RIP 2012: Here Lies The Paper Insurance Certificate

The government has taken the wraps off new plans which could mean drivers no longer have to keep a copy of their motor insurance certificate, something we've all had to do since 1930.

The Department for Transport overlords say the move will slash the red tape which can feel a bit strangulating for motorists – while helping to save trees in the process. Everyone's a winner.

Our good friends from the police force will instead be able to do a quick check against the Motor Insurers’ Database to see whether whoever’s behind the wheel has a valid policy.

The DfT also say that the change will make life easier and cheaper for insurance providers. This can only be good news for drivers, who could in turn start to see the price of their premiums come down. Already insurers are increasingly emailing customers their certificate of insurance instead of sending them a hard copy.

However, it’s not quite curtains for paper documents yet. There will be an eight-week consultation period, and a couple of potential glitches still need to be sorted out. These include, for example, what happens to those who don’t have online access – at nearly 11 million people, the figure’s higher than you may have realised (c'mon, get yourselves an iPhone).

If you are lucky enough to have a broadband connection, you can head to websites like Compare The Market, yes, the meerkat specialists. Accidents involving motorists who don’t have insurance costs £380m annually, hurt 23,000 people a year and hike up premiums for everyone else. These accidents are also a real nightmare for those who do have the right cover, as they may not be able to claim back damages from a driver who is not insured. And anyway, getting behind the wheel uninsured is, of course, completely illegal.

The good news is that your premium could be less than you thought. It was reported in September that the average premium had come down by more than 10% to £478, a drop on the previous year of 11%.

Disclosure: this post was sponsored by QUAD London