Police continue to focus on uninsured vehicles

For many months, police have been aggressively pursuing uninsured vehicles, catching offending drivers and making sure the roads are a safer place. Now, officials in Dorset have revealed that they’re seizing as many uninsured cars as possible as they continue a five-year crackdown plan to reduce road crime and promote better driving.

In 2013, Dorset Police managed to find and seize 891 cars that were being driven without insurance. With these vehicles off the road, it means those with both traditional registrations and personalised number plates can conduct their journey in a safer way. But Dorset Police aren’t resting on their laurels because the crackdown is part of a greater five-year plan that began in 2011. This is not only targeted with finding uninsured cars, but also motorists involved in anti-social and criminal road behaviour.

The Dorset Police have made a good start, but the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) estimate that there are still over 6,000 uninsured vehicles across the nation. Many of those driving these cars have a total disregard for the rules and, therefore, make the roads a dangerous place to be. To deal with this, new legislation was introduced in 2005, allowing police to seize vehicles from their owners and retain them until insurance was bought. These rules have helped immensely, with the number of uninsured drivers on the road plummeting by almost half.

Dorset Police’s Traffic Unit’s inspector Matt Butler said modern social media was helping the crackdown, with the force advertising seizure activity on Facebook and Twitter: “We hope the publicity will make people think twice about driving while uninsured and also reassure the vast majority of motorists, who drive legally with insurance, that we are tackling those without it.” Inspector Butler said, added: “Dealing with uninsured cars is daily business for uniformed officers, but the Traffic Unit also regularly run a proactive operation named Operation Wolf, which is focused on the criminal use of cars by utilising technology. This will regularly see us seize five uninsured cars in a shift.”

For Dorset, specifically, the largest hotspot of uninsured drivers is in Bournemouth. In fact, so bad is the area that the number of vehicles seized has been more than double the national average. Other hotspots include Lyme Regis, Poole, Shaftesbury and Dorchester. However, with police continuing their five-year plan, it’s hoped major inroads can be made against uninsured driving, helping to make the roads a safer place.