It didn’t take too long for the ConDems to start throwing legislation around in a drunken binge. In a move that comes straight from the New Labour Handbook of idiocy, this lot are to bring in new legislation – to make it illegal to own an uninsured vehicle even if it never goes onto public roads. Or, at least that’s what the Telegraph headline says. The reality is slightly different, but no less idiotic.
Mike Penning, the road safety minister, is expected to change the law to make it an offence for the first time to keep an uninsured vehicle rather than simply to drive while uninsured.
Sources at the Department for Transport (DfT) claim that the move will help reduce the £30 estimated annual cost to every responsible motorists in additional premiums to cover crashes involving uninsured drivers.
Bearing in mind for a moment that an uninsured vehicle that is not being driven poses no risk to third parties, the current arrangements make perfect sense. However, if you read further down the article, it would appear that in practice, there is little change – except, except…
Police gained powers at the end of 2005 to seize uninsured cars, but to use their powers they have to catch the driver at the wheel.
Which is the way it should be. But, no, the onus is shifting from the police doing their jobs to making us prove we are obeying the law:
Under the new offence of keeping a vehicle while uninsured, the onus will be on drivers to prove that they have insurance, or have completed a statutory off-road notification.
Hang on a moment… When you insure your vehicle or apply for a SORN, the DVLA superduper computer knows all about it, doesn’t it? No? Ah, so that’s what it’s all about… Because their system is crap, they are holding us responsible for the shortfall – i.e. guilty until we prove ourselves innocent. Not for these nincompoops the logical step of improving their systems and competence management to make sure that what they have in place works. Oh, no, they are going to make us do their work for them – or face a fine and seizure of the vehicle. Great. Terrific. I can see this one going horribly wrong as vehicles are seized despite being SORNed or insured, because the computer says otherwise and the computer is never wrong.
So much for an end to the war on the motorist. Why should we expect otherwise? Politicians, bureaucrats and everyone involved in the political machine are nasty authoritarian bullies to a man. We really do need to be ordering in some of that nice hempen rope before the price goes up.
Oh, and my relative relaxation regarding the coagulation? The honeymoon’s over. I was waiting to see how things panned out. Well, panned out they are. Conservatives, LibDems and New Labour are all the same.
Correct me if l’m wrong but isn’t it the driver who’s insured and not the car? So if someone decides to ‘borrow’ someone elses car this stupid legislation will make no difference whatsoever.
And doesn’t the police ANPR already flag who the registered insured driver is already? Which seems to work perfectly well (unless it’s just been insured and not on the system yet) until said driver is a Mohammed or Boris who drive on ‘valid’ international driving licences who have just ‘borrowed’ the other Mohammed/Boris’s car …. although the police have to assume this as Mohammed/Boris is speaking in their native tongue as they can’t speak English.
Does this apply to the owner of the vehicle or the registered keeper? Could be fun!
SH – it will depend on the policy. In previous years, I’ve had rider polices where the vehicle is not specified on the insurance documents. I was insured to ride any bike. Most polices do specify the vehicle. I can see a problem with the rider policy – possibly it will become outlawed as it will make life too difficult for plod.
SG – it’s not clear from the article.
Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems – three cheeks of the same malformed arse.
Said it before the election, still saying it now. It wasn’t an election, more like ‘Buggin’s turn’.
Actually, this is newspaper bollocks.
You can get a SORN form free from a Post Office, or download one from DVLC’s web-site.
Provided the vehicle is kept OFF the public road, all one has to do is ….
Tick the boxes, and all is well.
It isn’t difficult!
Yes, the Telegraph’s headline is misleading. I SORNed my Yamaha for several years using the electronic system.
However, reporting aside we are being hit with yet more legislation that is not only unnecessary, but will inconvenience the law-abiding majority as the criminal element will ignore this as they will ignore any legislation. The people they will hit with this are those who may have to allow their insurance to lapse for a short while. Previously, they could just keep the vehicle off the road until they renewed, now they are liable to a fine and confiscation.
It’s continuous road funding (in principle) all over again.
I should imagine that MAG will manage to kill it off. Again.