The number of vehicles clamped or impounded for non-payment of road tax peaked at more than 12,200 a month last summer, over double the number recorded prior to the abolition of paper tax discs.
With just one postal reminder from the DVLA, many motorists who relied on the disc as a reminder of the renewal date are being penalised unfairly due to the new tax system. To tackle this problem, Smartdriverclub, the connected car service, has added TAX and MOT reminders to the host of peace of mind and cost saving benefits provided with membership.
These include crash alerts, theft tracking, a digital mechanic that can identify faults, car valuations, ‘Where did I park?’, up to 40% membership discount on motor insurance and reports of business mileage for expenses.
Smartdriverclub works through a matchbox shaped smartplug inserted in the car, normally underneath the steering column, which gets the car connected and feeding data to Smartdriverclub to enable all the member benefits. Customers can view all of their services via their smartphone using the free Smartdriverclub app called ‘Viewpoint’ or online via their laptop or tablet device.
CEO of Smartdriverclub, Penny Searles said, “Since the tax disc was abolished, the number of cars that have been clamped or impounded for non-payment has gone up by 80% in two years according to one report.
“Many of the drivers being penalised have quite innocently forgotten the date of renewal without that physical reminder in the windscreen of the car. MOTs are another chore – in fact new data from the DVSA shows nearly 50% of all faults found on MOTs could be avoided by carrying out regular, simple checks and maintenance, like replacing bulbs, wipers and tyres – all problems that can be corrected relatively easily while more serious problems like low batteries will be flagged up by the Smartdriverclub digital mechanic.
“Alerts to faults and reminders from us may help motorists get front of foot and builds on our existing services to take a lot of the hassle and worry out of car ownership and driving.”