243,000 drivers aged 17-20 are driving on UK roads without insurance
This shocking figure released by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, the body representing insurance companies, equates to roughly 1 in 5 drivers aged under 21 driving round without insurance, compared with only 1 in 20 drivers in other age groups.
The figures, uncovered by the BBC’s Newsbeat program, reveal a worryingly high number of younger drivers are taking to the roads with no cover, which as well as being illegal could also turn out to be costly if they are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident.
Police forces across the country have been leading efforts to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the roads by making use of advanced technologies such as cameras equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology. These cameras, which are usually mounted in patrol cars, have the ability to scan several hundred car number plates in only a few minutes.
The cameras are linked to a central database which can be used to automatically check whether a particular vehicle has a current MoT certificate, a valid tax disc and even if the registered driver of that vehicle has insurance. If the vehicle is flagged as uninsured by the database, officers can stop the vehicle, question its driver and if they are not satisfied with the explanation given, the driver may be arrested. This might lead to a fine or points on your licence. Police can also scrap uninsured vehicles.
Uninsured driver accident compensation claims
For many people, being involved in an accident with an uninsured or untraceable driver might seem like a nightmare scenario. With Camps Solicitors it doesn’t have to be that way. Our accident management services mean you won’t have to claim the cost of repairs on your own insurance. You won’t have any excess to pay, and we will make sure your no-claims bonus is not affected by your accident.
As well as saving you money that you might otherwise have had to pay out to your insurers after an accident that was not your fault, Camps will take care of the recovery, inspection and repair of your vehicle. We can even sort out a like-for-like replacement hire vehicle for you to use in the interim, so you aren’t left without some way to get around after your accident.
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Speak to one of our claims advisors about your claim.
When you’re 17 years old and told you can legally start to learn to drive every teenager has that image in his or her mind of freedom, independence and adventure. What they fail to realise is that driving is something that you have to carefully prepare for, from driving lessons through to paying for all the necessary taxes for the road. The 17-21 male insurance bracket is the worst for car insurance it’s no surprise they don’t have insurance because they can’t pay for it. But there’s a reason for that and that’s seventeen to twenty one year olds are the most irresponsible drivers. If they cannot pay for insurance then its wrong for them to go out onto the roads. Trying to find car insurance for young drivers can be difficult, but as the no claims bonus builds then the insurance prices will lower and when a young driver is old enough to be out of the 17-21 age bracket then insurance can only go one way, down.
Thanks for your comments Chris.
Chris, “If they cannot pay for insurance then its wrong for them to go out onto the roads. Trying to find car insurance for young drivers can be difficult, but as the no claims bonus builds then the insurance prices will lower and when a young driver is old enough to be out of the 17-21 age bracket then insurance can only go one way, down.”
Maybe you didn’t know, but if you don’t drive, you don’t get no-claims bonus. I haven’t driven in three years because of the extortionate prices that insurance companies are allowed to get away with. Average quotes for me (22 years old) are still over £1000. I could just accept that this is how it is, but it wouldn’t make it right. Especially whilst the banks behind insurance companies are handing out bonus’ worth millions after causing the financial crisis. Also, you only have to look abroad to see how disproportionate the cost of insurance is here in the UK.