More than a quarter of a million motorists caught driving without insurance in 18 month period

More than a quarter of a million motorists were given penalty points for driving without insurance in the eighteen months between January 2013 and June 2015, according to Churchill Car Insurance.

The insurer has also said that comparing the estimated number of uninsured drivers on our roads to the number of prosecutions reveals a worrying disparity.  Figures reveal that there are an estimated one million uninsured drivers on the road costing UK motorists around £400 million, annually yet prosecutions are nowhere near this number.

Churchill said that over 11,000 people have been convicted twice for driving uninsured over the same period – meaning they have at least 12 penalty points, while the average fine issued by the courts for uninsured driving was just £372 in 2014. 47,873 motorists have been convicted in the first six months of 2015 for driving without insurance.

Steve Barrett, head of car insurance at Churchill said that uninsured drivers were still a major issue, despite measures put in place to try and improve the situation.

“There needs to be greater investment in police resources to check that the motorists behind the wheel are insured to drive the vehicle,” he said.

“It’s shocking that someone can have almost 30 points on their licence but still be able to drive. We need to crack down on these irresponsible drivers and put even tougher laws in place to ensure our roads remain safe.”

Mark Dugdale