Warning : Motor insurance rules have changed

When the Police first tested an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system in Hereford they got so many hits they thought the system was faulty.  It transpired that more than a few vehicles were driving without car insurance.  

Now due to increasing premiums and the current economic climate the estimated number of uninsured drivers is on the increase, so new insurance regulations come in to force at the end of June 2011.

In future all vehicles will be cross matched between the Central Vehicle Database and the Motor Insurance Database. Any a vehicle that is not registered off road with a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notice) will automatically trigger a prosecution.

If a vehicle does not have insurance, the registered keeper could:

• receive a fixed penalty of £100 
• have their vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded, or destroyed 
• face a court prosecution, with a possible maximum fine of £1000

This will be an ongoing method of reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on the road.  In future it will be no good thinking, "I'm going away on holiday for a couple of weeks, the car is on the drive, so to save money I'll insure it when I get home".

If your car insurance runs out and you haven't arranged for a SORN or new cover, you will automatically be prosecuted. You may even find that your car has been clamped or impounded before you get home.

You have been warned!

Watch a video about this subject

Check your vehicle is insured