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08/11/2005
Clamp down to hit uninsured drivers
New measures to clamp down on uninsured drivers have been announced by the government.
Police forces across the country will now be able to use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot uninsured vehicles, which can then be seized and possibly destroyed.
The cameras are linked to a database, containing details of all vehicles registered in the UK believed to be uninsured.
Once the vehicle believed to be uninsured has been stopped, police can seize it and have it removed.
The driver will have to provide proof of insurance at a police station within 14 days of the vehicle being seized. If they do not have insurance, they can be prosecuted for driving without insurance and the vehicle can be disposed of.
The new measures also include a fixed penalty for people who ignore reminders that their insurance has expired, as well as automatic reminders for motorists who to fail to reinsure their vehicle when their insurance expires.
Announcing the plans, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said that there was now “no place to hide” for uninsured drivers.
A new offence of keeping a vehicle without insurance has also been introduced. Mr Darling said that the new offence would be enforced through a new database of insurance details, meaning that uninsured drivers do not need to be on the road to be caught.
The Transport Secretary said: “It is estimated that every law-abiding motorist pays an extra £30 per year because of uninsured drivers. Drivers are rightly fed-up with those who flout the law and we are determined to rid the roads of this small hardcore of anti-social drivers.”
Meredydd Hughes, head of roads policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers and Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Evidence indicates that up to 10% of vehicles on our roads are being used illegally and many of these will be people who drive with no insurance.
“We know that people who don’t insure their vehicles, or indeed, drive with no license or test certificate are more likely to be involved in other criminal activity and in collisions. Collisions in which people may be killed or seriously injured.”
(KMcA/SP)
Police forces across the country will now be able to use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot uninsured vehicles, which can then be seized and possibly destroyed.
The cameras are linked to a database, containing details of all vehicles registered in the UK believed to be uninsured.
Once the vehicle believed to be uninsured has been stopped, police can seize it and have it removed.
The driver will have to provide proof of insurance at a police station within 14 days of the vehicle being seized. If they do not have insurance, they can be prosecuted for driving without insurance and the vehicle can be disposed of.
The new measures also include a fixed penalty for people who ignore reminders that their insurance has expired, as well as automatic reminders for motorists who to fail to reinsure their vehicle when their insurance expires.
Announcing the plans, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said that there was now “no place to hide” for uninsured drivers.
A new offence of keeping a vehicle without insurance has also been introduced. Mr Darling said that the new offence would be enforced through a new database of insurance details, meaning that uninsured drivers do not need to be on the road to be caught.
The Transport Secretary said: “It is estimated that every law-abiding motorist pays an extra £30 per year because of uninsured drivers. Drivers are rightly fed-up with those who flout the law and we are determined to rid the roads of this small hardcore of anti-social drivers.”
Meredydd Hughes, head of roads policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers and Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Evidence indicates that up to 10% of vehicles on our roads are being used illegally and many of these will be people who drive with no insurance.
“We know that people who don’t insure their vehicles, or indeed, drive with no license or test certificate are more likely to be involved in other criminal activity and in collisions. Collisions in which people may be killed or seriously injured.”
(KMcA/SP)
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11 August 2004
Crackdown on UK's 1m uninsured drivers unveiled
The government has announced a package of tough new measures to crackdown on the estimated one million motorists – one in 20 of all drivers – who are currently driving on UK roads without insurance. Under the proposals, police will have the power to seize and destroy vehicles that are being driven uninsured.
Crackdown on UK's 1m uninsured drivers unveiled
The government has announced a package of tough new measures to crackdown on the estimated one million motorists – one in 20 of all drivers – who are currently driving on UK roads without insurance. Under the proposals, police will have the power to seize and destroy vehicles that are being driven uninsured.
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