Millionth uninsured vehicle seized as UK’s hotspots revealed

Police in Birmingham have seized the millionth vehicle for no insurance in an operation to disrupt criminal activity in an area of the UK which is identified as one of the worst hotspots for uninsured driving.

Bordesley (B9) in Birmingham continues to dominate the hotspot ranks and means that it has eight times the number of motorists driving vehicles without insurance compared to the national average.

The police have sustained operations since they were granted powers to seize uninsured vehicles in 2005 and of the 500 vehicles seized each day, it is estimated that 30% are crushed.

New research undertaken amongst communities in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire highlights that a third of people still do not understand the current laws on car insurance, so are risking fines of up to £5,000; points on their licence and having their cars seized by police.

Some of the reasons cited by motorists living in these hotspot areas, include: the cost of motor insurance, not understanding the law and penalties, and a belief that they’ll get away with it.

Across the UK, there are currently an estimated 1.2 million uninsured drivers and the West Midlands makes up more than 60% of the top 20 worst postcodes in the country, followed by West Yorkshire making up 25%.

Uninsured motoring is being tackled by police on-road patrolling, combined with the introduction in June 2011 of the Continuous Insurance Enforcement law, which is the systematic comparison of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and the DVLA registered keeper records. Vehicles being kept without insurance are being systematically identified and the keeper is sent an early warning letter, which will result in fines of up to £1,000 and penalties if no action is taken.