WILL TOUGHER MEASURES FOR UNINSURED DRIVERS AFFECT ROAD ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS?

April 30th, 2009 Hinchliffes

The law relating to vehicle insurance is to be tightened in an effort to reduce the number of motorists driving without insurance cover, which is currently around 6% of road users.

Alarmingly, statistics show that approximately 160 people are killed each year in road accidents in the UK involving uninsured drivers, with a further 23,000 people suffering a personal injury.

The innocent victims of these drivers, who suffer a personal injury and related financial loss, are still able to pursue car accident compensation claims through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (“the MIB”), which is a body financed by all insurance companies. However, that financing is actually provided by law abiding motorists as an extra £30 per year is added to their own insurance premium.

In future, it will become an offence not only to drive without vehicle insurance, but also to keep an uninsured vehicle. Breach of this law will result in a penalty of up to £1,000 and may also lead to Court action to seize the vehicle in question.

COMMENT:-

There remains some scepticism about whether the new law will actually alter the behaviour of uninsured drivers. It is feared that if they are currently not concerned about insuring, or even taxing, their car, then they are unlikely to be worried by the relatively modest penalties that the new law will impose. This will probably mean that for the foreseeable future the MIB’s scheme will continue to be the only option in a large number of claims for personal injury compensation.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM SOLICITORS:-

If you have suffered injury in any form of road accident, contact personal injury specialists Hinchliffes Solicitors for immediate legal advice, to find out if you are entitled to make claims for injury compensation. All cases are dealt with on a No Win – No Fee basis, where the successful Client keeps 100% of the compensation recovered.

Call now on 0800 138 1348 to speak direct to a personal injury lawyer or go to our Start Your Claim Now page to submit details of your personal injury claim online.