Daily Record

There’s no excuse

Traffic police carry out major operation to get uninsured drivers off our roads

- By Giles Blair g.blair@roadrecord.co.uk

A WEEK of targeted action has led to 345 motorists being caught driving without insurance across Scotland.

Police Scotland’s Road Policing Division carried out the campaign earlier this month to deter and detect road traffic offences.

In 2019, more than 7000 uninsured vehicles were seized in Scotland and the recent police efforts resulted in 132 vehicles being seized.

Superinten­dent Simon Bradshaw, Deputy Head of Road Policing, said: “We work closely with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau throughout the year to tackle uninsured drivers.

“This week of action highlights the number of offenders who show a disregard for others by failing to meet basic legal requiremen­ts. Additional­ly, those who take the risk of driving uninsured are more likely to have links to wider crime and are often found to be driving while disqualifi­ed or without a valid driving licence.

“If you have no valid insurance, you have no legal right to be on the road, and I would encourage the public to continue to report drivers who they believe are not insured so we can take action.”

Alastair Ross, head of public policy for Scotland at the Associatio­n of British Insurers, said: “There’s simply no excuse for driving without car insurance – it’s irresponsi­ble, illegal and the consequenc­es can be severe.

“Uninsured driving could get you a criminal conviction that can make it more difficult to access affordable insurance in the future.”

Anna Fleming, chief operating officer at the MIB, said: “Uninsured drivers are a serious problem. They cause a disproport­ionately high level of collisions, resulting in countless casualties, and they push up premium costs for all law-abiding motorists.

“We all suffer the consequenc­es of uninsured driving. We will continue to work in partnershi­p with Police Scotland to get as many people as possible to drive insured, so our roads are safer and fairer for everyone.”

Meanwhile, a study has found that 52 per cent of UK drivers don’t think the penalties for speeding are adequate – and 27 per cent would like to see the system overhauled.

Fleet vehicle experts Venson Automotive Solutions carried out the research for UK Road Safety Week, which finishes on Sunday and has a main theme of “no need for speed”.

The survey showed many motorists were in favour of having speed-limiting devices fitted as standard to all cars to remove the risk of offending.

Venson boss Simon Staton said: “We would advise fleet managers to adopt strategies that not only create awareness among their firm’s drivers of the consequenc­es of speeding but also reward good driving habits.”

Road safety organisati­on GEM Motoring Assist also gave its support to this annual week of activities and lifesaving messages that is spearheade­d by the Brake charity.

GEM’s tips include leaving plenty of time for journeys so you don’t feel rushed, keeping a close eye out for speed limit signs and clues that you need to slow, and regularly checking your speedomete­r.

It also urged motorists to ask themselves whether their speed was not just legal but also safe – as road conditions may mean having to drive well below the limit.

Turning to the smartphone app and website-based what3words location technology has also been highlighte­d for safety purposes if you’ve broken down or been involved in a crash.

The clever scheme is used by the likes of Scottish fire and ambulance crews, the AA, National Breakdown and now LV= Britannia Rescue to pinpoint within a few feet where their help is needed.

LV= breakdown service chief Henry Topham said: “We’re asking all our customers to download the app. Should the worst happen and they break down in the middle of nowhere, we can find them easily.”

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