Tory peer calls for cars to display insurance disc in windscreen
Posted by Mark Bond on Monday, 9 Jul 2012, 17:35 in UK Motoring
Car owners in Britain should have to display proof of insurance on their windscreen, according to a Tory peer. During an afternoon session in the House of Lords, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes questioned the government on how many uninsured drivers are believed to be using Britain's roads, and what action is being taken to reduce that number. She wants to see the French practice of having a car insurance disc displayed in a vehicle's windscreen, brought to the UK. Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes said: "...in France all motor vehicles have to carry a pink disc alongside their equivalent of our tax disc, with their insurance details obvious in the windscreens at all times and updated when required by law. "Surely this is a simple way of assessment as other members of the public will notice cars that are not carrying a pink disc and any policeman or other enforcement officer passing by will know immediately that a car is not insured." However, Earl Attlee, speaking for the government, said the scheme was flawed as there was nothing to stop drivers from taking out insurance to get a certificate and then cancelling the payment immediately afterwards. "The problem with an insurance disc is that the insurance may have been cancelled due to non-payment," he said. "What is the use of having an insurance disc that can be cancelled?"
