Nearly 30% of drivers would report uninsured motorists even if they were a friend of family members, a poll has shown.
And 87% would refuse to get in a car if they knew the driver had no insurance cover, the survey from insurance company Churchill revealed.
The poll also showed that the public would be more inclined to "shop" an uninsured driver than a benefit cheat, a thief or a dodgy salesman.
Motorists offered a number of suggestions that could prove a workable deterrent to uninsured drivers, such as destroying the car of anybody caught flouting the need for insurance or making them undertake community service.
A total of 83% of honest drivers thought people who drive without a licence would be more inclined to commit other crimes.
But most of those surveyed grossly overestimated the severity of the penalties for uninsured driving, with 58% thinking the fine is as much as £2,000. Only 25% pinpointed the correct reprimand of a £200 fixed penalty notice.
Frances Browning. of Churchill Insurance, said: "It is obvious that drivers in the UK feel the current fixed penalty for uninsured driving is far too low, with 35% claiming the fine should be increased to at least £1,000, putting it in line with being caught without a TV licence - a considerably less serious offence."
She went on: "The fine needs to rise to become much more of a deterrent for anybody thinking of driving without insurance.
"A fixed penalty fine of just £200 is less than the cost of the average premium and the balance needs to be redressed to help eradicate uninsured driving."
