3:48pm Monday 16th July 2007
POLICE have taken advantage of a new helpline in the fight to take uninsured and unlicensed drivers off the roads.
The helpline, which is a dedicated hotline' for the police to call when they stop a vehicle on the suspicion of no insurance, was introduced by the Motor Insurers' Bureau in April this year and Thames Valley Police was one of the first forces to start using it.
The helpline has proved so successful that it is being rolled out nationwide.
A quick call to the 0845 helpline enables dedicated call handlers to make additional enquiries to insurers to ascertain the validity of insurance cover. The officer is called back in minutes to confirm the validity of the cover. If no cover can be confirmed the officer may decide to seize the vehicle.
The power to seize uninsured vehicles allows Roads Policing Officers to immediately seize any motor vehicle which is being driven without insurance or by an unlicenced driver.
The owner then has the choice of signing away ownership of the vehicle to police, who will arrange its disposal, or they can return to a police station with valid insurance and driving licence and pay a £105 seizure charge and a storage charge of £12 a day in cash to reclaim the car within 14 days. If this is not done the vehicle will be disposed of. Officers can also issue a fixed penalty notice for no insurance which costs £200 and carries 6 penalty points.
Since April 1, 2007, more than 1,600 vehicles have been seized. Over 50 per cent have been reclaimed by the owners with the rest being either scrapped or sold at auction.
Insp Les Stone, Roads Policing Operations Inspector, said: "We are committed to taking uninsured and unlicensed drivers off the roads and the helpline helps us to confirm, quickly and easily, whether a driver is insured to drive that car. If they are not, the car will be seized. It is as simple as that.
"Evidence from a range of sources shows uninsured and unlicensed drivers are more likely to have a collision and less likely to have other valid documentation for their vehicle, such as an MOT or Vehicle Excise Licence. For the law abiding road user, these drivers push up their insurance premiums by on average £30 a year."
Ashton West, the Group CEO for the Motor Insurers' Bureau said: "Time and time again we see the consequences of uninsured driving. Innocent lives are ruined by the selfishness of drivers who think they are above the law.
"All the indications are that the rate of uninsured driving is beginning to fall, which is encouraging. But more can and must be done in the fight against uninsured driving."
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