8 September 2008
People who drive without valid car insurance should face much tougher penalties, according to the insurance firm Direct Line. It cites figures which show that the average fine for an uninsured motorist has fallen from £224 to £185 over the last ten years. This is some £815 less than the average £1,000 fine faced by people who evade fares on London buses, it points out. Yet, according to Direct Line, uninsured drivers cost honest motorists £500 million a year in elevated car insurance premiums. Maggie Game, Head of Car Insurance at the firm, comments: "The severity of penalties must act as a deterrent to those considering driving without insurance." Direct Line claims that just 260,000 of the 1.5 million uninsured drivers on UK roads are convicted each year. Recent research from uSwitch.com revealed that motorists can now expect to pay around £535 a year for their car insurance, compared to £311 a decade ago.