Travel Tips

Driving Without Insurance

It is an offence to drive a motor vehicle without a certificate of insurance in place covering you to drive that vehicle on that occasion.

Driving without insurance is treated very seriously in the Magistrates Court because of the potential implications if you were to crash when uninsured.

To be found guilty of driving without insurance the Prosecution simply have to prove that you were driving a motor vehicle on a public road at the time of the alleged offence. Because this is a documentary offence the burden passes to the Defendant (you) to prove that you were actually insured at the time you were driving. This is because it would be almost impossible for the Prosecution to prove that you were not insured and they would have to go through every insurance company in the Country using their insurance database to try and establish there was no certificate in place.

One of the most common ways in which people get caught out with the no insurance law is that they may not actually drive the car, but the law states that you only have to have use of the vehicle in order to be liable for punishment under the no insurance law. Having use of the vehicle can simply mean having the vehicle parked on a public road outside your house and if it is not insured, then you can be prosecuted.

Another way in which many people get caught out with the no insurance law is when they believe that their fully comprehensive insurance policy covers them to drive other peoples cars with their permission. A lot of the time, fully comprehensive cover does not actually include this in the policy.

It is of the utmost importance that you full understand and have read everything in you insurance policy. You must ensure that whenever you go to drive your own vehicle, or someone else’s that you are indeed covered and are legally allowed to be driving that vehicle at that time.

For more information about motoring law advice please click no insurance.

Tags: advice, autos, education, law, legal, leisure, motoring, outdoors, outside, recreation, reference, society, travel, Travel Tips, vehicles