by Gauk
Mon, Oct 26, 2020 8:22 PM

ROAD SAFETY organisation GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging drivers to take a moment before setting off and ensuring the vehicle they are using is properly insured.

The call comes at the start of ‘Op Drive Insured 2020’, a week-long campaign by police across the country in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on the UK’s roads.

According to MIB data, more than 130 people are killed and 26,000 injured by an uninsured or untraced driver. This equates to one casualty every 20 minutes. Efforts to remove uninsured vehicles from the road continue year-round, with approximately 130,000 uninsured vehicles seized by police every year.

Driving without car insurance is illegal. You can have your vehicle seized and potentially crushed, along with a £300 penalty ticket and six points on your licence.

GEM chief executive Neil Worth comments: “GEM is supporting this week of heightened enforcement, which we believe is an effective way of highlighting the risks posed by drivers of uninsured vehicles.

“You may think of an uninsured vehicle as generally being driven by a criminal – or at least an individual with little care for road safety attempting to get away without paying – but the same rules apply to anyone whose insurance might have lapsed because they forgot to renew the policy, or they changed cars, or they’re in a car they wrongly thought they were covered to drive.

“That’s why we’re encouraging every driver to check their insurance, make a note of who’s covered on the policy, when it’s due to run out, and whether or not it’s set to renew automatically. These checks are all the responsibility of the driver, and there are harsh fines for falling foul of the rules.”

Check you’re insured – before you set off: tips from GEM to stay on the right side of the law

  • Take a look at your car insurance details. Check the registration number on the policy is correct, check who is insured to drive and when the policy expires.
  • Check whether the policy will auto-renew or whether you have to contact your insurer to renew.
  • If you can’t locate your policy details, check your car is insured using the Motor Insurers’ Database
  • If you are allowing someone else to drive your car, make sure your policy allows other drivers with their own comprehensive cover to drive it. If not, you will need to include them as named drivers on your policy.

Follow GEM on Twitter @MotoringAssist for the latest industry news.

published by Gauk