Beware of collision risk with rogues on the road

• New analysis reveals the constituencies where uninsured drivers involved in collisions come from
• Bradford West residents are twice as likely to be involved in a collision as an uninsured driver than the national average
• Four constituencies in Birmingham rank in UK top ten for resident uninsured drivers involved in collisions
• Number of drivers penalised for keeping a vehicle that does not meet insurance requirements rises 11 per cent in three years

Bradford West constituency in West Yorkshire has the highest number of insurance claims involving uninsured drivers – double the national average.  Focussing just on those drivers who put others at risk by not buying insurance, Direct Line and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) research reveals the proportion of collisions involving uninsured drivers in Bradford West is rising faster than the national average.

Alarmingly, 82 per cent of claimants who reported a collision caused by an uninsured driver from Bradford West sustained an injury and nearly a third (31 per cent) of these incidents involved male uninsured drivers under the age of 22.

Of the ten constituencies with the highest rate of vehicle collisions where one party was uninsured, four are in the West Midlands (Birmingham Ladywood, Birmingham Hodge Hill, Birmingham Perry Barr and Birmingham Hall Green), three are in the North West (Blackley and Broughton, Bolton South East and Manchester Gorton), two are in Yorkshire (Bradford West and Bradford East) and one is in London (Edmonton).

Regional analysis

Overall, there are 35 constituencies across the UK with a higher than average proportion of collisions caused by residents without car insurance, with a high density of constituencies in the North West, West Midlands and London.  One in six (16 per cent) constituencies in the North West saw an above-average number of road traffic incidents involving uninsured drivers. One in seven (15 per cent) of the West Midlands’ 59 constituencies have a worse representation of uninsured drivers involved in collisions than average, while the proportion for London is one in eight (12 per cent).

None of the 229 constituencies based in the East Midlands, North East, Scotland, South West and Wales had a higher than average proportion of uninsured driver residents who were involved in collisions.

Further analysis of Ministry of Justice figures² shows that more than 70,000 individuals had court proceedings brought against them in 2017 in England and Wales for keeping a vehicle that does not meet insurance requirements. This is an 11 per cent increase in three years and suggests a growing trend in individuals not insuring their vehicles.

Steve Barrett, head of car insurance at Direct Line, commented: “Having insurance is a legal requirement and people who fail to insure their vehicles have no thought or care for the consequences they subject innocent car owners and their loved ones to.

It’s essential that motorists buy the right insurance to not only protect their own vehicle, but to ensure that other drivers, passengers and pedestrians are protected as well in the event of vehicle damage or injury.

When people are unfortunate enough to be in collision with an uninsured driver they could suffer severe injury or financial loss and either scenario could turn their world upside down. It’s important to contact the police as soon as possible in this situation to help towards reducing the number of uninsured drivers on Britain’s roads, plus by contacting the police drivers may avoid paying an excess.”

Nick Robbins, Chief Public Affairs Officer at MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau), said: “We estimate there are one million uninsured drivers on our roads that kill and injure thousands of people every year. We want drivers to consider how they’d feel if it was their parent, child or sibling whose life has been significantly changed because of someone’s reckless decision to get behind the wheel of a car without insurance. That’s why this work is so important to us. People need to make the right choice and drive insured.”

David Davies, Executive Director of PACTS, said: “Uninsured driving is not just a financial matter. There are strong links between driving uninsured, driving dangerously, being involved in crashes, hit and run, and wider criminality. It is vital to break this chain and tackling uninsured driving may be the best way. The PACTS and Direct Line Constituency Dashboard, is designed to highlight the issue and the Parliamentary constituencies most affected.”

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) is a registered charity. It supports the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety. The PACTS and Direct Line Constituency Dashboard, which provides road traffic accident data for every constituency in the UK, can be accessed at: http://www.pacts.org.uk/dashboard/

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Notes to Editors

¹        Direct Line analysis of MIB insurance claims data on the proportion of road traffic accidents involving uninsured drivers by home constituency, 2017

²        Direct Line analysis of the Ministry of Justice’s Motoring Pivot Table Analytical Tool for England and Wales published on 17 May 2018

For further information please contact:

Emma Cava
PR Manager
Direct Line Group

Tel: 01651 831 715
Email: emma.cava@directlinegroup.co.uk

Samantha Stewart

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

samantha.stewart@citigatedewerogerson.com

0207 282 2856

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