Motorists are being urged to check they’re covered as police launch national crackdown on uninsured driving.
Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver and tragically, each day at least one person suffers an injury so severe that they require life-long care.
Therefore, on 21-27 November all police forces will be executing Op Drive Insured in an urgent bid to stop dangerous uninsured motorists and protect road users.
MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) which is a not-for-profit organisation that compensates people who are hit by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers, received claims from over 26,000 victims in 2021.
MIB has partnered with NPCC’s National Roads Policing Operations, Intelligence and Investigations (NRPOII) to launch the week-long op, to see an increase in uninsured vehicles seized across the UK.
Motorists are urged to make sure their insurance is valid to avoid being caught up in the action.
Paul Farley, Law Enforcement Manager at MIB, said: “Put simply, uninsured drivers are dangerous. They cause a much higher rate of collisions, and they’re often linked to wider road crime including hit-and-run crashes.
“It’s sadly become an all-too-common experience to hear on the news that yet another person’s life has been cut short after being hit by an illegal motorist. We’re working day and night with our police partners to put an end to this. We hope Op Drive Insured sends a clear message that no one is above the law and those who choose to drive without insurance will not get away with it.”
In addition to causing more collisions, uninsured drivers have a significant economic impact with honest road users racking up added costs of nearly £500 million in their premiums each year.
Furthermore, using government figures on the average value of prevention, MIB estimates that injuries caused by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers potentially cost the economy nearly £2.2 billion a year in emergency services, medical care, loss of productivity and human costs.
During the week of action, police will use the Motor Insurance Database (MID) which is a live record of all motor insurance policies, to see if drivers are insured. If this is disputed by the driver, MIB will liaise with the insurer in question in real time to confirm the vehicle’s insurance status.
Whilst Op Drive Insured is taking place across all regions of the UK, extra attention will be given to uninsured hotspots in each local region. At a national level, Birmingham has the highest levels of uninsured driving, whilst some roads in Scotland are amongst the safest in the UK.
