[dropcap type=”circle”]M[/dropcap]erseyside Police is teaming up with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau in a week of action from today until the 23rd of October aimed at tackling uninsured driving.
Operation Drive Insured is the first national week of its kind and police officers across Merseyside will be engaged in the operation.
It’s a sobering thought that at least one in every twenty-five vehicles on our roads is uninsured. Studies show that this adds around £33 a year to car insurance premiums.
Statistics reveal that uninsured drivers are more likely to have an accident and be driving an unroadworthy car. These drivers kill 160 people every year and cause 23,000 injuries, and have no means of compensating their victims’ families or paying for the costs borne by people living with injuries.
Ashton West, the MIB’s Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased to be running the first Operation Drive Insured with the National Roads Policing Intelligence Forum and police forces to help raise awareness of the consequences of uninsured driving. The work of MIB and the police is essential in dealing with uninsured driving. This week is a concerted effort to tackle an estimated one million uninsured drivers still driving illegally on our roads.”
Vehicles seized by Merseyside Police in the past come in all shapes and sizes. This Lamborghini Aventador – which sells for around £260,000 – was separated from its driver in July.
Sergeant Dave Yorke from Merseyside Police Roads Policing Department said: “20 percent of the most serious collisions across Merseyside in the last year have involved a driver who either wasn’t insured or licenced correctly and it is these risk taking drivers we intend to take off the road. Please take the time to check your driving licence and insurance is current, to avoid being targeted this week.
“Anyone with information on persons driving without a licence or without insurance can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or report it online and we will investigate.”
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