Police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently participating in a week-long campaign to step-up efforts to catch uninsured drivers.
35 forces are supporting Operation Drive Insured, which is being organised by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and runs until 18 November.
Using data from the Motor Insurance Database – a central record of all UK motor insurance policies – forces are using ANPR cameras to identify and stop motorists that appear to be uninsured.
Through its police helpline, the MIB is helping roadside officers by investigating further and liaising with insurers to confirm whether there is valid insurance in place or not.
The MIB says uninsured drivers are often involved in a ‘wide range of criminal activities’, and a ‘number of offenders’ are caught driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Neil Drane, head of enforcement at the MIB, said: “A driver with no valid insurance has no legal right to be on the road and removing them undoubtedly makes roads safer.”
Statistics show that uninsured drivers are more dangerous than insured drivers and cause a high number of collisions.
The MIB says one contributing factor is because insured drivers are incentivised to drive safely and meet road legal requirements in order to help keep premiums down.
In 2017, the MIB received 11,000 claims from victims of uninsured drivers, including hundreds of people who had suffered ‘catastrophic, life changing injuries’.
When talking about the accident rates for uninsured motorists we need to understand whether it actually is the case that having insurance reduces the risk of having an accident. It might be the case that those who are prepared to take the risk of not having insurance are also the ones who take more risks whilst driving – and thus are more likely to have an accident anyway. It is important to understand this because it has also been shown that drivers with insurance take more risks than those without it. So forcing insurance on those who take more risks in the first place may make them take even more risks – and thus lead to them having even more accidents. We need to be sure that we understand the science of human nature to avoid the otherwise inevitable “unforeseen” consequences!
Charles, England
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