Drivers should 'not cut corners' with insurance

Drivers should not cut corners when it comes to car cover, according to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association.

Steve Foulsham, technical services manager for the body, commented that there are concerns that people may take this route during the recession. However, he said that those cutting corners on policies may be in for trouble further down the line.

According to a study by Mintel which was released last week, 77 per cent of Britons are shopping around to find the best motoring cover before renewing.

New fines for uninsured drivers

The new Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme will provide a new fixed penalty for people who ignore official reminders that their insurance has expired. This will apply to vehicles that aren’t declared as being off the road through a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) and are not insured. Continuing offenders will risk having their vehicle seized and destroyed.

Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) equipment enables the police to check the insurance details of more cars than ever before and as a result they are now seizing around 1500 uninsured vehicles per week.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Police have the power to seize uninsured vehicles, but many cars are not worth the value of the release fee so end up being crushed. Uninsured drivers pose a serious threat to other road users – it remains to be seen whether a fine alone will have the desired effect.”

Green motor insurance

Motor insurance bought through the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) automatically offsets the carbon of a year’s driving. More info

What is the ETA?

The ETA is an organisation providing motorists and cyclists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products.

Carbon-neutral car insurance