1,400 uninsured vehicles seized by Warwickshire Police in a year
MORE than 1,400 uninsured vehicles were seized in Warwickshire last year by police – an average of four a day.
In total Warwickshire Police seized 1,425 vehicles between January and December 2023 – a 9.4 per cent increase over the previous year.
Vehicles will only be released back to the owner once they have shown officers they have valid insurance – failure to comply can result in the vehicle being crushed.
Inspector Simon Paull said: “Removing uninsured vehicles from the roads is a priority for police and Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership to protect the vast majority of law abiding drivers using our roads. Whilst these numbers clearly demonstrate the size of the issue, the 9.4 per cent increase in vehicles seized shows the commitment from our patrol officers to making our roads safer.
“Whilst there are criminals who knowingly drive a car without insurance or who withhold information or lie to get a cheaper quote, some insurance offences are committed unwittingly. To drive a car both you and the vehicle must have the correct insurance. This means that even if you are insured to drive any car the vehicle needs to be covered in its own right.”
He added: “To support the victims of uninsured drivers, £53 is added to everyone’s car insurance premium every year towards the £506.6 million national annual levy needed to pay for injuries or damage caused by an uninsured or ‘hit and run’ driver.”