Tighter vehicle registration and insurance requirements in the UK The UK vehicle registration and insurance requirements and procedures have been tightened up over the last few years with the aim of reducing a significant minority of vehicles for which there are inaccurate records of the registered keeper and are being driven on UK public roads without motor insurance cover or without a current MOT annual test certificate. An additional "off the road" registration category was introduced in 2004 where the registered keeper can declare a Satutory Off Road Notice or SORN. The intended effect of these measures is to encourage responsible behaviour by motorists through targeting evaders by record-based compliance activities leaving a smaller hard core of persistent offenders for the police to deal with on the road. Databases of the key vehicle documents enable improved enforcement The registered keeper and current road tax, MOT certificate and motor insurance data for each vehicle are held on databases run by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Motor Insurance Database (MID). Enforcement checks are run by DVLA on the databases but a major development has been enforcement on the road with the increasing use of static and mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition means checks with DVLA and MID databases are made on vehicles passing the ANPR equipment by reading their registration plates. Police patrol cars have access to this technology so can very rapidly identify a car which has failed to comply with the requirements and should not be on the public roads. The DVLA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The Agency is accountable to the Secretary of State and Ministers and, through them, to Parliament and the public, for the efficient and effective management of the DVLA and its responsibilities. Its primary aims are to facilitate road safety and general law enforcement by maintaining registers of drivers and vehicles, and to collect vehicle excise duty (car tax). News reports on road tax/SORN/motor insurance matters are regularly posted on the V8 Website to help fellow members follow the developments and be aware of the increasing complexity of the requirements. The index to the news reports below is regularly updated. (30.1.09) See our running index of SORN/DVLA news items. More

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