November 2004

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MORE TH>N welcomes Government's new Road Safety bill to make roads safer and tackle uninsured drivers

Today the Government has published its new Road Safety Bill to drive forward safety on our roads. A raft of new measures were unveiled which will tackle drink driving, clampdown on the menace of uninsured and irresponsible driving1 and improve road safety.

David Pitt, Head of Motor Insurance at MORE TH>N, says: “Today’s announcement of a new Road Safety Bill is welcome news, in particular tackling the growing problem of uninsured drivers. Uninsured driving adds around £30 to the cost of an average insurance premium, and if a motorist is unlucky enough to have an accident with an uninsured driver they could end up thousands of pounds out of pocket.

“We are particularly pleased that the Government has recognised the value of making greater use of the motor insurance database and the Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to track and identify uninsured drivers on the road. To make this system truly effective, the police must fully adopt this method to catch and prosecute these offenders. In particular they need to make greater use of the information contained within the Motor Insurers Database (MID) which currently has 25,000 police enquiries a day but still some forces do not use the system.

“However, with the proposed harsher penalties and powers for police to seize the culprits’ vehicles, we believe the new bill will go a long way to reducing the level of uninsured drivers on the road.”

Recent research from MORE TH>N2 shows that a large proportion of the public will welcome the Government’s crack-down on uninsured drivers:
- A third (30%) of motorists favour confiscation of the vehicle.
- A third (30%) would like to see offenders taken off the road for good by backing a total driving ban for culprits.
- A fifth (20%) think there should be a large fine.
- 16% even favour imprisonment.

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Notes to Editors:
1. One of the key issues to be tackled is clamping down on uninsured drivers by allowing the police to make better use of motor insurance data to detect illegal drivers – supporting the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology and new powers in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Powers Bill to seize and dispose of uninsured vehicles.
2. Source: research conducted for MORE TH>N by TNS via telephone interview amongst 1006 GB adults aged 16+ from 11-13 June 2004.

Additional Costs:
Over 1 million drivers – at least 5% of UK motorists – are driving illegally without insurance. Accidents involving these drivers cost more than £500 million a year, adding up to 6% (£30 a year) to the insurance premiums paid by every honest motorist in the country.

About MORE TH>N:
MORE TH>N is the direct financial services arm of Royal & SunAlliance. It offers motor, home, pet, travel, life as well as a credit card via the internet and by phone.

For further information:
Claire Germain
MORE TH>N Press Office
Tel: 020 7337 5602
Email: claire.germain@uk.royalsun.com

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