THIS week road policing units will be mounting Operation Drive Insured (January 21-27) in a week of enhanced operations to remove uninsured drivers from roads in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area.

MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) estimates each year in the UK around 130 people are killed and over 26,000 are left injured as a result of uninsured and hit and run drivers.

One contributing factor behind this dangerous activity is because those driving with insurance are encouraged to display safer behaviour and meet road legal requirements to help keep policy costs down.

Evidence also shows uninsured drivers are often involved in a wide range of criminal activity.

In the Times Court Report over the past few weeks several people have appeared on charges which included 'driving without insurance'.

Every year MIB records a large volume of incidents where an uninsured driver is found without a valid driving licence or using an untaxed or stolen vehicle. Records also show a number of offenders are caught driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“A driver with no valid insurance has no legal right to be on the road and removing them undoubtedly makes roads safer. The increased activity during Operation Drive Insured should get more of these dangerous drivers off our roads," said Neil Drane, Head of Enforcement at MIB.

Using data from the Motor Insurance Database (MID) – a central record of all UK motor insurance

policies – police can easily identify and stop motorists that appear to be uninsured. MIB’s police

helpline supports roadside officers by investigating further and liaising with insurers to confirm

whether there is valid insurance in place or not.

In Scotland it’s estimated that there are around 40,000 uninsured drivers. In 2018, MIB’s Police Helpline received over 10,000 calls from Scottish Officers at the roadside with a driver of a vehicle where the insurance status was in question, resulting in thousands of uninsured vehicle seizures.

“Police Scotland work in partnership with the Motor Insurers Bureau throughout the year and tackling uninsured drivers continues to be a priority for us. During this campaign we will increase our focus, to not only detect, but hopefully deter motorists from driving with no insurance. The

legislation is there to protect all road users and if a vehicle is driven without a valid insurance policy, in common with other road traffic offences, there is an obvious road safety risk, additionally any driver found without insurance during Operation Drive Insured is likely to have their vehicle seized, get six points on their licence, a £300 fine and could face court prosecution. Police also plan to carry out checks for a range of additional road traffic offences.

If a member of the public suspects a person is driving without insurance, they can report it to their local police force or anonymously to CrimeStoppers.