Increase in uninsured vehicles seized across Cambridgeshire
5 vehicles were seized everyday last year
An average of five vehicles were seized everyday last year across Cambridgeshire according to new stats released by police.
The force says 1872 uninsured vehicles were taken off our roads, a 12% increase on 2022.
Police are warning drivers that not being insured can "pose a significant risk to other road users" because of the financial impact it could cause, including the need to pay for medical care and property repairs.
Drivers can 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, if caught driving an uninsured vehicle.
Cambridgeshire officers can pull cars over to do checks while some police cars have Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
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.
“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.
“No insurance can also be an indicator of other offences such as driving with no licence, using a stolen vehicle or drugs.”
Seized vehicles will only be released back to the owner once they have bought valid insurance. Failure to do so could result in it being crushed.
Cambridgeshire ranked 22nd out of the 45 British police forces for the total number of uninsured vehicles seized during 2023.
The 12 per cent increase in uninsured vehicles seized from 2022 to 2023 saw Cambridgeshire ranked 13th out of the 45 forces.