uk.autoblog.com/2012/09/10/video-police-crush-one-millionth-uninsured-car/
ANPR doesn't seem to be infallible though. I saw two cars last week displaying expired tax discs from 2011 ie coming up 9 months out of date
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I report local untaxed cars...
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According to this article in January 2011 there were an estimated one million uninsured cars:
www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8247837/Cars-to-be-seized-and-crushed-in-insurance-crackdown.html#
That's a remarkable clear-up rate if the police have found and crushed every single one by September 2012.
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Many people who drive uninsured cars drive low value ones which are disposable. So if they get nicked, and the car gets seized, they let it be crushed and go out to get another one.
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>> Many people who drive uninsured cars drive low value ones which are disposable. So if
>> they get nicked, and the car gets seized, they let it be crushed and go
>> out to get another one.
Yep, couldn't agree more. In the UK, cars are dirt cheap, and insurance is expensive. A runner can be had for a couple of hundred quid which is far less than the typical insurance premium.
If the "Road Wars" type shows are to be believed, you walk away with a fine of £200-£400 for not having insurance, so if you drive a £200 banger uninsured, and don't get caught for a couple of years, you are quids in.
I would like to see this offence punished by a fine structure similar to that imposed for corporate software licensing non-compliance. Work out what you've "saved" by being illegal for the whole period back to the last time you could prove you were legal, and add a couple of zeros. And if they don't work, deduct it from their benefits at £50 a week until it's paid off.
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>>
>> I would like to see this offence punished by a fine structure similar to that
>> imposed for corporate software licensing non-compliance. Work out what you've "saved" by being illegal for
>> the whole period back to the last time you could prove you were legal, and
>> add a couple of zeros. And if they don't work, deduct it from their benefits
>> at £50 a week until it's paid off.
>>
If you are on benefits £5 a week will be tops.. So nil impact.
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>> If you are on benefits £5 a week will be tops.. So nil impact.
If you're on benefits £5 a week might be a hell of a difference.
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>> the whole period back to the last time you could prove you were legal, and
>> add a couple of zeros. And if they don't work, deduct it from their benefits
>> at £50 a week until it's paid off.
No problem, they'll be round to nick your TV and PVR to pay for it next week.
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>> ANPR doesn't seem to be infallible though. I saw two cars last week displaying expired
>> tax discs from 2011 ie coming up 9 months out of date
>>
They might be taxed but not displaying (easy to check by putting their details into the DVLA site)
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Offence not to display though - but that won't be picked up by ANPR!
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One Millionth Uninsured Car Crushed?
Nope.
I simply do not believe that figure.
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>> The Blog is wrong. 1 million cars have been seized of which 30% have been
>> crushed.
>>
Still suspicious figures. As I pointed out, in 2011 they were estimating that there were one million uninsured cars. I don't believe they have managed to seize them all in one year.
That would mean the problem has been solved.
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The one million cars seized figure is the total from 2005 when the police were given the power to seize vehicles. Since the number of uninsured vehicles probably grows at almost the rate that vehicles are seized a current uninsured vehicle number of 1 million seems entirely possible.
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>>Since the number of uninsured vehicles probably grows at
>> almost the rate that vehicles are seized a current uninsured vehicle number of 1 million
>> seems entirely possible.
>>
So a report that purports to demonstrate that the seizure policy is working is in fact saying the exact opposite - we have made no inroads at all into the number of uninsured cars on the roads.
It sounds a bit like culling badgers - they just breed faster.
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Why the negativity Cliff? Say its only 50,000, that's still less.
Say its only £200 per vehicle, that's still increasing the costs of getting caught.
Perhaps not enough, but I fail to see how it can be worse than doing nothing.
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>> Offence not to display though - but that won't be picked up by ANPR!
Never been bothered with. If the vehicle is taxed, you won't get prosecuted for non display.
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All the time in my local rag folks are stopped for not having insurance. The fine is 10% , or less, of what they would pay for proper insurance.
The more points they get, the less likely they are to insure. And many of them ( my previous customers) are unemployable anyway.
I do not see a solution.
Apart from 'Soylent Green.
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This thread reminded me to do one of my occasional checks with Askmid.
I check a few days after renewal to make sure they've put my details on and usually it's been done fairly quickly. I renewed the Vitara insurance in July and checked the database. It was on within a couple of days.
Tonight I checked and it's showing not insured. I checked 3 times. Lord knows how long, and why, it's been off...I paid in one lump so it's not as though there are any payments to fail. Both other vehicles show OK.
I suppose I'm lucky I've not been ANPR'd around the city. I do carry my certificate but it's a downloaded one so I'm not sure it would be accepted at the roadside. On the phone tomorrow and off the road 'til they've sorted it out.......can't risk it round here.
Ted
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>> I suppose I'm lucky I've not been ANPR'd around the city. I do carry my certificate but it's a downloaded one so I'm not sure it would be accepted at the roadside. On the phone tomorrow and off the road 'til they've sorted it out.......can't risk it round here.
No, the computer is believed, not a piece of paper.
If you happened to be stopped, the only way they would believe you would be if your insurance company were contactable, there and then.
Otherwise, you would be on shanks pony, with a recovery and storage charge to pay.....
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>> No, the computer is believed, not a piece of paper.
That's the problem Tony......with the advent of home printing, everything is looked upon as a forgery.
Rang my insurers.....pleasant English speaking lad investigated, said he could see no reason I wasn't on the database, apologized an d said he'd organise getting me back on.
Good to know it's not my fault. He advised, if I got stopped, to get the police to ring them and they'd confirm I was legal.........right, yeah, on a Sunday afternoon ?
The Vitara's staying off the road 'til I see it back on line. I can do tomorrow's work using the tram and we can use SWM's car over the weekend. ( she can drive it, as well ! )
Well worth checking now and again.
Ted
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Update to my post of the 20th.
Rang again yesterday and was told it would take up to 7 days from last Friday to get me back on the database !
I told him I'd just sent 5 photos to Leeds at the click of a mouse so where was the problem ? Very apologetic but no use to me. I had to use the car on Friday as I wasn't taking my trolleyjack and battery booster on the bus.....SWM was out in her car. It does give you a little frisson of vulnerability. I could also have been up for a ' no insurance SORN ' fine, depending how long I'd been off the system......easily dealt with, tho'.
Not used it since but just checked and we're back in business.....Hooray ! As an aside, what happens if you get impounded whilst towing a caravan...do they leave it at the roadside ? At least you can have a brew !
Ted
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Anything which creates employment is good, and this will create employment at car crushing companies.
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>> Anything which creates employment is good, and this will create employment at car crushing companies.
>>
Even better is to send drivers without insurance to open new mines....employment and punishment combined..
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there are no new mines. only old mines.
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Why crush them? Why not auction them and use the money to benefit law-abiding motorists in some way?
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>> Why crush them? Why not auction them and use the money to benefit law-abiding motorists in some way?
>>
They do, the ones worth auctioning - I understand.
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A million seized cars auctioned off at rock-bottom prices are perhaps most likely to be bought by people who don't intend insuring them?
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>> A million seized cars auctioned off at rock-bottom prices are perhaps most likely to be
>> bought by people who don't intend insuring them?
>>
and who would pay for the recovery, storage and admin costs in handling thousands of cars then putting them through an auction house. The sale price wouldnt even begin to cover staff wages.
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I thought scrap cars were supposed to be recycled? No removal of tyres, plastic bumpers etc. to aid recycling. Probably too expensive to do this, but the resultant scrap metal is so 'contaminated' with other materials it must be of pretty low value.
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Have the insurance companies some blame with this situation.Sky high insurance premium for young people to drive a car.And the fine won't deter anybody driving uninsured,maybe a prison sentence would I don't know.
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One Millionth Uninsured Car Crushed - madf
