Police clamp down on uninsured drivers

Uninsured cars face being crushed and drivers fined during a new campaign being run by Strathclyde Police. Operation Revoke will also target motorists who drive without a licence.

Between January and September this year, 3206 cars have already been seized by officers and 4069 motorist caught without insurance. In 2011, 3753 vehicles were seized and 7500 uninsured drivers were caught.

Of the 3206 cars seized this year, 634 have been disposed of either by being crushed or sold at auction.

Strathclyde Police has also brought in experts from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), to provide specialist training to officers in respect of the more complex areas of insurance legislation.

Earlier in the year, officers joined forces with MIB to run an operation in the East End and Southside of Glasgow, where 51 motorists were caught driving illegally. This figure also included motorists driving illegally under what is known as a ‘trade policy’ insurance.

Whilst many trade policies state that any person can drive any car using this insurance, in most cases policies specify that it should only be used for commercial/ business use.

“Some people may think this is a victimless crime but we all pay the price,” said Superintendent Jim Baird, of Road Policing. “This type of crime impacts on everyone. Law abiding motorists see their premiums raised and if they are involved in a collision with an uninsured vehicle, then they have the hassle of claiming against their own insurance and could lose their no claims bonus. The cost of this is passed on to us all.”