THOUSANDS of vehicles without insurance have been seized by Cumbria Constabulary since 2018, new figures reveal.
Figures obtained by the AA drivers' association show 3,282 uninsured cars have been seized by Cumbria Constabulary since the start of 2018 – including at least 387 so far this year.
In 2021, 632 vehicles were seized by police in Cumbria – equating to 1.8 seizures for every 1,000 licensed vehicles in the area as of the end of 2021.
Many forces now use automatic number plate recognition to check whether cars are road-legal, which can instantly tell officers whether cars have insurance and an up-to-date MOT.
The largest force in the UK, the Met Police, confiscated the most vehicles over this period – 62,900 – while the West Midlands and West Yorkshire police forces followed with 44,056 and 33,829 respectively.
Despite successive lockdowns, 2020 saw the most cars seized in Cumbria and across the country – nearly 130,000 were taken off UK roads, including 769 in the area.
A Cumbria Police spokesperson said: “We regularly target motorists who selfishly use the road without having insurance cover in place to hold them to account for their actions.
“Driving without valid insurance is not only against the law, it can have a significant impact on the lives of many other road users each year, the majority of which are law-abiding people who pay their insurance.”
“Uninsured driving is associated with an increased likelihood of being involved in a serious road collision and pushes up the costs of insurance for all drivers.
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“It is illegal to drive a vehicle on a road or in a public place without at least having a minimal of third-party insurance cover.”
“Even if the vehicle itself is insured, if you're not correctly insured to drive it, you could be considered to be driving without insurance and could get penalised.”
“We have access to a database that contains all vehicles which are insured. We will continue to take action against offending motorists who aren’t insured.”
Drivers caught without proper insurance can face a fine of £300 and six points on their license – with the potential for larger fines or even a driving ban if their case goes to court.
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