Third of drivers on the road illegally

[VR6Lee 1]

Read this yesterday in the paper

QUOTE:

Nearly one in three motorists is driving illegally.

Random spot checks on almost 6,000 vehicles have shown that three in every ten drivers - around 9million of the 30million total - should not be on the road.

They are breaking at least one key law - such as driving an untaxed, uninsured, unregistered or unroadworthy vehicle without an MOT certificate.

The toll has more than doubled compared with a similar snapshot just two years ago.

It concludes the problems of unlicensed, uninsured, untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles 'still provide for serious concern'.

Twenty arrests were made as a result of the crackdown. Of the 5,793 vehicles checked, more than a quarter (28.4 per cent) were noncompliant with the law in at least one area.

Some 1.6 per cent were unlicensed; 1.9 per cent were not insured for the vehicle they were driving while road tax evasion was spotted in 2 per cent of checks.

Some 4.2 per cent did not have a current MOT and 6.1 per cent were incorrectly registered. About 0.2 per cent of the total were lost or stolen. In addition more than one in 20 cars (5.4 per cent) had illegal registration plates.

The report stresses the danger posed to other road users by illegal drivers goes far beyond 'having the correct documentation'.

RAC Foundation spokesman Sheila Ranger said: "This report shows why we need more traffic police on our roads, rather than over-relying on speed cameras."

Last week, Norwich Union warned young drivers face a hike of up to 40 per cent on their insurance policies.

It blamed the appalling record of young male drivers who are often reckless and highly likely to cause an accident involving themselves, or other drivers.

Uninsured drivers are involved in about 7,000 crashes involving injury each year. Now police have been given powers to access a database of insurers and seize and crush uninsured vehicles.

But experts say fines for driving without insurance are so low - usually in the region of £150 - that many feel that it is cheaper to risk the small fine if prosecuted, than to pay anything from £400 to £2,000 to be covered.

One weapon being used against uncertified drivers are Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, which allow an almost instantaneous check of police and DVLA records to discover if the vehicle is stolen or unlicensed.

The cameras are now also automatically linked to the Motor Insurers' Bureau to check insurance is in place. In future the plan is to link computerised MOT data to the system as well.

[antera309 3]

The toll has more than doubled compared with a similar snapshot just two years ago.

It concludes the problems of unlicensed, uninsured, untaxed and unroadworthy vehicles 'still provide for serious concern'.

The rise in figures is a case of statistical manipulation and the observer affecting the observed. New offences (such as SORN) are created. More laws to break = more law breakers, hence the figures go up.

It's like FIFA telling referees to issue a yellow card for every infringement, then complaining that the conduct of players is deteriorating because the total number of yellow cards issued has gone up.

The best one they did was when they suddenly reclassified speeding (regardless of margin) as a "serious driving offence". Lo and behold, there was a sharp rise in "serious driving offences". How did they respond to this apparent worsening of driving standards on our roads? You guessed it - more cameras!

I don't condone driving an uninsured, untaxed and/or un-MOTd vehicle, but the Law should concentrate on dishing out harsh penalties to the antisocial minority actually committing the serious offences while spending less time harassing the law-abiding majority for every minor infringement.

One weapon being used against uncertified drivers are Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, which allow an almost instantaneous check of police and DVLA records to discover if the vehicle is stolen or unlicensed.

A worthy justification to install ANPR everywhere, I'm sure you'll agree. But catching & fining a handful of uninsured & untaxed motorists will not pay for an expensive system like network-wide ANPR. The long-term intention for these cameras is for pay-per-mile road pricing.

[purple highline monster 0]

New laws allow police to seize uninsured vehicles, it is kept for 14 days (at drivers cost) if they dont produce valid insurance and pay the 100 odd quid recovery fee their car gets fragged! the ANPR are very good too identify stolen or dodgy cars, and guess what?? the intercept teams on my area are 2 FQ 300 mitsubishi evo`s and 2 Subaru impreza`s, i told them to get Porsches!!

[VR6Lee 1]

But experts say fines for driving without insurance are so low - usually in the region of £150 - that many feel that it is cheaper to risk the small fine if prosecuted' date=' than to pay anything from £400 to £2,000 to be covered.

[/quote']

I know 1 person who does this he works in my office.

He is banned for 5 years now and had loads of fines but still buys cheap cars and drives as it is cheaper than insurance and tax.

Cant blame him in away.

To tackle this problem gotta raise the stakes

(bigger fines/longer impisonment) (*)

[antera309 3]

New laws allow police to seize uninsured vehicles' date=' it is kept for 14 days (at drivers cost) if they dont produce valid insurance and pay the 100 odd quid recovery fee their car gets fragged! the ANPR are very good too identify stolen or dodgy cars, and guess what?? the intercept teams on my area are 2 FQ 300 mitsubishi evo`s and 2 Subaru impreza`s, i told them to get Porsches!!

[/quote']

Yes, the Police have the power to do that now, and I believe most Police officers can be trusted to use this power responsibly as long as Politicians don't interfere (e.g. My constituents don't like 4x4s - your orders are to crush at least 30 4x4s a month, failure to comply will result in cuts to funding).

[VR6Lee 1]

My constituents don't like 4x4s - your orders are to crush at least 30 4x4s a month' date=' failure to comply will result in cuts to funding.

[/quote']

Good news, I hate 4x4s,

All Councils should put this on their agenda.

Before some of us start doing it.

[purple highline monster 0]

I personally have seized about 10 unisured cars in the last 4 weeks!! thanks in part to the government introducing the new type mot and insurance companies being linked to the PNC system, i know when im following someone if they have tax insurance and mot! or if the car is linked to a disqualified driver!! just from a check on the plate, its a case of weeding them out, but its like shooting fish in a barrel in some places! i have ended up in a few persuits in the last few weeks due to this!! all offenders have been caught and are being prosecuted as we speak!! all of them crashed too, the last one ended up in a corn field, them bad boy vrs skodas with a mildly phsycotic persuit trained driver behind the wheel are great, but you are right lee, if the penalty for driving unisured was harsher then it may prevent a lot of it, why pay £1k to insure a nova when the fine will be around £300 + points, i am affraid its down to the courts to set realistic punishments, and being disqualified dosnt stop people!! but I do!!!

[dstyrrell 0]

what patrol car do you have ??

Also i'm glad people like you are getting these people off the streets. If there is one thing that pisses me off its people that don't pay there way!! We all do what makes them special.

[purple highline monster 0]

they are the VRS Skoda Octavia, the one with the Audi TT engine basicly, they go preeeety well and certainly take the abuse they get with ease, id buy one! but not an ex police one!!

[nd 0]

It must be more frustrating for you being a policeman,that the courts cant or wont be more tougher on the little shits.

Like you said, fine them a hell of a lot more and they might think twice about doing it again *-)

Works in theory.

[Jk* 0]

Purple Highline monster keep up the good work- i say put the fines up!!! I had an unisured driver smash into me, he had no tax or MOT, gave me false details but the FEDS got him- but only had to pay £800 after 3 years of so called investigation- still a kop out though, should of paid alot more, no necessary to me, but a general fine! Little pikeys! I HATE PIKEYS!!!

[VR6Lee 1]

What I want to know :-#

As a law, tax abiding citizen of the UK

Now the UK has opened its boarders to Europe

Do the people that come over in their cars and work & live here start paying road tax? Get their cars checked for safety/MOT?

Or is this a loophole for the jolly European :^)

Do we now how many foreign plate

cars are running daily on our streets *-)

[craggsy 91]

What I want to know :-#

As a law' date=' tax abiding citizen of the UK

Now the UK has opened its boarders to Europe

Do the people that come over in their cars and work & live here start paying road tax? Get their cars checked for safety/MOT?

Or is this a loophole for the jolly European :^)

Do we now how many foreign plate

cars are running daily on our streets *-)

[/quote']

I know what you mean, in Leicester there seems to be more Polish or Lithuanian cars about than british!!!!!

[matth76 1]

they are the VRS Skoda Octavia' date=' the one with the Audi TT engine basicly, they go preeeety well and certainly take the abuse they get with ease, id buy one! but not an ex police one!!

[/quote']

How does the octavia VRS compare to your VR do you think? On paper they seem to have pretty similar stats to a standard/lightly modded VR. 0-60 of 7.1secs and 140 top speed, I think for the Octavia.