Latest move to catch uninsured drivers
Cumbrian police are cracking down on uninsured drivers by using new technology to identify vehicles without car insurance. The new equipment recognises car number plates and consults a database of all the uninsured UK vehicles, immediately picking up any cars that are being driven around illegally.
Motorists taking to the roads without car insurance is a growing problem in the UK, with estimates suggesting as many as 1 in 10 drivers do not have it. In Cumbria, there have been 8 fatal accidents in 13 months caused by uninsured drivers, with just these cases alone costing the taxpayer an estimated 12 million pounds for investigation and prosecution.
These fatal accidents have prompted the police in the area to take up the new technology and join forces with other organisations to drive the uninsured motorists off the road.
The Inspector of Cumbria Constabulary says on the matter, “We are proactively working with other agencies to identify uninsured drivers and we as a force will take the appropriate action to remove them from the roads.”
A pilot scheme by the West Cumbrian police that started on the 1st July 2005 successfully seized 30 vehicles that had been driven without car insurance, prompting the countywide initiative.