An industry report recently estimated that about 5% of UK motorists are driving without insurance.

The Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) said that the estimated figure of uninsured vehicles in the UK is close to 1.7 million.

The Stay Insured report presented by the MIB, shows that the problem is mostly prevalent in younger motorists.

14% of the driving population in the UK is said to be between 21 and 29 years. Of this population, 34% of motorists are uninsured.

The report also finds that 60% of motorists feel that they will be caught due to extremely effective police methods like cameras that can automatically recognise number plates.

Every year, these contribute to over 200,000 uninsured driving convictions.

A research that was conducted for the Admiral of British Motorists validated the problem. 47% of respondents to the survey said that driving uninsured merited a fine that was over £1000.

21% said that driving uninsured should be punished with a prison sentence and 8% even admitted that they driven uninsured knowingly.

Car insurance is a legal necessity for all those driving on UK public roads and the Government is considering extending the law so that it covers all vehicles, whether or not they are being driven.

Aston West, chief executive of MIB said that the number of motorists that were caught without insurance last year would probably fill the Wembley Stadium over two times.

He added, the message to UK motorists was clear; driving without car insurance is definitely not worth the risk.