New statistics from the police have revealed a rise in the number of uninsured vehicles being seized on the county’s roads.
Officers in Cambridgeshire took 1,872 vehicles without insurance off the road last year, an average of five every day and a 12% increase compared to the previous year.
The county ranked 22nd out of the 45 British police forces for the total number of uninsured vehicles seized during 2023.
Among those who appeared in court last year were 20-year-old Luke Davidson, a disqualified driver who killed a motorcyclist near Ely, and Nadir Bugtti, 32, who broke a police officer’s nose and eye socket.
Inspector Ed Finn, from the road policing unit, said: “The number of cars seized last year shows uninsured drivers are still a problem but also what we are doing every day to keep the roads safe.”
Having no insurance means drivers could receive six penalty points on their licence, a fixed penalty notice of £300 and, should the case go to court, an unlimited fine and a driving ban.
“We will always look to take uninsured drivers off the roads because they are a liability and law-abiding drivers are sick and tired of having to pay increases in insurance premiums, partly because of uninsured drivers,” Inspector Finn added.
“No insurance can also be an indicator of other offences such as driving with no licence, using a stolen vehicle or drugs.”
While Cambridgeshire officers can pull cars over to do checks, some police cars have Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and should a driver be unable to provide proof of insurance, the vehicle is seized.
Seized vehicles are only released back to the owner once they have bought valid insurance, and failure to do so could result in it being crushed.
