Skip to main content

The most common - and craziest - excuses for driving without insurance

Shot of the back of a police officer's jacket with the word police written across the back © Provided by AOL Money UK Shot of the back of a police officer's jacket with the word police written across the back

Most drivers caught without insurance think they can talk their way out of being fined or given points on their licence - according to a new survey of retired police officers. The bad news for them is that traffic officers have heard it all before from other motorists, so your excuse will fall on deaf ears - even if you come up with something really bizarre.

The study, by Churchill Insurance, found that the most common reasons people gave for driving uninsured was being unaware that they didn't have insurance. Almost two thirds of drivers made this claim, although the retired officers in the study highlighted that ignorance is no defence, so they would still be penalised.

The second most common excuse was disorganisation - as drivers had failed to keep track of when the renewal was due. This was mentioned by a third of people. Unfortunately for them, this is not a good enough reason for driving without insurance, so they won't get away with it either.

Bizarre excuses

The study also stumbled across some particularly odd excuses. One driver, for example, argued that "The car drives perfectly well without it", so they didn't feel the need to spend a fortune on cover. Another explained that it was her husband's car. She added: "He's dead, but he is still insured." One of the oddest situations was the Lamborghini driver who thought he could get away with buying cover for a Nissan Micra and driving the Lamborghini under his third party cover to drive any other car.

The study revealed that there are a very small number of situations in which officers will use their discretion when they find someone driving without insurance. If they have been forced to in an emergency - such as when their partner is giving birth - they may choose to let them off with a warning.

However, that's going to be tricky to effectively fake if you are caught without insurance.

What can you do?

It's vital, therefore, to make sure you don't fall into the trap of accidental uninsurance. There are three steps we should all take.

1) Whenever you buy cover, make a note in your diary two weeks before you are due to renew - to give yourself time to shop around.

Alternatively, you can set up your policy to auto-renew, which means your insurer will send you a letter with a quote, and if you don't call to cancel, they will automatically renew.

This is a reasonable idea if you take the letter as a nudge to shop around, and work on the assumption you should be able to find cheaper cover elsewhere. However, it's essential not to use this as an excuse to simply renew with the same insurer every year - as insurers save their best deals for new customers.

2) You should also read the small print, so you know what you are covered for. Some people think their policy will automatically give them third party cover to drive any other car, but you need to check whether there are limitations, and whether you need to activate this part of the cover.

3) Check the rules whenever you make a change. If, for example you start parking somewhere different overnight, you use your car to commute for a month or two, you drive overseas during the summer, or you make a modification to the car, you need to check whether you are still covered.

Shot of the back of a police officer's jacket with the word police written across the back © getty Shot of the back of a police officer's jacket with the word police written across the back

Popular posts from this blog

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

© Provided by Engadget As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services , it's about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC's KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk -- you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don't have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader. The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a "likeness detection algorithm" to make sure it's really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they're disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn't have to worry about someone buying ...

DOF opposes tiered approach to tax on sugary drinks

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation MONEY- Tax thumbnail The Department of Finance (DOF) is not amenable to Senator Juan Edgardo Angara's suggestion to implement the proposed levy on sugar sweetened beverages via a three-tier system. "We oppose the tiered approach. Meaning 'yung first seven grams will be tax free and then after that would be taxable," Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Economic Forum in Manila on Friday. Chua note the tiered approach may compel manufacturers to come up with smaller packaging. "So you can drink three of them with no taxes," the Finance official said. It will defeat the purpose of imposing excise tax on sugary drinks as a health measure, he added. During deliberations on the comprehensive tax reform bill, Angara floated the idea of implementing the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages under a three-tier system to incentivize those who manufactu...

Apple named ‘most innovative’ company by a magazine

© Provided by IBT US Apple has just been named as the “Most Innovative” company of 2018 by a business magazine. The reasons cited why the Cupertino giant emerged triumphant on the list included the company’s ability to design processors that are optimized for its latest hardware and software.  Fast Company published Tuesday its list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies 2018 in the consumer electronics sector and Tim Cook’s company was the one that snagged the top spot. The publication indicated in the list that the main reason why Apple ranked the highest was because it produced the “phone of the future” for today’s market.  The magazine also published a lengthy explanation on why Apple is worth the “most innovative” title this year. According to Fast Company, the Cupertino giant had a notable 2017 due to the stellar performances of the wireless AirPods and the Apple Watch Series 3 and the launch of its own AR platform, ARKit, as well as the release of the outst...