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Beware, an uninsured driver could be near you !!!Looking around while driving may not reveal every danger you face. The hidden danger of an uninsured driver is unidentifiable and may be any age or gender. What is perhaps perceived by many as something ‘young lads probably do’, would appear to be far more widespread according to a recent report by the RAC.
The report, follows a Freedom of Information request made by the RAC to the DVLA and outlines some shocking statistics about uninsured and unlicenced drivers. In 2014, 100,323 drivers were caught and prosecuted according to the report, yet the insurance industry believe this is a small part of the problem and suggest there may be as many as one million uninsured drivers sharing our roads, .
An aspect of the report that is particularly disturbing is the number of under age drivers that are caught, some as young as eleven. Clearly they have got access to a vehicle that they do not own and as well as being uninsured they are unlicenced too.
Recent law changes now require every vehicle to be insured regardless of whether it is being used or not, unless it is SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). This suggests that drivers being caught are either driving a vehicle that has been declared ‘off road’ and therefore, is also not taxed, is being used by someone other than the insured driver, or does not have insurance for the purpose for which it is insured.
With ANPR cameras monitoring vehicles and identifying those that are not taxed, and DVLA monitoring those that are taxed but not insured (and sending out notification of the responsibility to the owner) it seems strange that drivers can drive without the vehicle being insured. However, as there is no longer a requirement to display a tax disc, there is a possibility that drivers could stick to ‘local journeys’ that avoid ANPR sites and with a diminishing police presence on the road the chances of being caught are reduced. Is it time the UK adopted the strategy of many other countries and changed the law, making it a legal requirement for the vehicle to be insured rather than the driver, and no exceptions. This would certainly give peace of mind that whoever is in the driving seat, insurance is in place, and surely policing this would be much simpler.
As the law currently stands, before driving a vehicle it is vital that the driver, who is the person responsible for the vehicle, ensures they are legally entitled to drive it. Borrowing a vehicle you think you are insured to drive, or not having adequate cover for the purpose for which you are using the vehicle, can be an issue and I’m sure some of those caught were unaware they were driving illegally. Grey fleet drivers must also be aware of the need to be correctly insured for business journeys and have a current policy that covers their business activities. It is also the responsibility of the employer to ensure the health and safety of their employees, and for ensuring that any vehicle used for business purposes is correctly insured, regardless of ownership of the vehicle. Fleetrisk24’s head of risk management David Penny said ”we would urge all companies to ensure that both driver and vehicle are correctly managed. We would be happy to offer advice to anyone that is unsure what is expected of them. It is all too easy to be caught out if there is not a suitable driver management system in place or, if there is insufficient monitoring of your drivers and their vehicles. Licencing and insurance are key areas of risk that we regularly see companies falling foul of”
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Many issues that feature in our news section may be of concern to you as an employer if you employ company drivers. It is important that you, as a company, are fully compliant with your responsibilities to those employees.
Fleetrisk24 Ltd specialises in Work Related Road Safety and Workplace Transport Safety and can help you put policies and processes in place to address your transport health and safety requirements.
For information about how we can help, in conjunction with you, manage your at work drivers, either:Speak with an advisor on 01732 864999 or, Email: consultancy@fleetrisk24.com
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