The number of car accidents involving uninsured drivers from Eastern Europe increased by 400 percent in the past decade, according to Daily Express. The cars registered in Romania ranked second in the top, with 610 car accidents, up eight-fold from 2001, followed by the Czech Republic up 144 per cent, to 610 accidents.

Polish cars were involved in the greatest number of accidents, namely 2,436, up 575 percent from 361 in 2001, according to Daily Express. There was a total of 6,416 claims against vehicles from new EU member states and former Soviet Union countries last year, up from 1,276 in 2001, according to the Motor Insurers Bureau’ statistics, quoted Daily Express.

“Uninsured drivers are partly to blame for the rise and are estimated to add GBP 30 to the cost of each policy,” writes the British newspaper. The average fully comprehensive policy in the UK costs nearly GBP 1,000 annually, up 40 percent in a year, the newspaper added.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said over 400,000 uninsured vehicles have been seized since 2006, according to Daily Express.

Read the entire Daily Express article here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)