Friday, October 23, 2009

Laws On Uninsured Vehicles

By Christos Chalfont

It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle without a valid insurance certificate covering you to use that vehicle at that time.

The offence of driving without insurance is taken very seriously by the Magistrates Court due to the possible implications if you were to crash.

In order to be found guilty of driving without insurance, the Prosecutor only has to prove that you were driving the vehicle on a public road at the time in question and it is down to the defendant (you) to prove that you had insurance and you were allowed to be driving it. This is an unusually way of proceeding in court, but it is this way because it would be extremely time consuming and nearly impossible for the Prosecutor to prove that you were not insured because they would have to go to every insurance provider in the country and check that you aren't insured with each of them. It is therefore your responsibility to prove that you did have insurance to be driving the vehicle at the time in question.

Something that catches most people out when accused of having no insurance is that you dont actually have to be driving the vehicle to be guilty of the no insurance offence. The law states that you only have to be using the vehicle. Having use of the vehicle can mean that the vehicle can simply be parked on a public road outside your house and if it has no insurance you will be liable for the punishment.

Another way in which a lot of people get caught out in relation to insurance offences is because they believe that their fully comprehensive insurance covers them to drive a vehicle owned by another person with their permission. A lot of fully comprehensive insurance policies do not actually have this type of cover as of right. This element of the cover is also sometimes dependant on the age of the policy holder.

It is of paramount importance that you understand the terms of your insurance policy and you make sure each and every time you drive either your vehicle or someone else's that you are actually insured. - 23204

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