Sep 02, 2008 The credit crunch has led to many UK citizens looking for ways to tighten their purse strings - everyone's doing it - and car owners in particular are feeling the strain with the cost of fuel at the pumps constantly increasing and the new Vehicle Excise Duty levels next year which could see some paying up to £2001 more on family saloons. However, the temptation to follow in the footsteps of foolhardy drivers who fail to take out car insurance should be avoided at any cost, warns RIAS.

To begin with, this is illegal in the UK and those found guilty of it could find themselves in considerable legal trouble, it also costs other car drivers in excess of £500m each year, according to the Motor Insurers Bureau. This equates to around £30 extra on every premium, effectively being subsidized by the fully insured user.

"There is no question that driving without insurance is both unlawful and ill-advised," says RIAS Managing Director Janet Connor. "If you are worried about the cost of insurance, it is worth talking to your insurance provider to check whether there are any savings to be made. At RIAS, for example, we specialise in finding tailored insurance solutions for the over 50s, who can often benefit from cheaper premiums because of low mileage, or because their cars are parked off-road or kept in a garage. We advise customers to ensure they ask about discounts and flexible payment plans when they call us for a quote."

While efforts are being taken by the relevant law enforcement authorities but much can be done by all members of society and that neighbours, friends and family should not look the other way if people they know are driving without insurance.

Car Insurance Evasion - the facts:

* Last year, around 160 deaths and 23,000 injuries road accident’s involved uninsured drivers.

* Claims processed against uninsured drivers can be complicated for victims to process.

* Throughout 2007, more than 150,000 uninsured motor vehicles were taken by police - that's one vehicle every three minutes.

* Number plate recognition technology and better link ups between police and insurance companies is boosting police operations in fighting uninsured drivers.

1Source: The AA
2Research from the Motor Investigation Bureau, Report: The Road Ahead, Issue 15, 2007

*Call RIAS for a quote on your car insurance to see if we can save you money: 0800 052 5250

All services including http://www.rias.co.uk/home-insurance/overview/">house insurance are available online.

Janet Connor, Managing Director of RIAS is available for further comment and interview. To arrange an interview with, or photography of, Janet, please call Simon Robinson on 07976 329823 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

About RIAS

* RIAS was founded in 1992 and is a specialist provider of insurance products for the over 50s age group

* RIAS negotiates with a panel of insurers to secure competitive, value for money products

* RIAS has over 970,000 customers and currently employs over 1,200 people across two locations - Bournemouth and Belfast

* In July 2007 RIAS' home insurance contents and buildings policies received four 'Best Buy' awards from Which? magazine

* In December 2007 RIAS won the 'Personal Lines Broker of the year" award at the Insurance Times awards

RIAS is part of Fortis (Insurance UK), a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK and the 2007 British Insurance Awards 'General Insurer of the Year'. The insurer's successful customer-centric strategy has been founded on aligning its activities to how customers want to buy insurance, combined with delivering high quality products, manufactured at costs better than market norms.

Fortis's unique multi-distribution capability enables it to deliver products face-to-face, by phone (inbound and outbound), over the Internet and via SMS technology. Aligning its business activities with its partners' general insurance strategies enables Fortis to offer end-to-end white label capabilities in product development, marketing, campaign management, sales, fulfilment and claims - providing a seamless integration with partner brands.

Insuring in excess of 6.7 million customers and working with a range of partners, Fortis is recognised for delivering consistent and high-quality customer experiences. It employs 2,901 people as of 31/12/07 with a head office based in Eastleigh and others in Belfast, Bournemouth, Gloucester, Haywards Heath, Redditch, and Stoke-on-Trent. In 2007, its profit before tax and interest (excluding impact of weather related events) was £92.2 million and its GWP was 757.8 million.

http://www.rias.co.uk

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