MIB reveals results from latest crackdown on uninsured drivers

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) has collaborated with Police Scotland as part of its third ongoing clampdown on uninsured driving, with a total of 102 stops made by 6pm along the M8 motorway.

Yesterday, (3 October 2024), over 30 additional Police Scotland officers collaborated with the MIB to stop and seize uninsured vehicles along the 60-mile length of the motorway that connects Edinburgh City Bypass to Langbank.

Of these 102 stops, 36% also revealed secondary offences – including drug offences and vehicles travelling in an unroadworthy condition.

MIB’s head of enforcement Martin Saunders said: “As we run our third operation along a major motorway, it’s clear that supporting forces in designating time to focus on uninsured driving allows this issue to be tackled in a targeted manner.

“With the clear links to other offences, we know the benefits of Operation M8 will be widely felt across all different areas of the community, making the motorway and its surrounding areas safer.”

Operation series

Operation M8 follows the MIB conducting Operation M4 in April this year, as well as Operation M62 in July.

For Operation M8, policing officers are using several methods to identify uninsured drivers – including operation tutelage markers.

In that instance, cars that had passed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras on previous occasions are compared to the MIB’s record of all motor insurance policies, entitled Navigate.

Uninsured vehicles are then marked, flagged to the police and dealt with at the roadside.

To speed up the process of confirming a vehicle’s insurance status and support the force, MIB law enforcement liaison officers are joining policing offers at the roadside to provide a direct link to Navigate and the MIB Police Helpline.

Police intelligence and analysis is also used to establish the whereabouts of uninsured vehicles.

Police Scotland chief superintendent Hilary Sloan said the operation “allows officers to take action against those who deliberately break the law and put other road users in danger.”

She also encouraged the public to continue reporting drivers who they believe are not insured.

‘Nowhere to hide’

Meanwhile, chief superintendent Marc Clothier, head of National Roads Policing Operations Intelligence and Investigations (NRPOII), said that “uninsured drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal and fail to stop collisions”.

He also acknowledged the “strong link between uninsured driving and other criminal offences”.

“It is essential that we police our roads together and I am really pleased to see MIB joining forces with Police Scotland to tackle uninsured drivers on the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow,” Clothier said.

“This collaborative approach is a fantastic way to ensure we are both effective and efficient in taking risk off our roads.”

With Operation M8 still in action, the MIB expects further risks to be removed from the motorway.

The bureau is also in the process of exploring future collaborative operations on other major UK road networks, as part of its £5m investment to reduce uninsured driving.

Saunders said the MIB is “proud to have partnered with Police Scotland”.

“This operation is just one more way, alongside a wider range of initiatives, in which we’re making sure that those flouting the law have nowhere to hide,” he added.