This offense has exploded on our roads in recent years, the fine is particularly steep.
It’s an old phenomenon but one that no longer goes unnoticed. An infraction of the Highway Code which has been fined more than 243,000 times in 2023, whereas it did not even generate 50,000 fines six years ago. What is it about? Using the phone while driving? Driving a vehicle after taking drugs? Neither, yet around a million motorists risk getting caught every day if stopped by the police. This fault committed on the roads of France increased by a further 18% between 2022 and 2023, making it one of the offenses experiencing the highest increase over 12 months.
We’re talking about driving without insurance. In France, as elsewhere, the owner of a car is obliged to take out insurance which guarantees that any person injured or whose property is damaged during a car accident is compensated. But too many motorists choose to drive in uninsured vehicles, most often for the sake of savings – it takes between 550 and 700 euros per year on average to insure your car – at the risk of paying a high price for it. in the event of control by law enforcement.
And if this offense is being reported more and more often, it is because since 2019 the police and gendarmerie have had access to the national file of insured vehicles (FVA), which lists all cars and motorcycles covered by insurance. Officers only need to enter the license plate number to detect possible fraud. Driving a motor vehicle without insurance is considered an offense. This can result in a fine of 3,750 euros with additional penalties such as suspension or cancellation of the driving license and confiscation of the vehicle.
But most often the offender avoids the court, this is particularly always the case during an electronic fine. In this case the driver must pay a fixed fine of 500 euros. This can be reduced to 400 euros for payment within 15 days or increased to 1,000 euros after 45 days. Above all, if he commits an accident involving other people, the person responsible is not covered by insurance. It is an organization, the Victim Guarantee Fund, which pays accident victims compensation. But the driver will then have to repay the costs, sometimes for his entire life…