MSE News: Warning over new compulsory car insurance rules

Charis

glider3560 wrote: »

People will still drive uninsured. This system won't solve any problem other than creating a nice cash flow.

"Half of the 1.5 million uninsured drivers are younger than 29, which suggests that high insurance premiums and low penalty fines, from as little as £50, are encouraging some young people to drive uninsured [...] Uninsured drivers are also 10 times more likely to be convicted of drink driving and, across Britain, are believed to cause 160 deaths on the road every year."

The quotes are from about half way through this article. This new law doesn't attempt to address either problem, it's merely a way to get more revenue from soft targets.

pendulum

Another sickening law. I'll no logner be able to use a temporary insurance provider like Dayinsure to drive my car which is fully taxed and MoT'd, because to avoid getting a fine I'll have to SORN it. More red tape interfering with ordinary law abiding people's lives!

They would have been better to send reminder letters rather than fines! E.g., Dear Mr X, our records show you have a car which is still on the road, but we can't find an insurance policy for it, you may wish to check it has not expired or been cancelled without you realising etc". Fining people £100 who are probably doing nothing wrong is just pathetic. There should at least be an exemption you can apply for if this legislation is going to affect you going about your lawful business!

The insurance companies have been saying for a long time they're struggling and not making money - I wonder who they bribed (or "lobbied") to get this measure brought in... :mad: It really isn't very subtle is it!

corbyboy

rogerblack wrote: »

Me, for one.

Fair enough, I was just playing Devil's advocate to be honest. I actually think these rules are just unnecessary.

Surely this is going to put short term insurance companies out of business too?

rogerblack

corbyboy wrote: »

Fair enough, I was just playing Devil's advocate to be honest. I actually think these rules are just unnecessary.

Surely this is going to put short term insurance companies out of business too?

It will mean that someone with a car for sale will now have to pay insurance on it, or SORN it, which will mean that a buyer will need to tax it first before driving off after getting it insured, or get it picked up by a tow-vehicle.

So, you've just bought a not-totally !!!! car, to replace your totally !!!! car.

You transfer over the insurance - and boom - you now have a very short grace period before you have to either reinsure it, or cancel the tax disk.

Now a buyer can't simply ring up, get insurance, and drive off.
This may considerably slow down some aspects of the second hand market, making the poorest off less able to buy and sell cars.

Print_Screen

corbyboy wrote: »

Realistically how many people is this going to affect? Do many people keep their car in the garage uninsured? What if somebody steals it or the roof of the garage falls in. Car insurance doesn't just cover you if you cause a crash.

A group that it will affect are motorcyclists. There are quite a few motorcyclists who have a summer bike or are just summer riders so they will have to keep SORNing their bikes then retaxing when they want to use them. That is unless they can plan ahead an guarantee that they will only use their bikes between say May and August.

rogerblack

Print_Screen wrote: »

A group that it will affect are motorcyclists. There are quite a few motorcyclists who have a summer bike or are just summer riders so they will have to keep SORNing their bikes then retaxing when they want to use them. That is unless they can plan ahead an guarantee that they will only use their bikes between say May and August.

To add to the fun of course - you can't do this really easily, as when you declare SORN, your tax disk is cancelled, and you only get whole months of tax back.

It is possible to do it on one day, but that will mean cancelling SORN, getting short term insurance, getting tax disk at post office, driving, declaring SORN, forfeiting the remainder of the months tax disk.

plumber2009

It would be easier to just not own a car and hire a car if needed.

This will only encourage more uninsured drivers onto our roads as people will use a sorn vehicle to take chances, especially those that use their car say once or twice a month to nip to the shops.

System

The MSE article says that caravans will also be effected by this legislation, How ?

A caravan is not taxed so cannot be declared SORN, and as far as I am aware, the law does not require insurance on a caravan, the car insurance policy covers your liabilities (but you may need to inform your car insurer that you tow a caravan).

Rover_Driver

The Insurance Requirement - s.144A Road Traffic Act 1988 - has been in force since 4th February.

The Road Safety Act 2006 (Commencement No.6) Order 2011, refers ,

Quentin

BAA1 wrote: »

The MSE article says that caravans will also be effected by this legislation, How ?

Just scaremongering! (Or did the article mean "motor caravans"?)

Caravans do not have to be insured to take them on the road!