Uninsured drivers beware!
A month-long campaign against motorists in Hambleton and Richmondshire driving without insurance is underway.
And as part of the joint North Yorkshire Police and Hambleton and Richmondshire Community Road Safety Partnership initiative, static drink driving checks are also being undertaken - where the minimum penalty is a 12 month driving ban.
Analysis of data taken by automatic number plate readers showed that in a four week period during March and April this year there were over 250 hits on uninsured vehicles in Richmond and Catterick Garrison. A similar exercise on the A19 between January and April showed 2691 cars being driven without insurance.
Road Policing Officers will be using both static and mobile camera technology to target drivers of uninsured vehicles across Hambleton and Richmondshire throughout June.
When an uninsured vehicle is detected, the police officer is immediately alerted and:
- drivers who can't provide proof of valid insurance will have the vehicle seized at the roadside and be issued with a £200 fixed penalty fine
- drivers must then provide proof of valid insurance before the vehicle will be returned
- drivers will also be responsible for all recovery charges for their vehicle, meaning the total cost can often exceed £400.
"Not having your vehicle insured can be a very expensive lesson," said Traffic Sergeant John Lumbard.
"Not insuring your vehicle is not a victimless crime. As many motorists know to their cost, if you are involved in a collision with an uninsured vehicle it may make it difficult to make an insurance claim often leading to an innocent motorist being out of pocket. Drivers who do buy insurance are paying for all drivers who do not!"
He said that drivers should:
- check they have valid insurance and if paying by monthly direct debit ensure that no payments have been missed which may cause the policy to be cancelled
- when borrowing any vehicle check there is valid insurance either on the owner's policy or on your policy.
Drivers are also obliged to disclose to insurance companies any previous motoring convictions or modifications to a vehicle. Road Policing officers can contact an insurance company at the roadside to ensure a driver has made truthful declarations and there have been cases where insurance companies have revoked policies where the driver has been misleading at the time of taking out the insurance - resulting in the vehicle being seized and the driver fined.
It is also a criminal offence if a motorist produces a certificate of insurance to a Police officer when they know the policy is no longer valid or has been cancelled.
3.53pm - 22 June 2012
