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Motor Insurance Database and the effect on private number plates
New laws introduced in early 2011 made it an offence to have a car, even if it is off the public highway and not have it insured. The only way around this if you are taking a car off the road is to declare SORN.
This new law comes hot on the heels of continuous taxation which is alos targetting those drivers who are neither taxed nor insured. The heart of the system is the Motor Insurance Database which has a record of very car which is insured in the U.K.
Now, the DVLA know which cars are taxed and insured without leaving their desks! Fixed penalties and worse can be despatched by post without the offending vehicle even being driven. Backing this up is the proliferation of ANPRS cameras ( Automatic Number Plates Recognition System) which are deployed both in Police cars and random locations around the country,
The DVLA and police now have the tools they need to ensure that all uninsured drivers are either forced off the road or will have to comply with the laws that good drivers have been abiding by for years.
With regard to private number plates and cherished number transfers, it is now even more important that, at the end of an assignment or transfer of a cherished number, the car owner informs his/her insurance company of the change of registration number.
Failure to do so will result in a fixed penalty, being stopped by the police or similar as the new registration number will not be contained in the Motor Insurance Database.
We would recommend a short letter, sent by recorded delivery detailing policy number, old registration number and new registration number and keep a copy for yourself.
It is easy to check yourself whether you car is correctly recorded on the Database by visiting the website www.askmid.com and entering your registration number.
If you have any questions regarding any of the above , please contact us by email or telephone.
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