Linked databases to beat uninsured drivers

The government plans to link the DVLA's vehicle register and the insurance industry's motor database to help police crack down on uninsured drivers.

There are more than one million uninsured vehicles on UK roads, having accidents costing an estimated £500m a year and adding about £30 to motorists' premiums.

Plans to link the databases, giving police vital information on which cars are breaking the law, are part of a package of measures announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) today. Police will also be given the power to seize and even destroy uninsured vehicles once they have found them.

The government will also be putting pressure on the insurance industry to continue to improve its Motor Insurance database.

Road safety minister David Jamieson said: 'We know that law abiding motorists are fed up with paying the price for the small, hard core of anti social motorists who drive uninsured, often in untaxed or unsafe vehicles.

'We are also working closely with the insurance industry to improve detection of drivers who fail to insure their vehicles and to raise awareness of the need for motor insurance.'

Home Office minister Caroline Flint said: 'We are also working closely with the police to ensure that the hugely successful Automatic Number Plate Recognition system is used as effectively as possible to target those who flout the law and drive without insurance.'

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