Worst areas for uninsured drivers revealed

Richard Aucock
Thu, 13 Nov 2025

Thurrock in Essex is the UK’s worst offending area for uninsured driving, new data from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) has uncovered.

The postcode area RM19 tops the list, based on two full years of MIB claim data. It is followed by the Birmingham hotspots of B25 and B18.

Indeed, four regions in Birmingham feature in the top 10 list of postal hotspots for uninsured driving. Add in B66 Sandwell and half of the top 10 uninsured driving hotspots were in the West Midlands.

Peterborough, Havering, Manchester and Belfast also feature in the top 10.

The MIB has recently been working with police forces on its annual ‘Operation Drive Insured’ campaign to remove uninsured vehicles from the road.

Alarmingly, nearly 120,000 uninsured vehicles have already been seized so far in 2025.

Government figures, says the not-for-profit organisation, revel the economic cost of uninsured driving to be £1bn a year.

"Our aim is to end uninsured driving," says MIB head of enforcement Martin Saunders.

As part of Operation Drive Insured, police forces are encouraged to use the central record of all active motor insurance policies, which is managed by MIB.

They are also checking cars that have passed ANPR cameras on previous occasions using the database. "Uninsured vehicles with a marker are then flagged to police and dealt with roadside," explains the MIB.

The MIB says it is keen to help motorists avoid unintended insurance mistakes that can leave them uninsured. "The consequences will be the same regardless of your intention, so a quick check of your policy could save a lot of stress and expense."

This is particularly so if you have – or think you have – an auto-renewal on your policy.

Uninsured drivers receive a £300 fixed penalty notice and six points on their licence, while their seized vehicle may end up crushed.

Those whose cases go to court can receive an unlimited fine and even a driving ban.

Ask HJ

Should I declare an insurance claim on my motorbike when applying for car insurance?

I used to ride motorcycles. In 2007 I had a no fault accident where my bike was written off. My insurance paid out without quibble and my solicitor put in a claim for loss of equipment and clothing which was paid out by the other persons ins company. As you know, when filling out questionaires on car insurance comparison sites, they always ask if you've had any accidents and claims in the last 5 years. With no intent to lie or deceive, something in the back of my tiny brain didn't associate a bike insurance with a car insurance, so I always answered no. It wasn't until well after 5 years had passed after the bike accident that it dawned on me that maybe I should have declared my bike accident/claim on car ins forms. Sshould I have declared it ? Common sense now tells me that the answer is yes, but I need clarification so I can put this to bed as it bothers me that I didn't do the right thing for 5 years.

Generally insurers will ask about any motor accident or claim within the last five years so that your overall driving history can be assessed rather than limiting this to vehicle types. This means that you should have declared your claim - even if a no fault claim - within five years following the accident. But, since your accident happened in 2007 and is well outside of the five-year period that insurers ask about, you would not need to declare it now. This is also no longer relevant to your current or future car insurance applications. Should anything similar happen in the future, it’s important to be aware that all vehicle types are covered in this question. Insurers have access to claims history through industry databases, so it’s likely they’ll find out, even if you don’t declare it. And this could invalidate your policy. So always declare any incidents, whether fault or no fault, and if you’re unsure, speak to your insurer and they’ll be able to talk you through the information they need.

Answered by Rhydian Jones

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