Almost 10,000 motorists caught driving without insurance in the South West in 3 years

More than 10,000 motorists have been reported for driving without insurance between 2021 and 2023 in the South West, paying out more than £4million in fines. Of the regions analysed, Devon and Cornwall had the highest total offences with 5,748.

That’s according to new data obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests to UK Police Forces. According to the data, the police forces in the South West seized more than 16,000 vehicles between 2021 and 2023. However motorists were also forced to pay out on top of the fine to retrieve their car. Over the 3 year period this set drivers back a further £1.6 million collectively.

Driving without insurance offences in the South West (based on forces who replied to FOI request)

Across the UK, almost 131,000 offences were committed between 2021 and 2023, totalling £400,000 in fines. This resulted in 166,000 vehicles being seized, with drivers paying out £16 million collectively to retrieve them.

Driving without insurance carries serious financial consequences for offenders, with fines now as much as £300, with a 6 point penalty too. However, if a driver is in an accident without being correctly insured, they could be paying out thousands in damages. The driver would have to pay to fix damage to their own vehicle and any third party too.

It’s clear being caught driving without insurance can set drivers back a significant amount. However, recent car insurance price hikes could explain why so many motorists are taking the risk.

The average cost of car insurance in the UK reached £995 at the end of last year, which is a steep £366 (58%) increase year-on-year. That’s according to the latest car insurance price index by Confused.com, powered by WTW. However, for some, this bill is significantly higher. Younger drivers are seeing huge increases to their insurance premiums, with some now paying over £1,000 more compared to this time last year. Eighteen year olds are now facing premiums upwards of £3,000. And drivers up to the age of 43 are all paying more than £1,000, on average. This means the cost of car insurance across the board is at the highest on record.

With younger drivers paying more for insurance, it’s no surprise that 41% of offences reported, broken down by offender age, were committed by under 30s. This is especially concerning as many of these drivers wouldn’t qualify as being able to drive another car on their comprehensive policy. This suggests they have actively driven without a policy in place. 

‘Driving other cars’ is something that drivers can include on a comprehensive insurance policy if they’re over 25. However, this isn’t something that’s included as standard, despite what many drivers believe. According to further research, more than a third (34%) of UK drivers aren’t completely aware of whether their insurance policy includes ‘driving other cars’. And 1 in 10 (10%) UK drivers have knowingly driven another car that isn’t their own, without checking their insurance first. Over a third (34%) thought they had insurance at the time of driving. But a further 29% admitted they took the risk as they were only driving a short distance. And 11% didn’t think they’d get caught. Meanwhile, almost 1 in 5 (18%) admit to driving someone else’s car relying on their own comprehensive policy.