UK's uninsured driving hotspots identified

Despite the overall drop in uninsured driving in the last five years, the rate of progress to reduce the UK's level of uninsured driving is being held back by illegal motorists in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, according to new figures released by MIB, the body which manages the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and provides compensation to innocent victims of uninsured and untraced accidents.

The numbers of drivers with no insurance in these regions are overrepresented by as much as 8 times the national average, putting them in the spotlight for vehicle seizure, wheel clamping, fines and prosecution.

Ashton West, Chief Executive at MIB said, "We cannot stand by and let uninsured driving continue, otherwise the honest motorist will keep paying the bills for the injury and damage caused to people and property.  We are determined to bring UK levels more in line with the rest of Western Europe and that is why the industry are committed to playing their part by making sure that motor policies are recorded on the MID, thus enabling the police and DVLA to identify vehicles that have no insurance."

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Road Policing Lead Chief Constable Phil Gormley said:  "Overall there is good progress being made to reduce the number of vehicles being driven without insurance and today there are 500,000 fewer of these on the roads than five years ago.  There are areas of the United Kingdom however that continue to present a challenge for enforcement authorities.

"The advantage that the MID information provides is that we know where these vehicles are, and can focus our attention on areas where we have the greatest impact."

Since 2005, police enforcement at the roadside has removed more than 750,000 uninsured vehicles and levels of uninsured driving are expected to be reduced even further with the introduction of the continuous insurance law earlier this year.  Using the MID, the police and DVLA are able to systematically identify vehicles without insurance and take action. 

Since June this year registered keepers of cars, vans, motorbikes, motorhomes and trucks without insurance have received letters warning them to either take out insurance or to officially declare the vehicle off the road.  These new measures are allowing the police to be more efficient and focus their efforts on tackling the hard core of offenders and at the same time including sufficient safeguards to protect law-abiding motorists.