As part of Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) it is a legal offence to keep a vehicle without insurance unless you have notified DVLA that your vehicle is being kept off the road by means of a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN).

You don’t have to be driving to be caught.

Under the CIE system, MIB and the DVLA are working in partnership to identify uninsured vehicles by comparing DVLA vehicle records against those held on the Motor Insurance Database (MID).

The registered keeper will be sent an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action. If the keeper fails to comply with the advice set out in the letter they will face:

• a fixed penalty notice of £100
• their vehicle being clamped, seized and disposed of
• a court prosecution with a maximum fine of £1,000

These insurance enforcement measures are in addition to the powers the police already have to seize an uninsured vehicle and fine the driver.

You can check your vehicle has a valid insurance policy on the Motor Insurance Database by using our FREE service at www.askMID.com 

For more information on CIE please visit www.direct.gov.uk/stayinsured and see relevant press releases in the MIB Media Centre.