As a taxi driver you will be aware of the importance of making sure that your taxi is fit to be driven on roads here in the UK. Hopefully you will make sure that it is serviced on a regular basis and that things like your tyres and brakes are OK.

Well, you may be interested to read that a division of the RAC that is a well-known road recovery business did some research and found that there has been a very big increase in the number of motorists who have been caught by the police whilst driving vehicles considered to be unroadworthy.

More information can be found on the website of the RAC but we thought we would share with you some of the statistics.

For instance, in 2023 there were 8,614 motorists who received 3 penalty points on their driving licenses because they were caught driving a vehicle that was found not to be roadworthy. In 2024 that figure had gone up to 13,109 that is a rise of 4,495 that equates to an increase of 52%. We are sure that you will agree that is a huge increase and is most concerning.

Last year 8,945 motorists were caught with defective tyres compared to 6,196 in the previous year. That is a rise of 44%. In 2024 there were 1,190 motorists who were caught driving with brakes that were considered to be effective yet in 2023 the figure was 181 – a dramatic increase.

On a regional basis, the biggest percentage increase in drivers getting penalty points on their driving licenses for being caught driving a vehicle found to be unroadworthy was the East Midlands. In 2023 there were 374 drivers but in 2024 this rocketed to 700 – a rise of 87%. If you look at the region that had the biggest number of such case you will find it is Greater London. In 2023 the figure was 1,464 but in 2024 this amount rose to 1,765.

Whilst writing this post, we thought it worth mentioning that if your existing taxi insurance is shortly coming up for renewal with your existing insurer why not get in contact with us at your earliest convenience and we will do our utmost help arrange a no-obligation, competitive taxi insurance quotation. We help provide access to a panel of insurance companies. We look forward to hearing from you.