Millions of us do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s legal. That’s why Churchill Insurance is reminding motorists that lending your car to a friend could result in a £271 fine and a driving ban.
The car insurance firm has found that approximately five million motorists have lent their car to a friend in the past year and around 650,000 of them didn't check they were covered to drive their car.
The offence leads to the prosecution of car owners who allow other people – who aren’t insured properly – to drive their car. This results in an average fine of £271 and six points on your driving licence. Some motorists have even been disqualified from driving.
It’s classed as an IN12 offence – one that is seen as aiding or procuring using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks, therefore making it a criminal offence.
Steve Barrett, head of car insurance at Churchill, told The Mirror: “People risk criminal conviction and losing their licence for loaning their car for someone to just ‘pop to the shops’.
“The scale of uninsured motoring, as a result of people loaning their car to friends and family without checking they are insured, is worryingly high. In the majority of cases this is likely to be an innocent mistake, but whether intentional or not, it is your responsibility to ensure that others who drive your car are insured to do so.”
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