Glass's Information Services is calling on the Government to introduce new legislation requiring anyone selling a vehicle to ensure that the purchaser's driving licence number is recorded on the V5 registration documents at the point of sale.

Glass's says this would provide a verified line of enquiry should the vehicle later fall outside the law – for instance, if it is driven without insurance, Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) and/or a valid MOT certificate. Glass's says this type of regulation would also help to counter illegal dumping.

"The National Audit Office puts the annual cost of vehicle excise duty evasion at £193m and the insurance industry estimates that uninsured drivers cost a staggering £400m annually," comments John Glynn, Editor of Glass's Older Car Guide. "These costs are then passed down to honest car owners in the form of more expensive motoring. With these two estimates alone totalling almost £600m, how much more incentive does the Government need to tackle the problem?

"In instances where a valid driving licence cannot be produced, identities could be verified and the details recorded at a local police station. The only people this would prove a problem for are those who wish to abuse the system," Glynn concludes.