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Caught Driving without Insurance

It is an offence to use a motor vehicle on a road or other public place where the driver is not covered by third party insurance and most people are unaware that it is also an offence for a person to cause or permit any person to use a vehicle without insurance.

Whether you have intentionally driven knowing that you are not insured, or if you have driven without valid insurance cover in a genuine error, it can result in an IN10 endorsement which is one of the most common driving convictions handed out to drivers in the UK. These offences attract the penalty of a fine of up to £5,000 and the endorsement of between 6 and 8 penalty points on your licence and a court may even impose a disqualification from driving.

Car insurance can be a complicated thing and things can sometimes go wrong, so if you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for driving with no insurance, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help. Below you will find information on No Insurance law, How We Can Help and also Answers to Commonly Asked Questions.

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What are the penalties for driving with no insurance?

The penalty for driving with no insurance is a fine to a maximum of £5,000 and the endorsement of between 6 and 8 penalty points or disqualification from driving.

In some cases, a motorist accused of driving with no insurance will be offered a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of a £300 fine and 6 penalty points in the alternative to formal prosecution. If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for Driving with No Insurance, please contact us for advice a no obligation consultation on how we can help.

What is the maximum fine for driving without insurance in the UK?

If your driving without insurance case is dealt with by the courts then the potential penalties could be higher. There is no maximum fine for driving without insurance in the UK as these offences, if dealt with by the court, can in some instances attract an unlimited fine and an endorsement of between 6 and 8 penalty points on your licence. The court may even impose a disqualification from driving.

What are the defences to driving with no insurance?

Being caught driving with no insurance is known as a “strict liability” offence, which simply means that you commit the offence irrespective of any intention to do so.

The defences to driving with no insurance are limited to the following:

Valid Insurance – It is a defence for a motorist to prove that they held a valid policy of insurance;

or

Employee’s Defence – It is a defence for a motorist to prove that they were driving a vehicle that did not belong to them in the course of their employment and that they did not know that they were not insured.

Whilst there are very few defences to driving with no insurance, in cases where a motorist has a “genuine and honest” belief that they were insured, it may be possible to ask the court not to endorse penalty points on the grounds of “special reasons” (please see below).

If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Summonsed to court for an offence of no insurance and belief that you may have a defence or “special reasons”, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help.

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What is the “special reasons” defence to a driving insurance charge?

In cases where a motorist has been caught driving without insurance because of a genuine mistake, it may be possible to ask the court not to endorse any penalty points (and often not to impose any fine) on the grounds of “special reasons”.

Special reasons may be successfully argued against a case of driving without insurance if a motorist can show that:

(a) at the time of the offence they held a genuine and honest belief that you were insured; and

(b) it was reasonable for them to hold such a belief.

In general terms, the court may be asked not to endorse points if in some way a motorist has been misled to believe that they were insured. Examples of this can include:

  • An insurance policy being cancelled by the insurer without the motorists knowledge.
  • A motorist relying on a reliable assurance from someone else that they were insured e.g. a child relying on an assurance from his parent or a husband relying on an assurance from his wife.

If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or summonsed to court for an offence of no insurance, please contact us advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help.

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Causing or permitting driving with no insurance

If a person causes or allows a person to drive their vehicle with no insurance, then that person may themselves be summonsed to court for “causing or permitting” a person to drive with no insurance. This offence attracts the same punishment as if they were the person driving i.e. a fine and 6-8 penalty points (or disqualification).

If you find yourself summonsed to court for this offence, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

Keeping a vehicle without meeting insurance requirements

Section 144A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires that a vehicle which is not declared as off-road under a SORN declaration, must hold a minimum of third party insurance.  To not do so is an offence.

This offence attracts a fine of up to £1,000

The DVLA is responsible for monitoring and prosecuting such offences and in the first instance will usually offer a Fixed Penalty Notice for £100. There are a number of limited defences to this offence and should you find yourself formally prosecuted before a Magistrates’ Court for this offence, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

Specialist No Insurance Solicitor Representation

At Caddick Davies Solicitors, we specialise in the representation of motorists charged with driving a vehicle with no insurance.

If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for an offence of driving with no insurance and believe that you are insured, please contact us for advice and a no-obligation consultation on how we can help.

Common Driving Insurance Offence Questions

In many cases, the police may offer a Fixed Penalty Notice as an alternative to formal prosecution before the Magistrates’ Court. This Fixed Penalty Notice or FPN, will impose a penalty of £300 and endorse your driving licence with 6 penalty points.

If you wish to accept this offer, then you must simply surrender your driving licence within the specified period (usually 7 days) and make payment of the penalty within 28 days. Please note that if you do not comply with these requirements the offer may be withdrawn and you may be summonsed to appear before a Magistrates’ Court.

You should not accept a Fixed Penalty Notice if you do not accept that you have driven without insurance or you believe that you have “special reasons” such that a Magistrates’ Court may not endorse your licence with penalty points.

If you do not wish to accept the Fixed Penalty Notice then you may reject it simply by completing the rear of the notice and requesting a court hearing.

In the event that you have received a Fixed Penalty Notice for driving with no insurance, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

If you find yourself accused of driving with no insurance and facing a Fixed Penalty Notice or a Court Summons, then it will be for you to prove that you were insured.

It may be that you are covered under a motor traders policy, that you are covered on a third party basis on a different policy or that you have a policy cover of which the police are not aware.

Contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

In the age of automated systems, emails and with the changing practices of insurers, we have noticed that this is becoming an ever more common account.

In these circumstances, if you receive a Fixed Penalty Notice or are summonsed to appear before the Magistrates’ Court for driving without third party insurance, we can argue that your licence should not be endorsed with penalty points as there are “special reasons” in your case.

If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for driving without insurance and believe that you may have “special reasons”, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

This is a very good example of the type of case in which we may make application for “special reasons”. As the person’s son has driven without insurance, they have technically committed the offence of driving without insurance, however it would seem very unfair if they were then to be fined and receive 6-8 penalty points.

In this kind of case we would argue that there are “special reasons” as the son clearly believed that he was insured to drive and that it was reasonable for him to rely on what he was told by his father. If successful, the son would not receive any points and we would also seek to persuade the court that it is unfair to impose a fine.

If you or a loved one find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for an offence of driving with no insurance and believe that you may have “special reasons”, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

It is an offence if a person allows another person to drive their vehicle (or a vehicle over which they have control) without insurance. This is an offence even though you are not the person driving the vehicle.

This type of case may sometimes be defended on a factual basis e.g. I did not have control of the vehicle or I did not give permission, or on the type of permission given e.g. I only agreed for them to drive on the condition that they were insured.

In other cases we might be able to argue “special reasons” in connection with the offence, as to why your licence should not be endorsed with points.

If you find yourself with a Fixed Penalty Notice or Court Summons for “causing or permitting” a person to drive without insurance, please contact us for advice and a no obligation consultation on how we can help you.

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