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Category: Insurance Date: 6/29/2011
New rules have now taken force which mean that every car now needs to be insured or have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) – even if it's off road and doesn't pay road tax.
If you haven't got car insurance for your off road vehicle or SORN-ed it, you'll need to do so soon, as the DVLA and Motor Insurer's Bureau are expected to begin enforcing the new law from the middle of July 2011.
The first thing to say is that you don't, necessarily. You could apply for a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) which means that you don't need to tax or insure your vehicle. It also means you can't drive it on the road though.
The reason the Government has taken this step is to tackle uninsured drivers. There are an estimated 1.4 million vehicles that don't have insurance, and this is a big problem for the car insurance industry. Uninsured drivers push everyone's premiums up.
The previous law was that a driver had to be caught driving in order to be prosecuted as uninsured. The new law means that you could be prosecuted just for having an uninsured vehicle.
This isn't a wise idea.
If you are a registered driver, the process will work like this:
- A fixed penalty of £100
THEN
- Having your car clamped, taken away (impounded) or even crushed
- Court prosecution (maximum fine £1,000)
If you have to pay a fine this does not replace car insurance – you'll still need to pay this as well, or else register your car with a SORN.
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