London car hire users have been issued with a warning to watch out for uninsured drivers as they are costing taxpayers considerably each year.

In a statement by an expert on London’s motoring, the results of getting behind the wheel of your car without a valid policy has been highlighted as both financially and personally damaging. Points may be imposed upon a user’s license and even fines applied in some cases.

According to Will Thomas, who is the motoring adviser for Confused.con, there are over 450 injuries on the roads each week that involve uninsured drivers. The claim was based on statistics taken from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau

Thomas warned that more than £400 million was forked out by the motoring industry in 2008 for innocent victims, roughly equivalent to £30 for every insurance policy holder. There was further bad news with suggestions that the number of uninsured drivers was some 243,000 with the majority being in London. The figures should alarm all conscientious policy holders.

It seems that the practice of driving without insurance is particularly widespread in young people who are urged to learn the road rules and also potential ramifications of their actions. UK law stipulates that fines of as much as £5,000 may be imposed and the number of pints placed can be as high as eight.

The warnings come at a time when increased awareness of the benefits of insurance coverage are being highlighted in the media, with the Stay Insured Campaign from the MIB having also been released this week