Personal

Driving without Insurance

SOLVING PERSONAL LEGAL MATTERS

Our expert Motoring Offence Solicitors have extensive experience in representing individuals who are facing prosecution for driving without insurance. Often, people come to us having forgotten that their insurance is due for renewal and continue to drive uninsured unknowingly or simply due to confusion as to what their insurance policy covers, individuals often come to us with insurance which covers social and domestic use but not business use.

Ignorance is not a valid defence for driving without insurance and will not stand up as a reasonable defence in Court. We will support you to review your insurance policies, investigate the circumstances and build up a strong defence to limit any penalties.

The law stipulates that to drive any vehicle in a public place, you must be insured. Driving without at least third-party insurance is an absolute offence which means there are few defences. If you have taken a vehicle off the road for whatever reason and the vehicle is no longer in use, it must be declared SORN to the DVLA. If the vehicle is not declared SORN it must be insured in case of any accidents where a vehicle may drive into your stationary vehicle. If you fail to do so, you can be prosecuted.

If you have been caught driving without insurance, you need to seek expert legal advice straight away. The burden of proof is on you to prove that you were in fact insured at the time of driving the vehicle, we can help you to do this, contact us on 01772 220 022 or send us an email and we will call you to discuss the matter further.

Penalties for driving without insurance offence

If you're caught driving without insurance, and it is your first motoring offence, you may receive a fixed penalty fine of £300 and between 6 to 8 penalty points on your driver's licence which will likely drive up the cost of future insurance policies. If the case goes to Court, you may receive a fine up to £5,000 or a disqualification from driving may be deemed more appropriate. The police also have the power to seize the vehicle and, in some cases, the vehicle is destroyed.

If someone else has been caught driving your vehicle without insurance and you have given them permission to do so, you are at fault and could be charged. Equally, if you drive another person's car and your insurance doesn't cover you to drive other vehicles, other than your own, you may be convicted for driving without insurance.

More severe sentences are given to those who have been involved in a fatal collision as this can amount to careless or dangerous driving.

In some cases, insurance companies themselves are at fault as they sometimes fail to inform their customers if their insurance policy has been cancelled or the insurance policy is invalid as details are not correct.

Driving without insurance is not worth the risk. Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems are fitted on numerous static sites which can identify whether a vehicle is insured in a matter of seconds by simply scanning the registration. If any concerns are raised, the Police will be notified and will take action.

If you have been caught driving without insurance, contact our Motoring Offence Lawyers today on 01772 220 022 or complete our online enquiry form. We have represented many clients in a similar position where they were unaware they had no insurance or that their insurance policies were invalid.

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FAQs

I didn’t know my car wasn’t insured. Will I still be charged?

Ignorance is not a valid defence and will not stand up as a reasonable defence in Court however this can sometimes amount to a special reason's plea if you can prove you genuinely thought you were driving with insurance.

If you were driving a company vehicle and were under the impression you were insured, this may amount to a valid defence and your employer could face charges for letting you drive a vehicle uninsured. You would need to proof that; you didn't own the vehicle; you were using the vehicle as an employee; demonstrate how the vehicle was in your possession and that you had no reason to suspect you would not be insured.

If your insurance company cancelled or failed to renew your insurance policy after receiving instructions to do so this could also be a valid special reason.

For advice contact Forbes Solicitors on 01772 220 022 or send us an email.

What is the penalty for driving without insurance in the UK?

Dependent on the seriousness of the case, you could be sentenced with:

A fixed penalty of £300 and between 6 to 8 points on your licence;
A fine of up to £5,000;
A disqualification from driving;
In some case the vehicle may be destroyed.

If you've been involved in an accident or caused the death of another person, you will be facing a much more severe sentence.

Speak to a motoring offence lawyer today on 01772 220 022 or complete our online enquiry form.

What are ‘special reasons’ for driving without insurance?

To be successful in proving a special reason's plea, you have to prove that you genuinely thought you were driving with insurance. Special reasons could be:

Insurance company cancelled your policy without notifying you;
You can prove that you genuinely believed you were insured when driving the vehicle eg a work vehicle;
You were driving another person's vehicle under the impression you were insured under their policy.

Speak to a motoring offence lawyer today on 01772 220 022 or complete our online enquiry form.