More than one in ten motorists have been involved in accidents with uninsured drivers.

And the price of these uninsured drivers' recklessness is £40 a year extra on honest motorists' premiums, according to Zurich Insurance.

They cause £500m damage to insured drivers' vehicles each year - and they're ten times more likely to drink and drive.

The Road Safety Bill, which is being debated in Parliament today, includes proposals for a crackdown on these irresponsible motorists.

The Bill's amendments include a new offence of keeping an uninsured vehicle, with a fixed fine of £100. It also permits uninsured drivers' vehicles to be seized and crushed.

The average fine at the moment for driving without insurance is merely £170, according to the Association of British Insurers. And that is far less than most people pay for their motor policy.

The association estimates more than a million motorists have no insurance.

If you have fully comprehensive cover, your insurer will pay for repairs to your car but you could lose your no claims discount, unless you've paid to protect it.

And you will have to pay the first part of the claim. Direct Line, however, does not take away the no claims discount if you are hit by an uninsured driver nor, do you have to pay the first part of your claim, so long as you have comprehensive cover.

Emma Holyer of Direct Line says: 'Our only stipulation is that you have to get the registration number.'

If you've only got third party insurance, which merely pays for damage to the other driver's vehicle, then you can't make a claim.

You can make a claim for compensation from the Motor Insurers' Bureau, but it doesn't pay the first £300. To make a claim, you must report the accident to the police and have the other driver's registration.

If you are involved in an accident, then make a note of the make and model of the other car as well as its number. Ask for their name, address and phone number.

Get contact details from witnesses. Take pictures of the damage and accident scene if possible. Make a note of the damage and write down your version of the event. Tell your insurer and the police and ask for a copy of the crash report.

• LIZ GARRIGAN, 32, was involved in an accident with two uninsured youths who had taken their father's car without his permission.

Mrs Garrigan from South London (pictured with her eight-month-old daughter, Freya) says: 'My friend and I were stationary in traffic. They came out of a side road and smashed into the side of us.


LUCKY ESCAPE: Liz Garrigan and daughter'They gave us false details but we managed to get their number plate. Fortunately, a man walking his dog saw everything and offered to be a witness.'

Her car, a Vauxhall Nova, was a write-off. She only had third-party cover so she applied for compensation from the Motor Insurers' Bureau, which paid out £500, and the police prosecuted the other driver.