There are usually no excuses for driving without car insurance. Unsurprisingly, the law is rather firm on this, given the risks associated with driving what is in effect a mobile killing machine.  This notwithstanding, some of the more rebellious drivers always seem to have an excuse handy, just in case they fall foul of the flashing blue lights. And some of them, even we have to admit, are rather creative. 

Strangest Excuses for not Having Insurance ​

According to responses from retired traffic officers, one motorist actually claimed that his car drove perfectly well without insurance – a reasonable point in all fairness but entirely irrelevant.

Another driver, whose favoured mode of transport was a Lamborghini, suggested that he was covered on a third-party extension for a Nissan Micra. Quite why a super-mini would be insured in the same group as a supercar is beyond us.  One woman actually contended that she was covered by her husband’s insurance even though he had passed away.  

In addition to some of these curveball alibis, our beleaguered traffic police are usually subjected to similar evasions over and over again. One of the most common is the ‘I didn’t realise I wasn’t insured’ line. According to figures around two thirds of drivers use this argument which unsurprisingly falls on deaf ears time and again. A third of drivers assert that they weren’t aware that their policy had expired. Unfortunately, blissful ignorance isn’t a defense in the eyes of the law.

However, our boys in blue aren’t completely without compassion and there are a few instances where discretion will be given. For instance, medical emergencies will sometimes result in the guilty motorist being excused. In fact, recent figures gathered from a survey of ex-police officers suggest that 72% believed that the decision to penalise under such circumstances was at the officer’s discretion. A further 36% identified a partner giving birth as a sufficient reason to have mercy on the uninsured driver. 

Most accept their penalty and get on with their lives accordingly. But sometimes, aggrieved motorists take their dispute further, especially if they feel they’ve been hard done by. And there are a few special circumstances in which a Court may not feel it right and proper to impose a penalty. Some examples include the cancellation of a policy by an insurer without informing the policy holder, faults attributable to an insurance company which results in no policy being in force and a person who has a genuine reason for thinking that he/she is insured. 

There are of course times when the driver has made an honest mistake regarding his or her car insurance. To avoid some of the most common pitfalls, be sure to make a note of when your policy is due for renewal or even better, set up an auto-renewal. Also take care to read the small print, so that you know what you’re covered for. And if you’ve made changes to your motoring habits such as parking somewhere different overnight then check your policy so see if you’re protected.