Car insurance fines 'falling'
Date: 31/03/2008 12:00:00
Motorists who drive without car insurance are seeing lower fines now than they were a decade ago, it has been claimed.
Home Office figures uncovered by Conservative Party spokesman David Ruffley and reported by the Daily Mail show that the average fine was £224 in 1997 but totalled £177 in 2005.
The number of cases brought against those driving without adequate car insurance also fell between 1997 and 2005, dropping from 397,133 to 392,763, according to the statistics.
"Driving uninsured is often a sign of more serious criminality. But, amazingly, the courts are passing derisory penalties," Mr Ruffley commented.
According to the government, there could be more than two million vehicles on UK roads without car insurance.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 specifies that motorists must have at least third party car insurance for their vehicles. Victims of accidents involving uninsured cars can apply for compensation through the Motor Insurers' Bureau.