Expert Welcomes Government's Change In Law

A serious injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell has welcomed new legislation designed to clamp down on the number of people who fail to insure their vehicles.

New changes to the law have been introduced which could see those without car insurance fined, even if they have not driven it.

The government has described uninsured drivers as “a danger on our roads” and said the fundamental aim is to ensure that all regular and occasional road users are complying with the law.

Road safety minister Mike Penning added that statistics show around 23,000 people are injured by motorists without insurance every year.

Stephen Nye, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell who specialises in helping people who have suffered serious injuries in road traffic collisions, said: “It is an unfortunate truth that many people are seriously injured by uninsured drivers every year, with victims often left needing a lifetime of care and rehabilitation to help them get the best out of life.

“We represent many innocent victims of uninsured drivers in their battles for justice. Parties injured or killed by uninsured drivers are able pursue legal claims against the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB). Subject to some minor technicalities, the MIB uninsured drivers agreement operates so that any injured party can recover compensation in the same way as if the responsible party had had motor insurance.

“The MIB is supported financially by motor insurance companies, so increasing claims involving uninsured drivers will have an inflationary effect on insurance premiums payable by law abiding, insured drivers. It is only right that stronger sanctions are put in place to ensure all vehicle owners are purchasing insurance and that it is made more difficult for uninsured vehicles to be used repeatedly on our roads.

“Currently the lack of insurance for a vehicle or driver is only discovered if the police run a vehicle check after an accident or on pulling a driver over. This only deals with the problem when it is too late. The new system will be more pro-active, hopefully spotting offenders before they are involved in any accidents.”