Fines for owning an uninsured vehicle

truthfindergeneral

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...ace-new-fines-under-new-Government-curbs.html

' “This will hit innocent people,” added Gus Hosein, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and policy director at Privacy International.
“It doesn’t make sense. If a car is not being driven, why does it have to be insured? Many people in Britain don’t have access to a garage, what are they supposed to do if, for example, they are going away for a few months? '

I can answer his question. It has to be insured because each policy earns this bankrupt govt 5% insurance premium tax. What's the betting we see this tax upped to 8% in the next budget.

Why not go the whole hog and make every body have compulsory public liability insurance, compulsory house and contents insurance.... O' and don't forget to justify it by saying it will save X number of lives a year.
 

jberks

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I guess the idea is to catch the people that don't have insurance, drive occasionally and claim not to or the poor sods that can't really afford to run a car so don't renew their insurance. Its a natural result of their road tax changes really. When I was a skint student I would chance my road tax for a few months, preferring to use what funds I had for insurance. Then fill in the off road section to cover the gap and get a 6 months tax disk. Ok, not something I'm proud of but it allowed me to get to college, get my degree and become a higher rate tax payer.

This governments policy since they came into power, has always been to avoid any hard targets and go after the easy targets - persecute law abiding citizens that haven't dotted a i correctly, drifted 5mph over the speed limit or entered a box junction because it was the only way they'd ever get out, whilst letting the illegals and criminals get away with it cos they're trickier to catch and tend to know their rights.
In order to enforce it, they're going to need registered cars with names and addresses to send the fines to. So people on the edges of the law (ok I agree they should be insured) will be crushed but thats simply going to push more further outside the law.

What they're too arrogant to accept is that the the real crims that drive without insurance habitually don't register the cars to themselves in the first place. They buy at auction, give false details, pop a set of cloned plates on and then off they go. No insurance, no worries with gatsos, no ANPR worries. Doddle.

However, I imagine a smart insurance co will spot the gap in the market - policies with absolutely no chance of a claim, and provide some form of insurance cover with a 5 mile per year limit.
 

*Thumper

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It's creating a new offence, so police can prosecute ............. the principles hav'nt changed ............. if you have a classic MB in your garage, uninsured........ your fine !

The plug thats been filled, is having a vehicle, on the road, uninsured .......... wether it's being driven, or not.................. up untill this new offence, you had to be caught, driving it ............ now it deos'nt matter, wether you behind the wheel or not !
 
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truthfindergeneral

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As I read it thumper, you are not fine in the example you make unless the vehicle is subject of a SORN. Just having it in the garage uninsured will no longer be allowed unless you SORN it first.
 

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Insurance for youngsters is weird here - even in the US, where in many States kids can drive at 16, the cars are much more powerful and they have an accident rate way higher than ours, insurance premiums are much much lower.

I think a bigger issue in the UK is that the vehicle is often insured somehow but the driver isn't authorised on the policy. So the car doesn't come up on ANPR.
 

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All vehicles pose a risk to the public, whether they are driven or not, its only right that if a vehicle can in anyway cause damage to persons or property then it should have adequate insurance to pay for any damage.
 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...ace-new-fines-under-new-Government-curbs.html

' “This will hit innocent people,” added Gus Hosein, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and policy director at Privacy International.
“It doesn’t make sense. If a car is not being driven, why does it have to be insured? Many people in Britain don’t have access to a garage, what are they supposed to do if, for example, they are going away for a few months? '

I can answer his question. It has to be insured because each policy earns this bankrupt govt 5% insurance premium tax. What's the betting we see this tax upped to 8% in the next budget.

Why not go the whole hog and make every body have compulsory public liability insurance, compulsory house and contents insurance.... O' and don't forget to justify it by saying it will save X number of lives a year.

and don't forget it will be good for the planet by reducing green house gasses
 
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truthfindergeneral

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'All vehicles pose a risk to the public, whether they are driven or not, '... ok, you've lost me with that one. Not sure how having the chassis and a few panels of a landrover sitting in my garage poses a risk other than to my relationship with the other half. On the basis of that statement, then we should all have public liability insurance.
 

Miffy

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Oil leaks out of garage onto the road, electrics ignite etc etc, any number of variables are possible.
If its just in bits as you claim, then SORN it and your safe,

simples
 
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truthfindergeneral

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'Oil leaks out of garage onto the road, electrics ignite etc etc, any number of variables are possible. '
Surely that is what your household insurance is for ?. Bit odd to differentiate between oil that has leaked from a vehicle and say, oil that has leaked from a central heating system ( oil fired ).
 

Miffy

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House insurance for third party damage is not compulsory (yet) so the answer to that is no, it will not automatically be covered
 

*Thumper

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As I read it thumper, you are not fine in the example you make unless the vehicle is subject of a SORN. Just having it in the garage uninsured will no longer be allowed unless you SORN it first.

Sorn is Road Fund Licence (RFL) ........... if you do not fill in a SORN declaration, you would be liable for the full RFL on your vehicle.
 
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truthfindergeneral

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The way I am reading this change is that if you SORN the vehicle you will need neither RFL or Ins as long as it is kept on private property.
If you have a taxed vehicle and it is not insured, then it will be liable to a fine even if it is in bits in your garage. Legislation like this thrives on being as complicated as possible in order to catch out as many people as possible and keep those fines rolling in.
 

100%Bitch

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The way I read it is that you can be prosecuted if the car is on a public road. The article then states that it is also true if you're on private land, then, it goes back to being on a public highway.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, this article is contradicting itself and if that's the case it's rubbish.

If it is the case that it only applies to cars on the public highway then it's a good thing!
 

television

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The way I read it is that you can be prosecuted if the car is on a public road. The article then states that it is also true if you're on private land, then, it goes back to being on a public highway.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, this article is contradicting itself and if that's the case it's rubbish.

If it is the case that it only applies to cars on the public highway then it's a good thing!

That is true Helen,, I can do what I like on my own land
 
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truthfindergeneral

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' I can do what I like on my own land '
This is the bit that made me think you can't -

"The new law will make it an offence to be the registered keeper of an uninsured car, whether or not the vehicle is being used and regardless of whether it has a valid tax disc or is kept on private property."
 

television

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' I can do what I like on my own land '
This is the bit that made me think you can't -

"The new law will make it an offence to be the registered keeper of an uninsured car, whether or not the vehicle is being used and regardless of whether it has a valid tax disc or is kept on private property."

This would mean that every exhibition would have to do the same, every car showroom and the rest, plus all of the fields full of unsold new cars
 
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truthfindergeneral

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Indeed. Wasn't that the purpose of the attempt to make every motorcycle have a registered keeper and tax disc a few years ago ?

Don't forget, this govt is clearly anti motorist, not just anti law breaking motorist. What you have hit on TV is a way of swelling govt coffers thru the insurance premium tax.
 

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One thing that always gets me.

Say you have a perfectly useable car, but the MOT runs out, and you haven't had chance to get it in for a test. It's parked off the road, on your property which is fine, but one night it gets stolen. (Remember it's a perfectly useable car). Your insurance is void in many cases as it didn't have an MOT. Had it been SORN then the rules are slightly different as its "registered" as off the road.

I'll try and find the source where i read this about a month back and post a link.


Rob
 

ncooper

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Nothing new here,it has always been an offence to park an uninsured vehicle on a road.
It has been an offence not to tax or SORN a vehicle you are the registered keeper of for a long time now.
If your vehicle is taxed and you're not using it,declare a SORN and you get your money back.
SORN means Statutory Off Road Notification,you are simply telling them it's off the road and you're not using it,no insurance or MOT required and therefore no fine.
That about covers it,I think.
Unless you are one of the uninsured who drive,nothing new to worry about.

Regards,
Nick.
 
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