Over 60 Vehicles Seized From Illegal Drivers
Over 60 vehicles have been seized during a two-week campaign targeting illegal drivers across North Wales.
The aim of the campaign, which was launched outside force headquarters in Colwyn Bay on 10th May, was to target those who drive whilst disqualified, drive with no insurance or drive without a valid licence.
The campaign started officially on Monday May 13 and encouraged members of the public to report a criminal if they suspect them to be breaking the law.
During the campaign four people were arrested for various offences including driving whilst disqualified and a total of 67 vehicles were seized. Everybody who had their vehicle seized were dealt with either by fixed penalty or summonsed to court.
In the financial year of 2011/2012 there were 280 arrests made with regards to illegal driving. 123 of those were disqualified driver arrests, 62 were driving licence arrests and 95 were vehicle insurance arrests
Chief Inspector Darren Wareing from North Wales Police’ Roads Policing Unit said: “This kind of policing is about targeting the minority of individuals who choose to break the law, saving the ordinary driver from higher insurance premiums and reducing road casualties.
“We stop and seize vehicles that are found to be on the road illegally throughout the year however this two-week campaign specifically focuses on those individuals in a bid to help make the roads a safer place across the region.
“Anybody found to be driving illegally can face being arrested. We will use all available powers to seize illegal vehicles and remove them from the roads.
“The consequences for them can be anything from a fine, to points on their licence to having their car scrapped.”
During the campaign officers used ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology and worked closely with their colleagues at the DVLA and Motor Insurance Bureau whilst coordinated road-side checks were carried out across the region, including two joint operations on the border with Cheshire Police.
Last week Wrexham.com received a tweet from Chris Jones informing us of DVLA ‘action’:
@wrexham DVLA van on the adwy coedpoeth, already clamping people this morning
— Chris Jones (@mr_sippin) May 31, 2013
Penalties for illegal drivers can include:
- Driving without insurance: 6-8 points and up to £5,000 fine (£200 for fixed penalty ticket)
- Driving whilst disqualified: 6 points, up to £5,000 fine and you could face a minimum 6 month prison sentence
- Driving other than in accordance with your driving licence: 3-6 points and £1,000 fine
- Failing to identify the driver of the vehicle: 3 points
Uninsured drivers are:
- Three times more likely to have been convicted of driving without due care and attention
- Six times more likely to drive an unsafe vehicle
- Nine time more likely to be involved in a road traffic collision
- 10 times more likely to have a drink drive conviction
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