CHESHIRE police officers have seized their 10,000th uninsured vehicle since new legislation came into force in 2005.
Statistics show that in speed-related collisions 12.4% of drivers did not have any insurance.
To date, Cheshire police have sent 81 seized cars straight back to the HP companies with a total value of £794,338.
On average 350-400 cars and motorcycles a month are seized for no insurance. Around 200 a month are crushed or otherwise disposed of.
If you are caught driving without insurance, your next insurance premium will be increased by a minimum of 100% and in most cases by 200%, making the average cost jump from £400 to around £1,200 per year for a first offence.
Insurance fraud is becoming increasingly common across the UK, and Cheshire is no exception.
A new unit has been set up targeting people who give false information to obtain insurance, and those who fail to give insurance companies details of their previous convictions when applying for vehicle insurance.
One recent case resulted in the offender being given two months imprisonment.
Brian Rogers, a Cheshire roads policing inspector, said: “The message is clear to uninsured drivers – we are watching you and you will be caught.
“Then not only do you face a sizeable fine, but we will seize your car and you face having it sent back to the hire purchase company or crushed.”
