Driving without insurance

Driving without insurance is a criminal offence. The law provides for ‘strict liability’ and you can be found guilty regardless of whether you were aware that your vehicle was uninsured. This is because of the implications that come with crashing or hitting someone in an uninsured vehicle.

For this reason, it may seem pointless speaking to a lawyer to defend what is often just a simple mistake. However, our assistance and representation could make the difference when it comes to you retaining your licence.

In many cases, you can plead ‘special reasons’, for example, if you honestly and genuinely believed that you were insured, we can persuade the court not to disqualify you and in some cases not endorse your licence with penalty points.

To stand the best chance of keeping your licence when you’ve been caught driving while uninsured, call our team of specialist motoring offence solicitors on 07971 520407 or fill in the enquiry form on this page and we will get back to you. If you require immediate assistance, please call us on our 24/7 mobile number on 07971 520407.

For more information on our fees, please click here to view our up-to-date schedule of costs.

Uninsured drivers

About driving without insurance

It is a legal requirement to have insurance if you own or drive a vehicle. Failure to have insurance will usually lead to prosecution, as there is no discretionary defence – this is known as an offence of strict liability. These cases are usually dealt with in a Magistrates’ Court with a fine and penalty points imposed.

In some cases, drivers are genuinely unaware that they have no insurance, usually because the policy has been cancelled without their knowledge or there was a failure on the insurance company’s part to renew or update an existing policy.

Should this be the case, you should speak to a solicitor as soon as possible to help you establish who is responsible for your lack of insurance. We have also had cases where a decision to drive uninsured was made in an emergency situation, and we have avoided a ban or points.

If you are driving another person’s car, then you must be insured to drive that vehicle. Car owners must ensure that those allowed to drive have suitable insurance, or else they run the risk of being prosecuted also.

The penalties

Driving without insurance is a serious offence. The police can issue you with a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 points on your licence. Your case can be taken to court and the penalties can be more severe including:

an unlimited fine
6 to 8 penalty points
a discretionary driving ban
possible seizure and destruction of the uninsured vehicle.

Causing death by driving without insurance

If you cause a fatality while driving an uninsured vehicle, you will face much tougher penalties, including:

minimum 12-month mandatory disqualification
up to 11 penalty points on your licence
up to two years imprisonment.

For the best chance possible of easing the consequences of driving without insurance get in touch with our solicitors today.

Uninsured drivers

Our services

Should you be facing allegations of uninsured driving remember that all hope is not lost when it comes to prosecution. The driving offence lawyers at Flint Bishop are dedicated to helping those who have failed to insure their vehicle keep their licence and, where we can, ease the consequences of this error as we know you may have never intended to break the law.

We will work towards protecting your interests by gathering relevant evidence, providing expert representation during court proceedings and exploring every option available to you – explaining everything in plain English.

With offices in Leeds, Sheffield and York, we are able to provide assistance to drivers across Yorkshire and the rest of the UK.

For more information on our fees, please click here to view our up-to-date schedule of costs.

Driving without insurance solicitors