Dozens of dangerous vehicles were taken off the roads last week as part of an operation to crackdown on uninsured drivers in County Durham.
The action was part of Operation Drive Insured, a campaign devised by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MiB) in partnership with National Roads Policing Operations to detect and seize uninsured drivers and vehicles.
Durham Police was one of the forces taking part in the week-long crackdown against the scourge of uninsured drivers endangering the road network.
Other forces were also involved in the co-ordinated activity which saw hundreds of potentially hazardous vehicles seized.
It is based on the evidence which reflects that drivers without insurance are more likely to commit a ‘hit and run’ as well as being involved in other motoring crimes, such as using a stolen vehicle, driving while disqualified or under the influence of illegal substances.
Locally, the operation saw Durham Police’s roads and armed policing officers carry out extra patrols across the force’s highways and byways, assisted by additional funding from MiB and the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen.
It saw a total of 36 vehicles seized in the county solely for having no insurance while another nine were taken off the road for further offences, including being suspected stolen vehicles.
Strategic roads policing inspector Andy Howarth hailed the operation’s success but warned the drive against uninsured vehicle use will continue.
“We will use everything in our toolkit to target criminals using our roads.
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"Having no insurance is often one of the first red flags to our officers.
“Whilst some people innocently forget to renew their insurance, more often than not, it is criminals who don’t have it so and we will continue to remove these dangerous vehicles from our roads.”
Durham Police’s roads policing division worked hand in hand with the National Roads Policing Operations’ Intelligence and Investigation committee to help detect and seize uninsured drivers.
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