You are in: Road Safety News: 9 April 2007
Crush more illegal cars - LARSOA
Last year police seized 50,000 cars because they were not 'street legal' - and 20,000 of those met the crusher - but the LARSOA is calling on the police to get rid of more.
Unlicensed and uninsured motorists are 10 times more likely to be involved in other traffic related crimes, six times more likely to have been convicted of driving a non-roadworthy vehicle and 10 times more likely to have a drink driving conviction.
A staggering one in 20 drivers are uninsured - that amounts to 1.7m in the UK - but the number of vehicles seized and crushed varies according to individual police forces.
Simon Ettinghausen, chair of LARSOA, says: "Motorists who are uninsured and unlicensed are a direct threat to law-abiding drivers. We want to see the police seizing more of these cars and disposing of them to make the country's roads safer for everyone."
Susan Beck, head of communications at the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), adds: "I'm sure the Metropolitan Police could fill Wembley Stadium many times over a year if they were to seize all the uninsured and unlicensed vehicles in the force area. Since the police have had these powers we have seen a drop in claims against uninsured drivers."
Click here to read the full LARSOA news release. |
