Uninsured Drivers Caught In Police Campaign

28th August 2011

Police detect seven uninsured drivers during weekend of enforcement

Northern Constabulary detected seven drivers during an ACPOS led weekend of enforcement against uninsured motorists and vehicles.

Officers ran the enforcement campaign alongside Scotland's other forces between 0700 on Friday 26 until 0700 this morning (Monday 29 August 2011).

Police were out across the Force targeting motorists who had failed to insure their vehicles. Pro-active Police work was accompanied by the use of existing ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology to cross check every vehicle that passed with the Motor Insurance Bureau and DVLA records.

One notable offence took place in Orkney where a 20-year-old man was reported to the Procurator Fiscal for alleged drink driving and various other road traffic offences, including having no full driving licence and driving without lights on.

Of the seven drivers caught without insurance, six of them had their vehicles seized. They now face a mandatory £150 fixed fee and will have to pay £20 per day storage costs until they retrieve their vehicle. These drivers have just 14 days to claim it, pay the fine and provide valid insurance details or their vehicle will be sold or crushed.

Uninsured drivers are costing law abiding motorists around £30 extra per annum on their insurance premiums and Police are encouraging motorists to report drivers who they suspect may be driving without insurance.

Police will continue to use information provided by the public and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology to catch those motorists who fail to insure their vehicles.

Two drivers were also caught driving without a licence during the weekend and one of those vehicles was seized. Four of those caught were detected by ANPR cameras.

Head of the Force's Road Policing Unit, Inspector Derek Paterson, said: "We clearly advised people before the weekend of enforcement that they should not be driving without insurance and obviously there were those who failed to heed that warning.

"Their failure to do so will cost them dearly. Uninsured drivers hit all law abiding motorists in the pocket and we would continue to encourage people to report people they suspect may be driving without insurance.

"We will continue to use existing technology, coupled with information we receive from the public, to target people who fail to insure their vehicles or drive without a valid licence."