Postcode is in hotspot for uninsured drivers

THE ‘OL’ postcode is the worst in Greater Manchester for motorists driving without valid insurance.

There were 1,605 drivers in the postcode area who have had their licences stamped for driving illegally as of September.

That works out at around one in every 167 drivers – more than anywhere else in Greater Manchester.

The ‘OL’ postcode covers Oldham and parts of Rochdale, Littleborough, Whitworth, Heywood, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bacup and Todmorden.

Elsewhere in the region one driver in every 178 in the M postcode in Manchester was down as having been caught driving uninsured.

Drivers found to be driving without valid insurance are fined £300 and given six points on their licence. Their insurance premiums are also likely to increase.

Nationally, up to £300,000 is paid out by The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) which handles claims against uninsured and untraceable drivers.

A levy is paid by all motor insurance companies to claims every year. The MIB, through its own research, found the OL8 and OL9 postcodes were among the top 10 worst places for motorists driving without valid insurance in the north west, with proportions four times the national average.

Ashton West, chief executive of MIB, said driving without insurance is simply not worth the risk.

“Overall you will have to pay out much more than if you had just bought the correct insurance in the first place,” he added.

“Insurance costs will go up, so it’s better to just pay it in the first place.”

He said that if someone is injured in an incident, the driver of the uninsured vehicle will have to pay thousands of pounds.

Mr West added: “We pay the compensation, but we chase those responsible to recover those costs.

“Some people won’t ever be able to pay back the full amount but are having to pay back monthly.

“They will have a debt around their neck for the rest of their lives.

“My advice is, it’s not worth the risk.”