All 43 police forces will engage in a week-long effort from the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) which is set to start today (26 October). The National Roads Police Operations, Intelligence and Investigation (NRPOII) committee have said there will be increased police activity to detect and seize uninsured vehicles.
She said: “We’ve made great strides in getting more people to drive insured in recent years, but the sad reality is with COVID-19 putting so many people under financial strain, uninsured driving levels could creep up.
“Everyone suffers the consequences of uninsured driving. We’re fully committed to our partnership with the police so we can get as many people as possible to drive insured to make roads safer and fairer for everyone.”
The MIB says drivers without a valid insurance policy in place were more likely to commit a “hit and run” accident.
Uninsured vehicles are often used by scammers who purposely crash into other cars in order to claim against a victims policy.
Commander Kyle Gordon, Head of NRPOII has warned that accidents involving uninsured drivers were a road safety risk and more likely to cause death and injury.
He said: “Many people will see uninsured driving as a victimless crime at best, or as only impacting on the profits of large insurance companies at worst. This is not the case.
“We know from our work in roads policing that uninsured drivers are statistically significantly more likely to cause a death or injury on the road, which too often sadly brings devastation to victims, families and communities up and down the country.
“They are also frequently involved in wider road crime. Protecting the public and keeping our roads safe for everyone is our priority and removing uninsured drivers from our roads helps to do just that.
“This is why all police forces are acting to take uninsured drivers off the road every single day.”