Comments on: The growing menace of uninsured drivers http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/the-growing-menace-of-uninsured-drivers.html This site is a chance for stakeholders to comment on what Parliamentarians have to say on a transport safety issue Thu, 17 May 2012 08:24:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Howard Redwood http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/the-growing-menace-of-uninsured-drivers.html#comment-130 Howard Redwood Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:27:40 +0000 http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/?p=107#comment-130 Dear Mr Hunter I agree with Mr Starling's response. However, having been a Fleet Driver Trainer for 8 years, I could tell you some stories of companies, who are not aware of the limitations to insurance policies. I have worked with the Police in the past, and have been in the circles of situations where a driver may think that they have the correct insurance, i.e they have a 'social, domestic and pleasure' insurance, and use their vehicle for work! We call this 'Grey Fleet'. The insurance industry does a lot towards selling the appropriate insurance, but we have a culture where the first point of call is always the 'comparison' websites, which, by their nature, are unable to deal with all types of insurance needed for all aspects of motoring. I would propose that a stronger regime of training should take place in this field in the school curriculum, and in fact, my colleagues at Diamond Advanced Motorists are instigating a pilot in the London Borough of Croydon in the Secondary Schools. I know that the schools have a lot on their plate, but we are talking of a situation with 42 million licence holders owning or driving 38 million vehicles. The figures of uninsured or illegal drivers on the road could amount to as much as 1 in every 7 vehicles coming the other way! This has to be addressed somehow, because the DSA driving test is doing all that it can do in keeping drivers in the correct part of the road at the correct speed. The training for the theory test is already quite demanding. Dear Mr Hunter
I agree with Mr Starling’s response. However, having been a Fleet Driver Trainer for 8 years, I could tell you some stories of companies, who are not aware of the limitations to insurance policies. I have worked with the Police in the past, and have been in the circles of situations where a driver may think that they have the correct insurance, i.e they have a ’social, domestic and pleasure’ insurance, and use their vehicle for work! We call this ‘Grey Fleet’.

The insurance industry does a lot towards selling the appropriate insurance, but we have a culture where the first point of call is always the ‘comparison’ websites, which, by their nature, are unable to deal with all types of insurance needed for all aspects of motoring.

I would propose that a stronger regime of training should take place in this field in the school curriculum, and in fact, my colleagues at Diamond Advanced Motorists are instigating a pilot in the London Borough of Croydon in the Secondary Schools.

I know that the schools have a lot on their plate, but we are talking of a situation with 42 million licence holders owning or driving 38 million vehicles. The figures of uninsured or illegal drivers on the road could amount to as much as 1 in every 7 vehicles coming the other way! This has to be addressed somehow, because the DSA driving test is doing all that it can do in keeping drivers in the correct part of the road at the correct speed. The training for the theory test is already quite demanding.

]]> By: Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance and Health, Association of British Insurers http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/the-growing-menace-of-uninsured-drivers.html#comment-125 Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance and Health, Association of British Insurers Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:18:38 +0000 http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/?p=107#comment-125 Dear Mr Hunter Insurers are pleased to have your support in this serious matter. The problem is being tackled - over 200,000 uninsured vehicles were seized last year, and large numbers were crushed. But the next big step, where the Government has been slow in implementation, is in Introducing Continuous Insurance Enforcement. This will enable the Motor Insurance Database to be matched with the Government's own register of vehicles, and action to be taken where the insurance has not been renewed or cancelled. This will be far more effective than windscreen stickers, which have the problem that insurance may be legitimately bought, the sticker applied, and then the insurance cancelled. Dear Mr Hunter

Insurers are pleased to have your support in this serious matter.

The problem is being tackled - over 200,000 uninsured vehicles were seized last year, and large numbers were crushed. But the next big step, where the Government has been slow in implementation, is in Introducing Continuous Insurance Enforcement. This will enable the Motor Insurance Database to be matched with the Government’s own register of vehicles, and action to be taken where the insurance has not been renewed or cancelled.

This will be far more effective than windscreen stickers, which have the problem that insurance may be legitimately bought, the sticker applied, and then the insurance cancelled.

]]> By: Ken Perham http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/the-growing-menace-of-uninsured-drivers.html#comment-124 Ken Perham Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:57:43 +0000 http://www.pacts.org.uk/blog/?p=107#comment-124 In reply to Mark Hunters Blog on Uninsured Drivers, Uninsured Drivers come in with a plethora of other problems that the Police have to deal with. Many years ago I became one of the early Minicab Drivers. Because I have a conscience have always made sure my MOT Tax and Insurance Tyres etc are in order. The Drivers that cheat the Law learn after a few early problems that the Police are just too busy and travel on the roads when they are least likely to get caught. If you are unlucky like myself in the 1970’s to be hit by an Uninsured Driver and are then lucky that you did not have terrible injury etc you take the loss and get on with it. Even back then the Police could not deal with my problem. My passenger was a Fireman and we were hit head on by another Minicab Driver coming at me head on. He was on my side of the road as it was a one way and a road junction which he had read wrongly. Because of the nature of the accident and the manner of the other Driver and being Legal myself I decided to call the Police. This Driver showed the Police all forged documents which were ok in the eyes of the Officers that attended but never to be seen again. In reply to Mark Hunters Blog on Uninsured Drivers,

Uninsured Drivers come in with a plethora of other problems that the Police have to deal with. Many years ago I became one of the early Minicab Drivers. Because I have a conscience have always made sure my MOT Tax and Insurance Tyres etc are in order. The Drivers that cheat the Law learn after a few early problems that the Police are just too busy and travel on the roads when they are least likely to get caught.

If you are unlucky like myself in the 1970’s to be hit by an Uninsured Driver and are then lucky that you did not have terrible injury etc you take the loss and get on with it.

Even back then the Police could not deal with my problem. My passenger was a Fireman and we were hit head on by another Minicab Driver coming at me head on. He was on my side of the road as it was a one way and a road junction which he had read wrongly. Because of the nature of the accident and the manner of the other Driver and being Legal myself I decided to call the Police. This Driver showed the Police all forged documents which were ok in the eyes of the Officers that attended but never to be seen again.

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