" Clever cameras spot uninsured "
Clever technology means the days of uninsured
drivers using false number plates to escape detection may be over, the
Automobile Association (AA) says.
The widespread use of automatic number plate
recognition systems helped police seize nearly twice as many uninsured vehicles
last year, compared to 2006.
But criminals are managing to stay one step
ahead of the law - by using foreign number plates instead.
The AA is now calling for better checks on
foreign registered vehicles.
Fewer uninsured drivers
Police figures gathered by the AA show that
150,000 uninsured vehicles were seized last year compared to 78,000 in 2006.
AA President Edmund King said the rise was not
necessarily because there were more uninsured drivers on UK roads.
"Rather, we think it is because there is now
the widespread use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems," he
said.
His contention is backed by police figures on
the number of claims made for accidents with uninsured drivers. They have
fallen: down from 36,340 in 2006 to 34,239 in 2007.
The government gave police more powers to use
ANPR technology in 2006, as well as changing the rules to allow them to seize
uninsured vehicles.
ANPR cameras are now fitted as standard in
many police patrol vehicles. Connected to a database of insured vehicles, the
device automatically scans the road ahead and alerts officers to uninsured
vehicles, or those fitted with false UK plates.
Mr King said: "It used to be that some
uninsured motorists driving top-of-the-range cars like Mercedes or BMWs felt
they were less likely to be stopped.
"This may have been true a few years ago - but
now they are finding that the camera does not discriminate."
Foreign plates
But the AA is warning that uninsured drivers -
and those seeking to avoid speeding fines and congestion charges - are turning
to a new ruse: foreign number plates.
Because foreign plates are not included in
databases accessed by the police, they are not automatically picked up by ANPR
cameras.
The AA says that because there is no record of
foreign-registered vehicles going in and out of British ports of entry, it is
impossible for police to check which cars are genuinely from outside the UK.
The AA is also concerned that many foreign
drivers are flouting the rules that state that they must register their vehicles
and fit UK number plates within six months of arriving in Britain.
"We have anecdotal evidence that many European
drivers are failing to register their cars in the UK. When they are stopped by
the police they claim they have just arrived in the country," said Mr King.
Hit and run
He called on the government to install ANPR
cameras at ports and at the Channel Tunnel.
"That way the police will know which vehicles
have come in, and also which vehicles have left the country
"It will enable them to catch UK drivers using
false foreign plates, as well as catching foreign drivers who are trying to
leave the country after committing a hit-and-run offence."
A spokesman for the Department of Transport
said that while its rules placed an obligation on foreign drivers to register
their vehicle after a certain length of time, enforcement of the rule was up to
the Home Office and the police.
A Home Office spokesman said that any move to
install ANPR technology at ports of entry would be a "police operational
matter".
Source: [ BBC ]
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