A man in Lancashire was spared a prison sentence when he admitted to driving his van without any kind of insurance.
Not usually something they send you to prison for anyway you might be thinking, but when you consider he was also a disqualified driver then it becomes a more serious offence.
The man, who is 34, plead guilty in a court of law for not having a driving license and not having van insurance, although the judge decided not to send him to prison.
Instead, he got a suspended 8 week sentence, which means if he commits an offence again, especially driving a van without insurance, then he will be sent to prison for around 2 months. Not only that, but he also has to follow a 6 week curfew which does not allow him to leave the house between 8pm and 6am.
He was also given a 12 month driving ban, had 6 points put onto his license, given a 6 month supervision requirement and had to pay costs that came to £200.
The sentence was handed out because the man had only recently been banned from driving, and had significant previous offences.
It just goes to show you that driving without van insurance is something that can get you into a lot of trouble. Even if you don’t have any previous offences or a history of being in trouble with the law, if you get caught driving without insurance then the Police will not be very impressed.
You could find yourself in a lot of trouble, and may even have to go to court. As we’ve just seen, a prison sentence is unlikely, but you could easily get a suspended sentence, as well as fines.
My advice is simple…always make sure you get van insurance, and never drive without it. I’m hearing a lot of complaints recently about how “insurance is so expensive” and “I don’t want to pay it anymore,” but in reality you don’t have any choice.
It is UK law that your van must be insured, so if you don’t have a policy right now you must do it right away.
Sure, van insurance is getting more expensive, but if you shop around then you might be surprised to find out exactly how cheap it can be.
The best way to do this is by using a van insurance comparison website so you can have your details sent off to all the major insurance companies, and then within a few minutes you get all the quotes right there in front of you.
Some people have reported saving hundreds of pounds on their van insurance by doing this, so in my opinion, anyone who wants cheaper insurance should give it a try.