Drivers risk 'unlimited fines' as thousands decide to break long-standing law

James Rodger
·2-min read

Drivers are breaking a law in an "epidemic" as soaring car insurance premiums mean they take action. Motorists are resorting to law breaking by driving uninsured due to the soaring price of premiums amid the Cost of Living crisis.

6,316 drivers aged between 17 and 20 were convicted of driving without insurance in 2023, up from 2,902 drivers caught in 2021 and almost 5,500 prosecuted back in 2022. Charity IAM RoadSmart, which conducted the research, warned there could be an "epidemic” of uninsured young motorists unless the Government intervenes.

The penalty for driving in an uninsured vehicle is a £300 fine and six penalty points, but if taken to court, drivers could face an unlimited fine and even be disqualified from driving. Nicholas Lyes, director of policy at IAM RoadSmart, said: “It is a legal requirement to have the correct insurance to drive, so it is deeply concerning to see a surge in young drivers breaking the law in this way.

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“Unless there is intervention, we risk an epidemic of uninsured younger motorists taking to the roads. Sadly, this is likely a consequence of the soaring costs of insurance premiums over the last 18 months. For young drivers who have recently passed their test, the cost of learning to drive, getting a vehicle, taxing it and then insuring it is becoming an extremely costly process.”

Mr Lyes added that while the insurance sector believes it may now be “over the worst of price increases”, falling premiums will feel like a “lifetime away” for newly qualified drivers. Confused.com, the price comparison firm, said on average 17-20-year-olds had seen insurance rise by more than £1,000 from the same time last year.

Overall, on average drivers face paying 58 [er cent more on car insurance compared with last January. Steve Dukes, chief executive of Confused.com, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The frequency in claims is up in the last couple of years, since the pandemic, but also the cost of them.

"The cost of second-hand cars is higher than they used to be, the cost of parts, the cost of labour to make repairs - and that's all being passed onto consumers."

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