It’s Not Worth the Risk! The Dangers of Driving While Uninsured

Owning and taking care of a vehicle is a large responsibility, but most of this responsibility is to other road users and pedestrians. The moral way to discharge this responsibility is twofold:

Giving your full attention to wheel, and abiding by the highway code and other laws

Purchasing car insurance which will ensure that you can compensate any other party if they suffer a loss as a result of you making a mistake.

In this article, we’ll look at the legal and moral issues arising if you drive while uninsured, and explain how easily someone could find themselves driving without insurance if they aren’t careful.

The legal penalties of driving without insurance:

The website of the UK government explains that the penalties are:

The police could give you a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points if you’re caught driving a vehicle you’re not insured to drive.

If the case goes to court you could:

Receive an unlimited fine

Become disqualified from driving

Have your vehicle seized by police, and in some cases, destroyed.

Whether it’s permanent insurance or temporary car insurance, a suitable insurance policy that covers you while driving will protect you from these penalties.

The hazards of being uninsured

Vehicles are effectively large projectile weapons. Without the due care and control expected of all drivers, they become dangerous.

A momentary lapse of concentration, poor road conditions or bad luck could lead to an accident. Even if you consider yourself to be an above-average driver (which curiously even 71% of young drivers do), it could happen to you.

The costs of an accident are numerous. Without insurance, you will be personally liable for those costs:

Legal costs

Personal injury compensation

Repair costs for the other car

Costs for your own vehicle

Costs to repair roadside, fences and so on

With an insurance policy, any claimants will contact your insurer and seek compensation directly from them rather than expecting you to dig into your own pocket to fund their repairs.

Every insurance policy will have an excess, which is a fixed deductible that you will have to pay towards the value of any successful insurance claim, but this is usually below £750 and therefore is trivial compared to the sums paid out to claimants.

Why drivers can be caught off-guard without insurance

It’s easy to shake your fist at the idea of someone knowingly driving a vehicle without insurance, but ordinary and well-meaning people can find themselves uninsured due to special circumstances. For example:

When driving a brand new vehicle off the forecourt to take it home

When borrowing a vehicle from a spouse while the registered owner’s vehicle is being serviced

When driving someone to a hospital or medical appointment in their own vehicle

When taking a privately owned vehicle for a test drive
Each of these situations is rare or unusual and sometimes involves decisions having to be made quickly. If your relative or associate has become ill and urgently needs medical attention, it’s natural that motor insurance won’t be the number one priority as they clamber into a car to get medical care.

However, if you remain mindful of the moral and legal penalties of being involved in an accident and take the proper precautions, you can avoid all issues and drive under the full protection of a large insurer.