Car Owners Risk Driving Without Car Insurance

    /24-7PressRelease/ - BOURNEMOUTH, UK, September 04, 2008 - The credit crunch has made belt-tightening the UK's No.1 pastime - saving where possible is on all our minds - and those among us who run a car are very much feeling the strain with the cost of fuel at the pumps constantly increasing and the new Vehicle Excise Duty levels rising over the next 12 month. But some unwise drivers have now taken to evading taking out car insurance, warns RIAS.

Apart from the fact that driving without insurance is against the law in the UK, and those found guilty of it could find themselves faced with hefty penalties, it also costs other car drivers more than half a billion pounds per year, according to the Motor Insurers Bureau. This adds on average around 30 per insurance policy, effectively being subsidized by the fully insured user.
"There is no question that driving without insurance is both unlawful and ill-advised," says RIAS Managing Director Janet Connor. "If you are worried about the cost of insurance, it is worth talking to your insurance provider to check whether there are any savings to be made. At RIAS, for example, we specialise in finding tailored insurance solutions for the over 50s, who can often benefit from cheaper premiums because of low mileage, or because their cars are parked off-road or kept in a garage. We advise customers to ensure they ask about discounts and flexible payment plans when they call us for a quote."

While efforts are being taken by the relevant law enforcement authorities many believe it is society's collective responsibility to help fight this nuisance and none of us should not look the other way if we know of drivers that are evading car insurance.

Evading Car Insurance - the facts:

* Last year, around 160 deaths and 23,000 injuries road accident's involved uninsured drivers.

* Claims against uninsured drivers can be extremely difficult for victims to process.

* Throughout 2007, more than 150,000 uninsured motor vehicles were taken by police - that's one vehicle every three minutes.

* Number plate recognition technology and better link ups between police and insurance companies is helping to combat uninsured motoring.

1Source: The AA
2Research from the Motor Investigation Bureau, Report: The Road Ahead, Issue 15, 2007

*Call RIAS for a quote on your car insurance to see if we can save you money: 0800 052 5250

All services including house insurance can also be ordered online.

Janet Connor, Managing Director of RIAS is available for further comment and interview. To arrange an interview with, or photography of, Janet, please call Simon Robinson on 07976 329823 or e-mail [email protected].

About RIAS

* RIAS was established in 1992 and are providers bespoke providers of insurance products for the over 50s age group

* RIAS negotiates with a panel of insurers to secure competitive, well priced products

* RIAS has over 970,000 customers and employs over 1,200 people across two locations - Bournemouth and Belfast

* In July 2007 RIAS' home insurance contents and buildings policies received four 'Best Buy' awards from Which? magazine

* In December 2007 RIAS won the 'Personal Lines Broker of the year" award at the Insurance Times awards

RIAS is part of Fortis (Insurance UK), a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK and the 2007 British Insurance Awards 'General Insurer of the Year'. The insurer's successful customer-centric strategy has been founded on aligning its activities to how customers want to buy insurance, combined with delivering high quality products, manufactured at costs better than market norms.

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