Uninsured drivers are to be targeted this coming week by Police Scotland, in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), in a week of action starting on Monday 22 January and running through to Sunday 28 January.
Police Scotland has advised all drivers to ensure they are covered by valid insurance, prior to the campaign starting on Monday.
Chief Superintendent Stewart Carle, Head of Road Policing for Police Scotland, said: “This campaign will be delivered through a combination of mobile and static road checks, involving all Road Policing officers across Scotland with support from divisional colleagues across the entire country.
“Officers will be using the latest intelligence to target potential uninsured drivers and hotspots, and by doing this we hope to minimise the inconvenience caused to the general public while maximising the effectiveness of the operation. Ultimately, the honest motorist is penalised by having to pay higher premiums as a result of claims arising from uninsured losses. Campaigns such as Operation Drive Insured aim to decrease this negative impact for all honest motorists while contributing to the overall safety of our roads.
“We are committed to achieving the Scottish Government’s 2020 casualty reduction targets. The MIB states that more than 29,000 people are injured every year by uninsured drivers, and so Police Scotland will continue to target uninsured drivers, as they present an unnecessary risk to other road users.
“The public can help too by telling the Police about suspected uninsured drivers – please contact us on our national non-emergency number 101 or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
The MIB states that 142,000 vehicles were seized in the UK during 2017, of which Police Scotland seized 8,065 vehicles.
Paul Bennett, MIB’s National Police Liaison officer said, “Police Scotland are extremely pro-active about tackling uninsured driving. In the last three years alone they have seized nearly 23,000 uninsured vehicles. This is the second year running for Op Drive Insured with Police Scotland and we want to use this as an opportunity to highlight the importance of making sure that you are correctly insured for each and every journey you take.”
Alastair Ross, Head of Public Policy for Scotland at the Association of British Insurers, said, “Uninsured drivers make the roads more dangerous places. With the costs of compensating the victims of these law breakers contributing to the price of motor insurance paid by the millions of law abiding drivers, we wholeheartedly support Police Scotland’s action to drive this menace off our roads.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
