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Riders must insure or SORN bikes under new DVLA rules

Working with the Motor Insurance Database (MID) the DVLA is launching the continuous insurance scheme early next year. This will introduce new penalties for riders who have not declared their bike as being off the road – through a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) – or are uninsured.

The scheme will see letters being sent to registered keepers who, if they take no action, will then face a range of penalties. These start from a £100 fine to prosecution and fining of up to £1000, with the ultimate sanction being the seizing and destruction of their bike.

The reason for this new scheme is that the DVLA are trying to crack
down on the estimated 1.5 million uninsured riders and drivers who cost the UK more than £500m a year – and add around £30 to every motor insurance premium.
Riders can check if their bikes (and their correct details) are recorded on the MID database by going to www.askMID.com. If they are not up-to-date, the relevant insurance provider must be contacted and given the correct details, as it will prevent riders being contacted in error by the DVLA or incorrectly stopped by the police.

Simon Jackson, commercial director at Carole Nash, also says that bikers who complete a SORN declaration should also consider insurance against theft. “Nearly half of our theft claims occur between November and April, even though we actually cover fewer machines over winter. Most thefts are also from garages, car ports or driveways so keeping a bike off the road is certainly no guarantee that it’s safe from thieves,” he says.