Uninsured drivers cost motorists £500m a year
UK drivers are paying on average £31 a year on their car insurance to cover people who are uninsured, according to comparethemarket.com.
The comparison website finds uninsured drivers cost motorists £500 million a year - excluding the financial costs surrounding accidents caused by uninsured drivers.
In addition, YouGov research conducted on behalf of comparethemarket.com found 87 per cent of motorists feel the government does not do enough to prevent people from driving without insurance.
At present, the fine for driving without insurance is just £250 - less than the cost of an insurance policy for many drivers, especially younger motorists, who could pay £1000 in annual premiums.
In the survey, 79 per cent thought this was too low.
"comparethemarket.com is keen to get consumers the best possible deal on their motor insurance. One way the government can help with this objective is to take action to reduce the number of illegal drivers on Britain's roads and that has to be through more severe penalties.
"If the number of illegal drivers decreases then the industry will have more flexibility in pricing policies for law abiding motorists," said Jeremy Moll, head of Insurance, comparethemarket.com.
Theresa Villiers, shadow secretary of state for transport, said: "The average penalty for an uninsured driving offence is a fraction of the cost of a year's car insurance, incentivising law-breaking.
"That cannot be right, and I hope Ruth Kelly will pay attention to the 87 per cent of motorists who have told this survey that she should do something about it. Motorists have had enough of footing the bill for uninsured drivers."
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