Industry News from Yes Insurance

The West Midlands police force has marked the anniversary of new powers it has to punish people who drive without car insurance by announcing that it has taken 17,000 vehicles off the road.

This amounts to 50 vehicles a day being removed from drivers who are not fully covered to be driving.

Of the 17,000 cars that the police force has taken possession of in the past year, over 5,000 have been destroyed or sold at auction.

West Midlands police have pursued the initiative by using automatic number plate recognition systems which can detect cars without valid insurance documents. Once the cars are seized, they can be crushed or sold if they are not reclaimed within two weeks.

Chief constable Paul Scott-Lee said: "These new powers are not aimed at targeting the vast majority of law-abiding motorists but at those offenders who drive unlicensed and uninsured vehicles."

Inspector Gary Bullock added: "The message is clear – if you don't have a valid licence or have been disqualified from driving you have no right to be on the road."


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