Recent research carried out by the Association of British Insurers, has shown that there may be as many as 2 million drivers on the road in this country without any form of insurance.

“Why?” you ask, is this? The problem itself comes from the fact that a growing number of people find it almost entirely prohibitive to purchase a car and acquire a motor insurance policy to match. To circumnavigate this problem a large number of people have decided to opt out of purchasing an insurance policy altogether, leaving other UK drivers at risk.

“Surely these people will be caught?” I hear you ask. Therein lies the problem. At present, it is only if a car is literally pulled over, the registration checked and insurance status verified that this crime can be revealed. Add to this the fact that the majority of people can expect to face only a fine of around £200, it makes it easier to some to risk this cost rather than spending £1-2000 on an insurance policy.

Let’s take a look at how this affects those of us who choose to be law abiding citizens and opt to purchase an insurance policy.

Well for starters, the average UK policyholder can expect to pay an extra £30 a year, at present, to cover the cost these people cause to ourselves and the insurance companies.

We have to consider the fact that this bid to save money actually poses a public safety risk, not only to these drivers but to ourselves.

Imagine the implications if you only have a third party, fire and theft policy. Your insurance will only pay for the damage to the third party as the name suggests. The other party has no insurance so therefore, there is no one to recompense you.

Now, a warning to those of you considering this idea; If you are involved in a crash, cause serious injury or even death, you will most probably find yourself with a jail sentence! Is this really worth saving even the largest amount of money for?

We can only hope that it is made illegal to own a vehicle without an insurance policy and not just to be caught driving one. If this becomes the case, it is possible a similar scheme to the road tax fining system could be used to identify which car is uninsured and issue a fine by post, etc.