Campaign to tackle uninsured driving

MP Karl McCartney has been recognised by the charity Brake and Direct Line for his campaign for tougher penalties for uninsured drivers.

In October Karl asked a question in Parliament revealing that the average fine for driving an uninsured vehicle is just £200, approximately four times less than the average annual cost of insurance. This encouraged Karl to start a campaign calling for fines to be much higher, to provide a real deterrent from breaking the law.

People who drive uninsured are more likely to crash than other drivers and cause tragic deaths and injuries. In 2011 research from Direct Line and Brake revealed that one in ten drivers report having been in a collision with an uninsured driver.

Karl ran a survey in Lincoln asking his constituents' views on uninsured drivers. This revealed 50% want the fine for uninsured driving to be £900 or more and 77% feel that if someone causes a serious crash while uninsured they should go to prison.

The changes Karl would like to see introduced include:

• An insurance sticker in every windscreen proving a car is insured, like the tax disc;
• Far tougher sentences for those caught driving uninsured, with the minimum fine in each area being double the average insurance cost in the area for the age and gender of the person caught;
• Automatic disqualification for people caught driving uninsured, for at least one year, and at least five years for subsequent offences.