MIB (The Motor Insurers’ Bureau) has revealed that thousands of people are unwittingly breaking the law by driving other people’s cars without insurance, resulting in over 3,000 vehicles being seized between July 2016 and June 2018.

Over 40% of the calls made to MIB’s Police Helpline from police officers about whether the policy holder had the ‘Driving Other Vehicle’ (DOV) extension on their policy during this time period resulted in the vehicle being seized.

The data shows that people often assume they have the DOV extension on their insurance policy if they have fully comprehensive cover. In particular, the DOV extension is only valid if you are the policy holder on a vehicle, not a named driver on someone else’s.

This could mean that people are driving their friends, partners or family member’s cars on the road, assuming they are covered to do so, when in fact they are only insured on their own vehicle.

Calls into the Police Helpline have highlighted an array of scenarios where people have neglected to check their policies in detail. In one case, an individual on the school run borrowing their partner’s car was stopped by the police. It transpired that the policy holder did not have the DOV extension on their policy and their partner’s vehicle was seized as a result.

In light of this, MIB is encouraging all drivers to check their insurance policies, or polices on which they are a named driver, carefully so that they remain on the right side of the law otherwise the consequences are serious.

If you are caught driving uninsured you face a number of penalties including: Six points on your licence, a £300 fine, your vehicle potentially being seized by the police and possibly even crushed, as well as facing higher insurance premiums in future.

“What may seem like a quick trip in your mate’s car could result in you losing your vehicle, fines to pay and points on your licence.” said Neil Drane, Head of Enforcement Services at MIB.

“We want all drivers to think before just jumping in another vehicle. Are you actually insured to drive it? People should also remember that if you are involved in an accident and you are uninsured, you remain liable for any costs so it really isn’t worth the risk.”

If you are unsure about what your insurance policy covers you for, you should always contact your insurer before taking to the roads.