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Driving without Insurance Solicitors
If you are caught driving without insurance, your car could be impounded and you could end up with penalty points and a fine.
Our experienced driving without insurance solicitors can help you navigate this specialist area of law and ensure you secure the best possible outcome for your circumstances.
Complex issues
Our driving without insurance solicitors can help and advise you through the procedures involved if you are caught driving without insurance, and can determine whether you have a special reason for driving without insurance, which could lessen your penalty.
Types of consequences
If you are caught driving a vehicle without insurance, you could receive a fine of £300 and 6 penalty points on your driving licence.If your case goes to court, you could be disqualified from driving and could receive an unlimited fine.
What does the law say about driving without insurance?
It is against the law to drive a vehicle on a public road without, at a minimum, third party insurance. It is important to note that even if the vehicle is insured, you could still be charged with driving without insurance if you yourself are not insured to drive it.
When it comes to the offence of driving without insurance, the burden is on the driver. It is the driver that is required to show that they had an insurance policy that legally enabled them to drive the vehicle, at the time of the alleged offence.
What are examples of driving without insurance?
Many people who are caught driving without insurance do not even realise they are committing an offence.
One of the most common examples of unwittingly driving without insurance is when an employee drives a company car without business insurance.
If a person lets someone else drive their vehicle without a valid insurance policy in place, they could also be guilty of an offence.
In some circumstances, a vehicle’s owner may have to provide insurance even if they themselves were not the driver at the time of the alleged offence.
What is the penalty for driving without insurance?
If you are caught driving a vehicle without insurance, you could receive a fine of £300 and 6 penalty points on your driving licence.
If your case goes to court, you could be disqualified from driving and could receive an unlimited fine.
It is also worth noting that in cases of driving without insurance, the police have the power to seize and destroy the vehicle involved.
Driving without insurance: which cases are handled in court?
It is the police who decide whether or not a case is serious enough to go to court.
Examples of serious cases of driving without insurance which could result in the case going to court include:
- the driver was driving an HGV
- the driver had never passed a driving test
- the driver provided the police with false details
Will my future insurance policies be more expensive if I am caught driving without insurance?
Yes, you could find yourself with costly car insurance in the future if you are found guilty of driving without insurance.
Do I need to insure every vehicle that I own?
If you use a vehicle on roads and in public places, you must have the appropriate insurance, otherwise you could be committing the offence of driving without insurance and could face the penalties discussed above.
If you are keeping your vehicle off the road and have declared it as such (SORN), you do not need to insure your vehicle.
However, even if you are just parking your vehicle on a road, this is classed as using a vehicle and therefore you must have insurance for it.
It is worth repeating here that it does not matter that it was not you that was driving the car at the time of the alleged offence. If you are the registered owner of the vehicle, you could face prosecution.
Can I be prosecuted for driving without insurance on my own land?
If the land you are driving on is inaccessible by the public, then you do not need insurance for your vehicle.
However, it is worth noting that private car parks can be accessed by the public and therefore you would need insurance to drive in them. This goes for other private land, such as caravan sites, too.
How will the police know that I am driving without insurance?
Police have cameras with number plate recognition. This enables them to quickly tell whether or not a vehicle is insured.
If the police stop you and ask you to show them evidence of your insurance documents, you have seven days to do so.
Your insurance certificate must have been valid at the time that the police stopped your vehicle. You cannot purchase insurance during these seven days.
Is there a defence to driving without insurance?
If you discover that your car insurance policy has been cancelled without your knowledge, you may be able to use this as a defence to driving without insurance.
However, if your insurance company had taken reasonable steps to notify you of the cancellation of your policy, you may still be guilty of driving without insurance.
Are there ‘special reasons’ for driving without insurance?
Yes and these special reasons can, in some circumstances, reduce your penalty for driving without insurance.
Examples of special reasons which could result in a lesser penalty for driving without insurance include:
- The provider had made an error and there was no insurance policy in force
- The provider had cancelled the insurance policy without telling the holder of the policy (therefore causing the holder to drive without insurance, without knowing that they were doing so)
- The driver had a genuine reason to believe that they were covered by a car insurance policy
- The driver had been informed by the owner of the vehicle that they could legally drive it
Will I get a criminal record for driving without insurance?
No, a conviction of driving without insurance will not appear on your criminal record.
However, information about your conviction will stay on your driving licence for four years. You will need to give any insurance provider information about this conviction for five years.
Can I drive someone else’s car if I have comprehensive insurance?
Not always. This depends on your insurance policy, so it is always important to double check. Otherwise, you could be convicted of driving without insurance.
Why do I need specialist driving without insurance solicitors?
Our driving without insurance solicitors can help and advise you through the procedures involved if you are caught driving without insurance, and can determine whether you have a special reason for driving without insurance, which could lessen your penalty.
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