Many people are avoiding buying car insurance because they believe they can get away without being punished, it has been claimed.

A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) explained that an estimated one in 20 people take to the roads without motor insurance in the UK.

The expert noted that dealing with the actions of uninsured drivers costs more than £50 million a year and impacts upon law-abiding car insurance customers.

However, there are many reasons that people continue to drive without car insurance, he stated.

"Firstly, some people think they can get away with it. Historically the detection rate has been pretty low," the spokesman commented.

"Penalties have been, and still to some extent remain, disproportionate to the crime," he added.

Dismissing suggestions that the credit crunch has resulted in an increase in uninsured drivers, he claimed that there were "plenty" of offenders on the roads before the economic downturn.

Earlier this year, Malcolm Tarling, another spokesperson for the ABI, recently urged people to shop around to make savings on their insurance products.

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