In the United Kingdom, it is consider an offence to use a motor vehicle on a road or in a public place without an adequate insurance document that covers against third party risk. The motor vehicle does not need to be in motion for it to be considered to be in use.

The punishments for using a motor vehicle without insurance can be quite harsh. Drivers may be given 6 to 8 penalty points on their license or given a discretionary disqualification and a fine of up to £5000.

In order to mount a successful prosecution, the Prosecution service must be able to prove that the vehicle was in use on a road or in a public place. If you were using the vehicle on private land then they will not be able to build a case against you. It is often possible to build a strong case to dispute an alleged offence of driving without insurance. The defences may dispute that the alleged offence took place or they may seek to explain why the offence occurred.

Special Reasons

The Defence may be able to argue that an offence only occurred because of special reasons that were unique to those particular circumstances. Defendants have previously argued that they were forced to drive a vehicle without adequate insurance due to emergency situations or to protect human life.

It may also be possible for a defendant to argue that they believed that they were fully insured to drive the vehicle. In order to support this defence, a defendant must show that they held a genuine and honest belief that they were covered. An ambiguous contract or communication from an insurance provider can be used to support this defence.

Legal representatives are often able to find ambiguities in insurance contracts which enable them to build a strong defence for their clients. If you held a genuine and honest belief that you were covered to drive the vehicle or to allow another party to drive the vehicle then you should make contact with our legal team to build a strong support for your case.