Crushing Cars To Control The Uninsured

According to DfS, there are more than 1 million drivers in the U.K. who drive without insurance. According to the Association of British Insurers, these drivers are 10 times more likely to have been convicted of drunk driving; six times more likely to have been convicted of driving an unsafe vehicle; and three times more likely to have been convicted of driving recklessly.

Accidents involving these motorists cost over ?200 million ($366 million U.S.), adding up to ?30 ($55 U.S.) a year to auto insurance premiums.

Under the proposed measures, the department plans to:

? Give the police the power to seize and, in appropriate cases, destroy vehicles that are driven by someone who is uninsured.

? Link the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency's Vehicle Register and the Motor Insurance Databases, allowing police to know which vehicles on the road are uninsured.

? Allow fixed penalties for people who ignore reminders that their insurance has expired.

In a separate report, issued by Co-opeartive Insurance Society Limited, an auto insurance carrier in the U.K., 63 percent of Britain's drivers believe that those who drive without insurance should be punished. The survey also said that 35 percent felt that "those who drove without insurance were irresponsible, stupid, a danger and a risk to other road users."

As for punishment, 22 percent thought that fines should be more in line with insurance costs. Twenty percent thought that uninsured drivers should be banned from driving, with 6 percent believing that the ban should be for life, and 17 percent felt the uninsured should be in jail.

Here in the United States, Lynn Knauf, policy manager for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, based in Des Plaines, Ill., said, of crushing cars, "This is absolutely not a good idea," adding, "it would created more problems than it is looking to resolve."

She noted that misunderstandings, billing problems, data misinformation, or someone else in the family using the car, could lead to accusations of someone driving while uninsured.

"Someone could think they are in compliance with the law, when they are not," she explained.

The United States has had its share of programs to stop uninsured drivers, including tips programs. At one time, she said, Florida tried to control the uninsured with a bounty system. Individuals could get a list of vehicle license plate numbers without insurance. With the list, the individual could remove the plate from the car and receive a bounty once they turned in the plate to the state.

"It was not a popular program," Ms. Knauf noted.

"For all those programs, you still have uninsured drivers," Ms. Knauf observed. "I don't know if the percentage of compliance will ever get much better."