Recreational drivers and motorbike enthusiasts are being urged to pay special attention to a new piece of legislation aimed at clamping down on uninsured motorists.

(This is a guest blog post from Money Supermarket in the UK)

Vehicle owners without adequate cover add an estimated £30 (roughly $48 USD) to the cost of a car insurance policy, but it is hoped that that figure will drop dramatically when the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) law comes into effect this month (June).

CIE will make it illegal to own a vehicle without valid insurance unless it has been officially declared as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

Peter Harrison, a car insurance expert at leading price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, has warned that all drivers, no matter what type of vehicle they own, now need to be especially conscious of insurance expiry dates or they will face being handed a fixed penalty of £100 ($161 USD) and possibly the risk of being prosecuted at a future date.

Harrison also stressed that if bought through moneysupermarket car insurance could cost an average of £282 ($455 USD) less.

“The number of drivers prepared to hit the road without insurance is a huge concern,” said Harrison. “It is illegal to get behind the wheel without adequate cover and should you be involved in a crash when not insured you could face thousands of pounds in liability, a conviction including six points on your license as well as charges of up to £5,000 ($8068 USD).

“With CIE legislation coming into force, it should help drive down the number of uninsured drivers on our roads. It also means ALL motorists need to be vigilant of their insurance renewal dates – especially leisure drivers or motorbike enthusiasts who only use their vehicles occasionally and let their insurance lapse in the meantime; they need to declare their vehicle as SORN or renew!

“With insurance premiums rising on average by 44p per day, or by 31 percent last year, shopping around for the best deal at renewal time is crucial to ensure you aren’t paying over the odds for your car insurance. The average saving on an annual car insurance policy using moneysupermarket.com is £282 ($455 USD), so I urge everyone to do their research and not automatically accept their renewal without checking there isn’t a better alternative.”

Like Harrison, Ashton West, the chief executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, also hailed the impact that CIE could make. He said: “Around four per cent of vehicles have no motor insurance at any given time and this needs to change so that is why this new enforcement approach is so important.

“The change in law is a stepping up of enforcement activity, so that not only those vehicles driven without insurance will be caught. Now the registered keeper must make sure that their vehicle is insured all the time. In order to make sure everyone is aware of the new scheme, a national awareness campaign will be shown on satellite and terrestrial TV channels.”