Police tighten net on auto insurance coverage crooks

Uninsured driving is a main headache.

Initial factors 1st, let’s make the position crystal clear: you cannot drive with no insurance coverage. Complete cease. No ifs, no buts.

If your automobile isn’t going to be driven, you don’t want insurance provided you have a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) from the DVLA.

SORN point

Off-road signifies just that. Permanently off-road, or at least until you re-apply for a tax disc and terminate the SORN. Just laying up your automobile for 6 months and letting the insurance coverage lapse doesn’t count. No SORN indicates insurance have to be in location.

So, having no insurance is illegal. Drivers without having insurance face getting their automobile seized and:

-       £300 fixed penalty

-       £150 collection charge

-       £20 per day storage

-       6 points on the licence

-       no automobile is released until proof of insurance coverage is produced.

And guess what, obtaining clobbered for not getting insurance coverage will almost undoubtedly lead to… an enhance in your auto insurance coverage premiums.

Touching base

So how is uninsured driving policed.

The Motor Insurance Bureau manages the Motor Insurance Database, which includes details of all insured cars in the UK.

The boys in blue are among those who can access it. 1 way they do this is by calling a committed helpline from the roadside to verify the insurance coverage status of a particular car. If the vehicle is not on the database, they know they’ve got a reside a single.

Almost 2,500 uninsured automobiles are seized by the police each and every week, so the program clearly functions. But it’s going to perform even harder from September when the opening hours of the helpline are extended from 8am-9pm Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm on Saturdays to 7am-2am Sunday to Thursday, and among 7am-3am, Friday and Saturday.

Playing the method

Ashton West, boss of the MIB, explained the pondering behind the change: “There’s a phrase we’ve heard the police use on a quantity of occasions: ‘When the MIB Police Helpline closes, criminals are just coming out to play.’

“There’s clearly a link in between people who commit crime and who do not have insurance, which is why we’re extending our helpline’s operational hours to help the police in stopping uninsured vehicles at night and into the early hours of the morning, when they really usually find out other criminal offences.”

Pilot wails

The decision to extend the service hours is a result of a productive pilot carried out in October 2013, when the helpline was accessible 24/7 for a 4-week period.

The pilot demonstrated the appetite of police officers to get in touch with the helpine for the duration of antisocial hours to establish no matter whether or not valid insurance was in location.

It brought in more than 3,800 calls to the helpline which resulted in over 850 vehicles becoming seized for no insurance coverage, all during a period which would generally be out of hours.

Police tighten net on auto insurance coverage crooks

How to beat the hi-tech auto crooks

Back in the great old days, a automobile thief required small a lot more than a wire coathanger, half a tennis ball and a bit of perseverance to get your door open – failing that a brick via the window would do the trick.

But as automobile security has become a lot more sophisticated, the crooks have had to up their game and are now turning to tech to support steal your wheels.

Car thieves turn hi-tech

In spite of not having located a way to thwart the brick-by way of-the-window method to car crime, the use of technologies such as keyless entry, on-board computer systems, alarms, immobilisers and tracking devices need to mean it is tougher than ever for crooks to make off with your motor.

But it isn’t – thieves are utilizing devices recognized as ‘jammers’ to block the signal sent from your key fob to your vehicle, which means it is left unlocked with out you realising. As soon as inside, crooks can then connect a essential programming device into the car’s diagnostic port, programme a blank important and drive off.

Even though jammers are mainly the preserve of thieves who target high-spec functionality cars, they could make their way into the mainstream. The technology can be picked up for as small as £50 and electronic intervention approaches are thought to now account for over half of all car thefts.

So what can you do about it?

How to get out of a jam

One way to get around the jammers is to just be vigilant – if you press the fob a couple of instances and your automobile does not lock, it might be worth driving off to another car park or space. It may just be a fault with your locking technique, but it could just as simply be a tech-loving criminal, and you can never ever be too cautious.

An additional choice could be to match a steering wheel lock each and every time you park. These items have been de rigueur amongst security-conscious auto owners about a decade or so ago but seem to have all but disappeared these days, possibly since thieves located a way around them.

But anything that makes life harder for them has to be worth a go.

Fight fire with fire

Or you could fight the thieves on the tech front by installing a device such as Trafficmaster’s Trackstar Advance, a new telematics device created to combat electronic theft and track your car if all else fails.

The device has been created in conjunction with Thatcham Research and is a Thatcham CAT6 item, which signifies it will offer tracking information with street mapping and a motion sensor. What’s a lot more, the additional safety it offers indicates it could bring down the expense of your auto insurance.

It also makes use of sophisticated driver identification technology to stop any unauthorised starting of your engine.

Fobbed off

Alternatively, you could just make positive your auto is locked prior to you walk away from it – just due to the fact your vehicle has remote locking, it doesn’t mean you have to lock it by pointing the fob more than your shoulder as you stroll away.

Considering on, you need to almost certainly stop carrying out that anyway, if for no other purpose than it looks daft and impresses no-one particular – it’s not the 90s you know.

How to beat the hi-tech auto crooks

How to beat the hi-tech auto crooks

Back in the excellent old days, a automobile thief required small a lot more than a wire coathanger, half a tennis ball and a bit of perseverance to get your door open – failing that a brick by means of the window would do the trick.

But as automobile safety has turn out to be far more advanced, the crooks have had to up their game and are now turning to tech to help steal your wheels.

Car thieves turn hi-tech

In spite of not getting located a way to thwart the brick-through-the-window strategy to auto crime, the use of technologies such as keyless entry, on-board computer systems, alarms, immobilisers and tracking devices must mean it is tougher than ever for crooks to make off with your motor.

But it isn’t – thieves are employing devices identified as ‘jammers’ to block the signal sent from your key fob to your automobile, meaning it is left unlocked without you realising. When inside, crooks can then connect a essential programming device into the car’s diagnostic port, programme a blank essential and drive off.

Even though jammers are mostly the preserve of thieves who target high-spec functionality automobiles, they could make their way into the mainstream. The technologies can be picked up for as tiny as £50 and electronic intervention strategies are believed to now account for over half of all vehicle thefts.

So what can you do about it?

How to get out of a jam

One particular way to get about the jammers is to just be vigilant – if you press the fob a couple of times and your auto doesn’t lock, it may possibly be worth driving off to another vehicle park or space. It may just be a fault with your locking technique, but it could just as effortlessly be a tech-loving criminal, and you can in no way be also cautious.

An additional selection could be to match a steering wheel lock every time you park. These things have been de rigueur among safety-conscious auto owners about a decade or so ago but look to have all but disappeared these days, possibly because thieves found a way around them.

But something that tends to make life tougher for them has to be worth a go.

Fight fire with fire

Or you could fight the thieves on the tech front by installing a device such as Trafficmaster’s Trackstar Advance, a new telematics device created to combat electronic theft and track your vehicle if all else fails.

The device has been created in conjunction with Thatcham Research and is a Thatcham CAT6 item, which indicates it will offer tracking data with street mapping and a motion sensor. What’s much more, the extra safety it delivers indicates it could bring down the expense of your auto insurance.

It also makes use of sophisticated driver identification technology to quit any unauthorised beginning of your engine.

Fobbed off

Alternatively, you could just make positive your automobile is locked just before you stroll away from it – just since your vehicle has remote locking, it doesn’t mean you have to lock it by pointing the fob over your shoulder as you walk away.

Thinking on, you ought to most likely stop performing that anyway, if for no other cause than it looks daft and impresses no-a single – it is not the 90s you know.

How to beat the hi-tech auto crooks