ENFIELD MP Nick de Bois has called for “urgent action” to stop drivers with no valid licence from buying car insurance.
The Conservative member for Enfield North on Friday raised the tragic case of Ricky Burlton in Parliament, in a call for Government action on the loophole.
Currently, car insurance firms are “under no duress to check the driving licence status of new customers”, said Mr de Bois, allowing illegal drivers the opportunity to buy car insurance.
He mentioned 20-year-old Mr Burlton, who is believed to have been knocked down and killed by an uninsured driver on the A10 in Hertfordshire.
Police are still hunting a man known as Georgios Tsoulos, an Albanian national living illegally in Hertford under an assumed identity, in connection with the fatal crash.
He is believed to have skipped the country before police were able to properly question him.
Mr de Bois asked for a debate on the insurance loophole, and was assured the issue would be passed to Philip Hammond, secretary of state for transport.
He said after the debate in the House of Commons: “In extreme cases we have seen dangerous driving by those who are under false identities and unqualified to drive in this country.
“In this case, this led tragically to Ricky's death last year on the A10. We have to examine ways to stop this and I am calling for a debate in Parliament to do just that."
He added no government department appears to hold figures to show how many accidents on the roads are caused by drivers with fraudulently purchased insurance, but called for ministers and car insurance companies to work together to close the loophole.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here