Capital tops league of uninsured drivers

More than one in 10 cars in London is thought to be uninsured, research showed today.

The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) said 13% of vehicles in the Metropolitan area were flagged as being driven illegally because they were uninsured, the highest proportion for any region.

It was followed by Merseyside, where 12% of vehicles are thought to be uninsured, and Greater Manchester at 10%, while West Yorkshire and the West Midlands came in joint fourth place at 7%.

The West Midlands also contains six of the 10 worst postcodes for uninsured drivers, while nearly half of all vehicles registered in the BD3 postcode of Barkerend in Bradford, West Yorkshire, were flagged as being uninsured.

Overall, the MIB estimates more than 1.7 million motorists broke the law during 2008 by driving despite not having motor cover.

The figures were released as the group, which compensates people involved in accidents with uninsured drivers, launched a campaign aimed at drivers who may be tempted to let their insurance lapse in a bid to reduce their motoring costs.

It warned that people who drove without insurance could have their vehicle seized, while they would also receive a minimum of six penalty points on their licence and incur a fixed penalty of £200.

It added that up to 500 uninsured vehicles were seized each day due to the use of automatic number plate recognition technology combined with information from the Motor Insurance Database to spot drivers who did not have cover.

Ashton West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers' Bureau, said: "The fact that 1.7 million motorists still take to the roads without insurance is staggering; but there is no doubt that the number of drivers caught each year is increasing significantly, so drivers simply cannot afford to be complacent.

"Indeed, the number of drivers across the UK who were caught without insurance last year would fill Wembley Stadium more than twice. The message to motorists is clear: driving uninsured is simply not worth the risk."

Meanwhile, research carried out by moneysupermarket.com found that 62% of people think motorists caught driving without insurance should face heftier penalties.

Around 18% of the more than 1,800 people questioned thought the age at which people can drive should increase from 17 to 21, while 16% said either the Government or the motoring industry should subsidise younger drivers to stop them getting behind the wheel uninsured.

AA Insurance welcomed the campaign to encourage drivers not to cancel their insurance.

It said it had seen a 17% increase in the number of people paying by direct debit who had defaulted, underlining the importance of the campaign.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "The MIB initiative focuses on the vital importance of keeping your car insurance up-to-date.

"Customers who cancel their cover or don't renew run a serious risk of being stopped by the police, who are increasingly using automatic number plate recognition technology to identify uninsured drivers."

He also urged people to check the registration number on their insurance certificate was accurate, as there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who are stopped because their registration number has been recorded incorrectly.