Uninsured drivers face new crackdown


Continuous insurance unless SORN is declared is the new tactic to address epidemic of uninsured drivers


New powers to tackle uninsured driving will come into force within months, Road Safety Minster Mike Penning has announced. Under the new powers it will be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured.


Currently every responsible motorist pays an average £30 each year within their premiums to cover crashes involving uninsured and untraced drivers. It is also estimated that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 160 people and injure 23,000 every year. Mike Penning said:


"Uninsured drivers push up premiums for other motorists and often drive with no regard for other road users, so it is vital that we do everything we can to keep them off the roads. “More than 400 uninsured vehicles are already being seized by the police every day but it is simply not possible to catch every uninsured driver in this way. That is why we are bringing in these new powers which will help us to take targeted action while freeing up police time to deal with the hard core of offenders.” Ashton West, Chief Executive at the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, said: “Today’s news marks a significant step forward in the fight against uninsured driving. This means that as enforcement can take place for both keeping and driving a vehicle without insurance, there will be no place for illegal motorists to hide.


“Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE), will complement and run alongside existing police roadside enforcement, which has already reduced uninsured driving by 20%.” Under the new system: The DVLA will work in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to identify uninsured vehicles.


Motorists will receive a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action. If the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine. If the vehicle remains uninsured - regardless of whether the fine is paid - it could then be seized and destroyed. Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) will not be required to be insured.


The Department for Transport has made the Commencement Order to make it an offence to be the registered keeper of a vehicle which does not have insurance, as well as regulations to support this. Further regulations will be made shortly, allowing the scheme to come into force in the Spring.


Latest estimates indicate that around 4% (around 1.4 million) of GB motorists drive uninsured. The penalty for driving without insurance is a maximum fine of £5,000 and 6-8 penalty points. Around 242,000 offenders are convicted for uninsured driving annually. NB: Vehicles on which SORN has been declared will not require insurance cover.


European Commission outlaws national power limits but rejects ridersʼ call for a switch-off option for ABS


One old misconception gets laid to rest and a fresh ʻsolutionʼ looks like getting the green light


While currently committed to introducing mandatory anti-lock braking systems for motorcycles above 125cc, the Commission has rejected the idea of an off-switch for ABS. Following the suggestions of FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations, the Commission proposes to prohibit the French Government’s 100bhp limit, and introduce strong durability requirements for tailpipe emissions.


But the proposal also includes harsh restrictions on riders’ freedom, like mandatory ABS and additional requirements for engine modifications. With regard to road safety, though very supportive of technological improvements such as ABS, FEMA reminded the Commission that vehicle failings represent less than 2% of motorcycle accident causation factors. FEMA has objected to the Commission’s mandatory approach, which is limiting consumer choice. Instead, FEMA called for mandatory switch-off buttons for bikes equipped with ABS, since ABS is not suitable for certain riding conditions, especially riding on unpaved roads.


The Commission acknowledges that fact but considers the number of citizens living in areas with a high percentage of unpaved roads as negligible compared to the broader riding population. Indeed, the Commission fears that too many riders would switch off the ABS when riding on normal roads, due to what they consider to be ‘unjustified lack of faith in new technologies.’


In addition to the limitation of consumer choice and increased costs for purchasing a motorcycle, FEMA is also concerned about the proposal not taking into account increased maintenance costs for ABS.


Road Comment: If we’re to be positive, we can draw encouragement from the fact that the Commission seems finally to have accepted that high powered bikes do not necessarily mean more accidents and deaths. It’s over 15 years since the prospect of power limits looked a near certainty and MAG can pat itself on the back that the group’s campaign on that issue seems to have been finally recognised as legitimate.


More boffin plans for bike safety A high tech system to support riderʼs observational skills


The research centre Mira has been investigating ways to reduce the chances of motorcycle accidents using data collection and delivery technology.


The systems explored use haptic, tactile mechanisms to safely get the attention of riders and warn them about other vehicles, prepare them for the road ahead or give help at junctions. Mira engineers outfitted a Yamaha Tenere and a


Triumph Sprint with the safety systems so they could be tried out on a test track. The systems include laser scanners, haptic handles and gloves, a vibrating seat, lights, smart helmet cameras and radar, as well as a pannier full of the electronics that analyse data gathered by the sensors and pump out warnings. One system tested works out if riders are travelling too fast to negotiate upcoming bends. Mira has developed software that acts as a ‘co- pilot’ which, with the help of a digital map, knows what speed they should be travelling to make it round a bend.


"One system under test based around radar, constantly monitors the blind spots around and behind riders," said Mira consultant Jonathan Moore. "Vehicles behind or to one side of a bike can be hard to spot because the helmet restricts visibility and riders must remember to move their head regularly to check." "We put a motor in the cheek pad of the helmet so if you do not notice the object it will vibrate and give you a tactile warning that there's something to the right or left," said Moore. The system can also help give a rider


information about traffic further behind in adjoining lanes to help with over-taking or lane- changing.


Motorbike collision detection systems developed by Mira warn riders about imminent impacts and let them take action by slowing down sharply, or in the case of a vehicle travelling in the same direction as the bike, following it while slowing.


Exponents of the systems claim they could be a boon to less experienced bike riders who, according to Moore, do not give the attention to the road they should or do not have the experience to deal with problems.


Moore claims that the prototypes demonstrated by Mira showed it was feasible to fit such safety systems on motor bikes. He speculated that manufacturers would start to put them on bikes within the next 18 months to two years.


Road comment: One hesitates to dismiss road safety initiatives out of hand, particularly if compulsion is not on the agenda. From the sounds of this plan though, it sounds a bit whacky. There is a risk of trying to provide sophisticated technological solutions to problems which are really not that complicated. There seems to be a default option toward high tech solutions that those in that field of work instinctively favour. Perhaps the simplest and cheapest solution by far is the old 1980s ‘Hill St Blues’ adage. ‘Take care out there.’


The ROAD 7


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