RODNEY KING & PARTNERS
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Driving without Insurance
At Rodney King & Partners solicitors we have a great deal of experience in defending all types of motoring offences including driving without insurance.
We aim to achieve the most favourable outcome for our clients who are charged with any motoring offence. In some cases this may be an acquittal, in others it may mean minimising the sentence imposed by the Courts.
Contact us to speak to a solicitor and to find out how we can help you.
The law on driving without insurance
You are required to have a minimum level of insurance cover for any vehicle. This means that a minimum of third party insurance must be in place for all vehicles used on the public roads.
You do not have to be driving the vehicle to be charged with an offence. If you allow another person to drive a vehicle which is registered to you, whilst the vehicle is uninsured, you can be charged with an insurance offence.
The penalties for driving without insurance are between 6 and 8 penalty points and a means-tested fine of up to £5000.
Defence and Special Reasons
Driving without insurance is an absolute offence. This can be explained by either:
- at the time the car was being driving there was a policy of insurance in place – in which case you would have a Defence, or
- there was no valid insurance and you have committed an offence.
If you did not have valid insurance, it may be possible to advance special reasons. This means that although you have technically committed an offence, you can show a reason or mitigating factor as to why this has happened. For example if you were misled into believing that insurance was in place for the vehicle.
Special reasons can be used to try and minimise the sentence imposed by the Courts, for example to avoid receiving a driving ban or penalty points.
Common offences of driving without insurance
The car is parked and not being used. Does it have to be insured?
Yes. Anyone who uses, causes or permits a person to use a vehicle on the road, must have an insurance policy in place. If a car is parked on a road, even though it may not be in use, it is still required to be insured.
Lapsed insurance / cancelled insurance
One of the most common causes of driving without insurance is when someone has had insurance cover in place on a vehicle and it has been cancelled or has not been renewed, either due to a mistake or an oversight.It may be possible to show ‘special reasons’ in mitigation and therefore try to reduce any penalty imposed by the Court.
Friends driving your car
If you lend your vehicle to someone else, it is your responsibility to check that they have valid insurance cover to drive your vehicle, or 
that your insurance covers them to drive it. Many people mistakenly think that because they have fully comprehensive insurance on their own car, that they are insured on other vehicles. You can be prosecuted for permitting another person to use your vehicle without insurance.
Many other situations car arise which can lead to charges of driving without insurance. Contact us to speak to a solicitor and find out how we can help.
