Uninsured drivers should face tougher fines

Date posted: September 30, 2013

After the news that new fines will be introduced to road users, many road campaigners argue that the fines for uninsured drivers should be increased.

The new fines will see uninsured drivers receive a £300 fine, up from £200, with serious or repeat offenders still facing the possibility of a maximum fine of £5,000.

In a recent survey by a leading motoring company, it was found that out of 20,000 road users, 81 percent believed that the new fine was not tough enough, with many believing they should be sent to prison or serve a community sentence.

As anyone who has been in a road accident with an uninsured driver knows, you’re often left out of pocket. With a nominal fine in comparison to actually paying for insurance, about four percent of drivers take a chance in not getting insurance damaging no-claims bonuses and insurance excesses.

Organisations such as MIB can help you reclaim the costs, but road safety charities like Brake believe the fines aren’t doing enough to deter this from happening in the first place.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake said: “We are concerned penalties still aren’t nearly high enough to deter all bad drivers and reflect the potentially appalling consequences of bad driving.”

She added: “Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a daily basis, but sadly some drivers remain complacent about the risks and the law.”

Brake suggests increasing overall fines to between £500 and £1,000 to encourage those who don’t abide by the rules to take driving seriously.