Police seize vehicles in clampdown on uninsured driving

City-of-London-Police-uninsured-driving-campaign

Uninsured drivers and other motorists who fail to observe the rules of the road were the focus for City of London Police in a successful traffic enforcement operation.

Operation Drive Insured, a national, ran from 16-22 October 2017. This year, the City of London Police were particularly keen to support the campaign following the release of the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) statistics in August that showed claims for collisions involving non-insured drivers had increased by ten percent in the last 12 months. Previously this figure had declined by more than 50 percent since 2004.

In the City, 42 static cameras, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, check on average 120,000 index plates per day and generate around 2,000 hits.

On Saturday (21 October 2017), traffic enforcement teams activated their automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) monitors and conducted a specific operation for the day, attempting to reduce the number of drivers on the roads of the City driving without insurance, MOT or even a licence. Intelligence suggests that approximately 150 drivers of this type enter the City daily.

Throughout the day, operators in the control room monitored vehicles coming through the City which had been highlighted via the ANPR monitors. They then alerted officers on the ground to any hits from the database. Officers were also able to run number plates while out in the City via their special Toughpad tablets.

The operation, in total, resulted in 14 vehicles being stopped for offences.

Three cars were seized and impounded as a result of being uninsured. An additional uninsured vehicle was stopped and the driver was made to purchase insurance at the roadside. Four other drivers were issued fines on the spot for driving with no MOT and another motorist was caught driving without a licence.

Police Constable, Helen Taylor, from the Transport and Highways team, who led the day of action said:

“Today’s operation has been a great success.  Our proactive action has resulted in four uninsured cars being taken off the roads, making them a safer place for all who use them.  It’s extremely important for us to send a message to people who are uninsured, or who do not maintain their vehicles, that they will be dealt with robustly.”

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