Motoring News

Direct Line insurance has commented that the average penalty fine imposed on uninsured drivers (£185) is "not nearly enough".

The company pointed out that this figure is less than a quarter of the fine dished out to TV licence evaders – £1,000.

It is also dwarfed by the conviction for graffiti (£5,000) and the heinous crime of smoking in a smoke-free zone (£1,000).

Uninsured drivers are ten times more likely to have a drink driving conviction, six times more likely to be driving an unsafe vehicle and four times more likely to have a driving without due care and attention conviction.

Maggie Game, head of car insurance at Direct Line, believes that, as uninsured drivers cost British society around £500 million each year, the severity of penalties must act as a deterrent to those considering driving without insurance.

She said: "Uninsured drivers cause accidents which kill around 200 people each year and seriously injure hundreds more.

"The fact that the average penalty for driving uninsured is less than a quarter of the potential fine for not owning a TV licence is alarming."

Written by James Christie