Own goal: Birmingham tops UK uninsured driving table

In footballing terms Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion are currently lying mid-table in the Barclays Premier League. But when it comes to uninsured driving, drivers from the city of Birmingham are topping the table.

New figures released by the MIB reveal that the overall level of uninsured driving in the UK has dropped by 25 per cent in the last five years. In the West Midlands and West Yorkshire the news is not so good. The number of drivers without insurance in these areas is up to eight times the national average.

Leading the League of Shame for 2010 is Birmingham B9 (up from second place last year). Then it's Birmingham B10 and B8, followed by various parts of Bradford. London can take some pride in the thought that none of its postcodes made the top (or should that be bottom) 20 this time.

MIB Chief Executive Ashton West spells it out: "We cannot stand by and let uninsured driving continue, otherwise the honest motorist will keep paying the bills for the injury and damage caused to people and property."

Other alarming findings include:

• 34 per cent of all uninsured drivers are under the age of 30
• One in 10 of drivers in the 18-34 age group are are unaware that car insurance is a legal requirement
• Honest motorists are subsidising uninsured driving to the tune of around £30 per insurance premium

These figures come from the Motor Insurance Database (that's MID for all you acronym lovers), which is managed by MIB. Since 2001 MID has been the sole central insurance record for the UK's 34 million vehicles.

In 2011 MID has an important role as part of the Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme. Registered keepers of vehicles who don't appear to have insurance can expect a letter from MID reminding them of their legal obligations and of the penalties for non-compliance.

Drivers can avoid MID's Big Brother approach by following some of the advice in the famous Monty Python sketch. Prices, of course, are subject to change . . .