Continuous Insurance Inforcement
A new system to tackle uninsured driving has become a reality with the first advertisments, called VISIBLE, confirming action against offenders, appearing on television recently. Under Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) it will be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured. The regulations will enable the DVLA to take action against those who ignore warnings to get their vehicle insured. The Motor Insurance Database (MID) will be used to identify registered keepers of vehicles that appear to have no insurance. The BVSF attended the launch of Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) in London recently and had the opportunity to question a panel incuding David Hancock, Director of Enforcment within the DVLA and Mike Penning the Minister for Road safety amongst others.
In answer to a question as to whether a member of the BVSF would be affected by CIE it was confirmed that the following vehicles would be excempt from CIE.. · Vehicle has a valid SORN (Statutory off road notice) · Vehicle is exempted from SORN (as untaxed before 31/01/98 and has had no tax or SORN activity since) · Vehicle recorded as scrapped · Vehicle recorded as stolen and not recovered · Vehicle recorded as disposed to the trade · Vehicle recorded as disposed · Vehicle recorded as exported · Vehicle is owned by the crown, tax class (60)
It is estimated that uninsured drivers injure 23,000 people each year and add £30 to every responsible motorist's premium so something needed to be done to keep these uninsured drivers off the roads. These new powers will help to take targeted action while freeing up police time to deal with the hard core offenders. It was confirmed that the first insurance advisory letters (which warn individuals that they appear to be uninsured) will be sent around the 20th June.
CIE does not apply in Northern Ireland. NI has a separate registration and licensing authority and they will make a decision whether or not to adopt CIE.
