Bolton councillor welcomes GMP 'clamp down' on uninsured drivers

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are among the busiest forces when it comes to seizing uninsured vehicles.

So far this year, throughout the city region, GMP have seized nearly 5,000 vehciles that were being driven by uninsured drivers.

They include cars seized in Bolton.

This places them third overall, only behind the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police.

Over the past five years over half-a-million cars have been seized nationwide for this same reason. That number in Greater Manchester stands at 32,135, placing the region fifth in the UK.

The figures were obtained by The AA through of a freedom of information request.

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Bolton police have launched operations to crackdown on uninsured drivers and dangerous motorists, including Operation Avro and Operation Portman.

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Cllr Mudasir Dean, Bolton Council cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “It looks like there’s a growing trend of people taking the risk of setting out to drive without insurance, as well as other requirements such as MOTs and tax, so it’s good to see GMP are clamping down on it.

“It sends out a clear message to those people who might think about not adhering to these requirements before they set out to drive.”

A GMP spokesperson said: “We don’t just target uninsured drivers, this is merely one avenue we pursue. Road Safety is front and centre of what we do.

GMP officer questions driver during Operation Avro earlier this year. Credit: GMP (Image: GMP)

“Each year far too many people are killed or seriously injured by uninsured drivers. The effects of this are far reaching and can have devastating impact on families and relatives.

“Our increased enforcement will continue as we strive to make the roads safer.”

They added: “Data driven deployments mean we know where to target. Our uplift in roads policing means that we are better placed than ever to take action to deal with the matters that the public want action on.

“The Chief Constable has stated publicly on numerous occasions that road danger issues are one of the most talked about issues and is something the force are tackling as a priority.”

Not only is a car seized when a driver is uninsured, but there is often a fine involved too.

Research by car insurance comparison website Confused.com shows that in the last 10 years, Greater Manchester Police has dished out over 45,000 fines to uninsured drivers totalling over £13.5m - the sixth highest vaule of fines for the offence of any force in the nation.

The average value of a fine is £458.

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