[dropcap color=”#555555″]A[/dropcap]lmost 200,000 motorists have been pumped the message about a campaign against uninsured drivers in Staffordshire.
Cars Behind Bars was instigated by Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis and has seen around 200 uninsured vehicles seized, some to be scrapped, in just five weeks.
Petrol pump signs warning insurance dodgers have been on display at four forecourts across the county – at Morrison’s in Burton and Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent, and Sainsbury’s in Cannock and Tamworth.
An estimated 48,000 drivers at each garage have used the branded pumps in the past four weeks.
The message on the pumps reads: “POLICE TARGETING UNINSURED DRIVERS – Make sure you’re legal or your car could be SEIZED and CRUSHED.”
Mr Ellis said:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]”The zero tolerance approach of Cars Behind Bars has proved very popular with people I’ve spoken to across Staffordshire in recent weeks.
Motorists who don’t insure their vehicles and drive them on our roads are totally irresponsible and cost the rest of us money through rising premiums.
“These law breakers have no-where to hide. Insurance dodgers are being caught and dealt with, having their cars seized and, in some cases, scrapped.”[/quote]
The petrol pump campaign targeted four postcode areas identified as hotspot areas for uninsured drivers by the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) – Stoke-on-Trent, Burton, Tamworth and Cannock.
It is estimated that uninsured motorists kill 130 people and injure 26,500 every year in this country.
Offenders are being tracked down through Staffordshire’s extensive automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system. Police and the County Council joined forces last year to significantly extend the network of cameras across Staffordshire to clamp down on suspect vehicles associated with criminal activity.
Chief Superintendent Jon Drake, from Staffordshire Police, said: “The consequences of driving without insurance means your car can be seized, you would receive a £200 fixed penalty and an endorsement of six penalty points, you could be summoned to court and could be disqualified. You would only be able to get your car back if you get insurance or it will be crushed or auctioned. You would have to pay £150 recovery costs and £20 per day.”
To see cars that have been seized visit www.staffordshire.police.uk/carsbehindbars
