Motorcycle insurance specialist Carole Nash is warning bikers to make sure they satisfy new insurance rules which come into force on June 20 – or risk having their bike seized and destroyed.
The company is advising legitimate riders not to get caught out by the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement law. Whilst targeted at the estimated 1.5 million uninsured riders and drivers on UK roads it affects all motorcyclists and motorists. It means that it will become an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than under existing laws which simply make it illegal to ride without insurance.
Under the new law only bikes which have a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) may be legally kept without insurance. If a bike is not SORN registered and uninsured then it will not be included on the Motor Insurance Database leaving the registered keeper open to action by the police or DVLA.
Failure to comply with the new law could see bikers having their machines seized and crushed with Road Safety Minister Mike Penning warning that the uninsured now have “nowhere to hide.”
Ashtron West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers Bureau was similarly blunt, saying: “The change in the law is a stepping up of enforcement activity, so that not only those vehicles driven without insurance will be caught. Now the registered keeper must make sure that their vehicle is insured all the time.”
Simon Jackson, commercial director at Carole Nash which is the UK’s biggest motorcycle insurance specialist welcomed the change. “This new law is the latest weapon in the ongoing war on uninsured riders and drivers whose selfish actions cost the law abiding majority about £30 on their insurance. That’s what it costs us all to pay the bills for crashes involving uninsured and untraceable road users .
“It’s undoubtedly going to have an impact upon those who think that they, unlike us, need not pay to protect themselves and, crucially, other road users. The concern though is that legitimate, law abiding bikers don’t get caught out by this change.”
The Motor Insurance Bureau has launched a £1m campaign to raise awareness of the new scheme. It’s also advising riders that they can check their bike is listed on the Motor Insurance Database by visiting the website www.askMID.com. “It’s not a bad idea to check your status on the MID as it’s the database which the police and the DVLA use as part of what is now a very determined enforcement strategy, said Mr. Jackson.
Under the new scheme the registered keeper of an uninsured motorcycle which does not have a valid SORN will be contacted by the DVLA and warned that they face a fine if they don’t take action. If they fail to insure their bike they will then receive a £100 fine and, regardless of whether they pay it or not, if they still don’t cover their machine it could be clamped, seized and destroyed if found on public land. Alternatively, the keeper could be taken to court and face a fine of up to £1,000.