As insurance prices soar, more and more people are risking driving their vehicles without cover.

A Freedom of Information request by iCompario revealed that in 2019, 15,227 UK drivers received an uninsured driver conviction, while this hit a staggering 51,857 last year – an increase of 251 per cent.

In Berkshire, hundreds of drivers are caught out each year, with 6,005 convictions since 2019. 

One in 161 drivers living in an RG postcode are uninsured and one in 100 are uninsured who are living in an SL postcode.

From 2020 to 2022, amid the pandemic, the highest amount of uninsured drivers were travelling on Berkshire roads. with 1,0001 convictions made in RG postcodes in 2020 alone.

The RG postcode covers Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Wokingham and stretches from Henley to Basingstoke.

Meanwhile, the SL postcode includes Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Ascot and a handful of South Buckinghamshire villages.

Spokesperson for iCompario, Andrew Davies, commented on the report findings: “The fact that tens of thousands of drivers are risking a criminal record, penalty points, and financial strife for themselves and anyone they could potentially be involved in an accident with, is deeply alarming.

“Rising car insurance costs coupled with rising living costs across the board are a potential worry, as it would be very problematic if the rate of uninsured drivers on UK roads were to increase in the coming months and years.

“We would urge UK motorists to shop around for the best possible car insurance deal."