MIB supports the Met in major crackdown

Following a major operation to target uninsured drivers and disrupt criminal activity in London, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) has taken the highest number of calls to their dedicated police helpline since it was started in early 2007. This contributed to 558 vehicle seizures and 76 arrests in the capital in one day.

Around 1000 MPS officers were posted in a co-ordinated series of operations, targeting uninsured drivers, who are more likely to be involved in criminal activity, five times more likely to be involved in collisions and less likely to have vehicles in a road-worthy condition. Roadside check points using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) were used at number of locations in London, while officers actively pursued uninsured drivers using fixed cameras or routine number plate checks.

Since the police have had the power to seize vehicles with no insurance since 2005, they have taken possession of approaching 900,000 uninsured vehicles. It is estimated that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 160 people and injure 23,000 every year.