Richard Yarrow’s opinion for www.startrescue.co.uk, providing low cost Motorbike Breakdown Cover.

Type the letters CIE into Google and you get a load of interesting companies and organisations. My personal favourite is Christmas In Ethiopia, a support group for abandoned animals in the African state.

 

The one that’s most relevant to drivers is Continuous Insurance Enforcement, a new motoring law that came into effect yesterday. It means that if you are the legal owner of a car it has to be insured. It doesn’t matter if it’s the unreliable family runabout that regularly needs your car breakdown cover, a classic that lives in the garage and only comes out on sunny days, or a wreck that’s propped up on bricks at the bottom of your garden. Unless it's covered by a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). If it’s yours, and the DVLA knows that, it needs to be insured.

 

If you don’t get this sorted very quickly, here’s what will happen. You will be sent a letter telling you the vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning of a fine unless you take action. Ignore that and you’ll get a fixed penalty of £100. Still not playing ball? The vehicle could be clamped, seized and disposed of. Finally, the authorities have the power to launch a court prosecution with a maximum fine of £1,000. And all this is in addition to the powers the police already have to seize an uninsured vehicle and fine the driver.

 

Many of the UK’s insurance giants have welcomed the change in the law. They believe it’s good news for honest motorists who each pay £30 a year as part of their premium to cover uninsured drivers. They also believe it will increase the level of accountability and responsibility on Britain's roads.

 

One thing strikes me. If you do have a wreck at the bottom of the garden – like the one pictured – and you’re looking for someone to move it on your behalf, this might be a good way to get it done!