Uninsured drivers face car being destroyed, Good Garage Scheme warns.

New Government measures set for a summer introduction to combat the problem of people driving without insurance were set to be discussed in Parliament by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning this week.

Labelled Continuous Insurance Enforcement, failure to renew a motor insurance policy, regardless of whether a vehicle is in a roadworthy condition could see drivers facing a series of steps leading to the destruction of their car. The Government are working in conjunction with the DVLA and giving them extended powers against the uninsured to ensure compliance.

After an initial warning, motorists who ignore it face a fine. If they still fail to insure their vehicle, irrespective of if or when the fine is paid, they face clamping, seizure and destruction of their vehicle. Only when evidence is provided that the registered keeper is insured and that the driver collecting the vehicle is insured to do so will the vehicle be released.

The exemption to this is if a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) has been issued.

However, motoring organisations fear for the innocent motorist who has made an honest mistake. Paul Watters of the AA said: ‘Many otherwise innocent motorists face being unwittingly fined or clamped for doing little more than being forgetful or distracted by the normal business of life.’

The Good Garage Scheme advises motorists to check their policies to prevent themselves from falling foul of these new measures.