Motor Insurance, New Law?

[Deleted User]

The guy at the CIS has just told me that as of April last year it's illegal to keep an unused car in your driveway without insuring it. Has anyone else heard this one?

I've just rung the fuzz, and the traffic cop I spoke to said it's a new one on him, he has an unused, uninsured car stored in his mothers garage.

Oscar_The_Grouch

I think he's talking about the offence brought in by the Road Safety Act 2006, but that came into force in 2008. Here's a link:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060049_en_3#pb7-l1g22

See part 5 of Section 144B - If you have declared the vehicle as SORN, then you have not committed an offence. If you keep the car off road but have not declared it SORN, you get fined.

raskazz

When it is implemented Section 22 of the Road Safety Act 2006 will make it an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle (even if it is kept off-road) if a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) has not been completed.

AFAIK the implementation of that Section has not actually commenced yet.

Edited to add, yes, it will come into force sometime in 2011 (a full 5 years after the Act gained assent!) according to this link:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Motorinsurance/DG_067639

[Deleted User]

I can't make much sense of the link. If you don't have a SORN it's illegal anyway, so I don't see what insurance has got to do with it.
I'm confused, I can't see what the bloke was getting at, and neither could the copper I spoke to.

lisyloo

I can't see what the bloke was getting at

I can.
He was trying to sell you insurance and lying.

BenL

In future, it will be an offence to keep an uninsured car - as well as driving one without insurance.
The proposed powers, which are due to take effect in 2011 will affect up to two million motorists

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/motoring/article-1123684/Uninsured-motorists-risk-1-000-fine-losing-car--dont-drive-it.html#ixzz0cVafZsD4

raskazz

jack_pott wrote: »

I can't make much sense of the link. If you don't have a SORN it's illegal anyway, so I don't see what insurance has got to do with it.
I'm confused, I can't see what the bloke was getting at, and neither could the copper I spoke to.

The point is that currently it is not an offence to be the keeper of vehicle which is kept off-road and is uninsured. The implementation of the aforementioned part of the Act will make it an offence to keep an uninsured car if it is not SORNed, even if it is kept off-road.

[Deleted User]

I see what you're getting at now. What the new law is effectively saying is that the sorn will apply to insurance as well as tax. My car is already sorned, so what the insurance bloke was telling me is irrelevant.

For that matter, I don't know why they don't include the MOT in the sorn as well while they're about it....

hartcjhart

whoopy doo,another great way for the gov to rake in millions of pounds by fines(stealth tax)by causing confusion