Operation Tutelage

Operation Tutelage was established to address the estimated one million vehicles using UK roads each day without insurance and, although this figure has been static for a number of years, it is now starting to increase.  Whilst the idea begun in Thames Valley Police, it’s now used by all police forces.

Notwithstanding the impact of uninsured driving itself, there are proven links between uninsured driving and other types of criminality, many linked to the safety of others, and all with significant socio-economic cost.

We appreciate that the vast majority of people appear as uninsured for unintentional reasons. It was also believed that high numbers of these unintentionally uninsured could be encouraged to rectify the situation via a procedurally “reminder” approach and give them the opportunity to put it right rather than treat them as offenders in these circumstances.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle on a road or in a public place without at least 3rd party insurance. Even if the vehicle itself is insured, if you’re not correctly insured to drive it you could be considered to be driving without insurance and could get penalised.

You could receive a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points if you are caught driving a vehicle that you are not insured to drive. If the case goes to court you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving. The police also have the power to seize, and in some cases destroy, the vehicle that's been driven uninsured.

You can find more information, and answers to some of the questions you may have about Operation Tutelage below:

The purpose of Operation Tutelage is to address the estimated one million vehicles using UK roads each day without insurance and, although this figure has been static for a number of years, it is now starting to increase. Notwithstanding the impact of uninsured driving itself, there are proven links between uninsured driving and other types of criminality, many linked to the safety of others, and all with significant socio-economic cost.

Operation Tutelage is a relatively recent concept, stemming from an idea that the vast majority of people appear as uninsured for unintentional reasons. It was also believed that high numbers of these unintentionally uninsured could be encouraged to rectify the situation via a procedurally “just remind” approach and that it was not in anyone’s interest (public, police, Criminal Justice System or insurance industry) to treat them as offenders in these circumstances.

You have received a letter from the Police because your vehicle has been identified via our database that it currently has no valid vehicle insurance. Our database is regularly updated but occasionally there may be instances where your insurance details may not yet appear on our systems.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle on a road or in a public place without at least 3rd party insurance. Even if the vehicle itself is insured, if you’re not correctly insured to drive it you could be considered to be driving without insurance and could get penalised.

Uninsured driving is associated with an increased likelihood of being involved in a serious road crash, and pushes up the costs of insurance for all drivers.

The police have access to a database of all vehicles that are not insured.

You could receive a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points if you are caught driving a vehicle that you are not insured to drive. If the case goes to court you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving. The police also have the power to seize, and in some cases, destroy the vehicle that's been driven uninsured. 

If the vehicle is kept on public land the law requires that it is continuously insured. If you do not use your car, and it is kept on private ground, you can declare it off the road to the DVLA with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN). The DVLA requires you to complete a V890 form. You can do this online via https://www.gov.uk/make-a-sorn or download the form and submit it by post.

Not necessarily. Many insurance policies that enable you to drive other vehicles also require the other vehicle to be insured in its own right. To avoid any doubt you should ensure the vehicle you are driving is also insured.

The police can stop any vehicle in use on a road for any reason. During any such stop, routine checks would include confirming the insurance status covering the use of the vehicle at that time. If there is no valid insurance in place for such use, the vehicle is liable to be seized and the driver prosecuted. The penalty for the offence of driving a vehicle without insurance is a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points or, if the case goes to court, you could get an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving.

We do not require proof of insurance to be provided, we will check our own systems and those linked to the Motor Insurance Database, to confirm that insurance cover has been provided/ updated since the issue of the letter. Please do not send any documentation of this type to the police.

If you believe your vehicle is insured, and that you should not have received a letter from us, please contact your insurer in the first instance and check that a policy is in place. Mistakes can be made when your vehicle details are entered, and this will cause your vehicle to appear to be uninsured. You should also check your vehicle details online, for free, by using the Motor Insurance Database service - https://ownvehicle.askmid.com

Please be aware that if your insurers have asked for additional documentation and you do not provide it, there is a risk they will have cancelled the policy without further notice being given.

Please remember that not all insurance policies renew automatically. Please check with your insurer in relation to how you pay for the policy, especially if you pay your premium annually and not by Direct Debit.

Firstly, please check that someone else has not been driving your vehicle, as this would explain how it has been seen by our cameras. If this is not the case, we suggest that you email us via the address on your Operation Tutelage letter, with the words ‘Vehicle not driven’ in the subject line’ and we will begin an investigation to help understand what could have happened.

You should check that you have provided the right information to any buyer and the DVLA when you sold / transferred ownership of the vehicle.

There is lots of useful information available to help on the following GOV.UK website, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/responsibilities-selling-vehicle

If you have recently carried out a personalised number plate change, please ensure that you have contacted your insurer about this. Full details of how to carry out a personalised number plate change and the rules you need to adhere to can be found online –

https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers

For more information on vehicle insurance visit: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance

For more information on the type of insurances visit: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/insurance/insurance/types-of-insurance/vehicle-insurance/

If you would like more information or would like to get in touch with us regarding Operation Tutelage or regarding the letter you have received then please click here.