up a parallel society? Twenty, a hundred?
This is at the heart of why measures by the MIB will not achieve any aims like zero uninsured drivers. The same men settling their differences in street brawls using machetes are hardly likely to worry about a £1000 fine for no insurance are they? In short, they do not accept the UK Police or the State itself, has any authority over them.
There is also the issue of poor Policing of the roads, which is largely being left to cameras, not human officers. It is so easy to use a cloned or modified number plate, which means cameras see no offence, the car is legal as far as CCTV goes. That renders much of the data surrounding uninsured driving at best guesswork, at worst a huge under-estimate of the scale of the problem.
ENFORCEMENT ACTION: ASSETS SEIZURE, BENEFITS SANCTIONS
Here’s the word from the MIB;
One of MIB’s key initiatives to tackle the problem is lobbying for an increase in the current £300 for driving uninsured. It wants the fine to be double the average premium, which would currently see the fine quadruple to £1,200. A new YouGov survey shows the public back the plan:
- 78% of British adults don’t think the current £300 fine for driving an uninsured vehicle is enough to deter people
- 75% of British adults support increasing the fine for driving without insurance to £1,200
Sounds good but how do you enforce fines against those who claim to have no income, except benefits? The system currently allows the offender to pay off fines at a few pounds a week, so even a fine of £1000 is no deterrent. IE thinks the answer is assets seizure, especially where another vehicle or person is involved. They deserve compensation and so the uninsured must face consequences like losing tools, electronic devices, furniture, watches and jewellery etc. That will concentrate minds much more than any fine.
Secondly, those on benefits need to have 20% of their income stopped for a year. Driving whilst banned? Lose 40% of your benefits. There has to be a reckoning of some sort, or people will keep driving without insurance or licence, as a lifestyle choice.
Third point, Courts are often accepting sob stories about the impact of a driving ban, such as not being able to coach young people. IE says tough, you should face a minimum ban of 6 months for uninsured driving. Taxi work, parcel delivery, unsocial hours jobs etc should not be allowed as an excuse to dodge a ban.
FUTURE STRATEGIES
OK, what else have the MIB got?
Alongside the bold ambition, there are three other core elements of MIB’s new strategy.
- We will keep on improving our claims services to help people rebuild their lives.
- We commit to improving data, making sure it drives the good we do.
- We will continue to support the industry on key challenges, with an immediate focus on getting ahead of the connected and self-driving revolution to protect members.
“Accelerating to Zero is an ambitious plan, but we believe that in five years’ time we will be able to look back and be proud that we’re much closer to ending uninsured driving,” says Angus. “However, we won’t be able to do it alone. We’ll need collaboration, support and challenge from insurers and key partners, creating stronger-than-ever partnerships to remove the scourge of uninsured driving together.”
What a load of waffle. What is the point of improving data unless you are going to do something with that data, like make sure those convicted of driving without insurance never get car finance, or a Motability vehicle, for the next 10 years?
Where is the MIB campaign to make offenders pay compensation to those injured in road accidents directly caused by their actions? This is the type of common sense justice that most people would support, but there is a distinct lack of willpower across the insurance industry to call out reckless drivers – and riders – and make them pay a percentage of their assets and income as part of the punishment.
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