(Not so) Near Miss of the Day 469: Uninsured driver hits cyclist with wing mirror

CyclingMikey gets conviction information from the Metropolitan police.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF45F148D5B8AE101

Sriracha wrote:

How are cars even on the road with no VED, insurance and MOT? It's all on databases and there's ANPR cameras everywhere. How hard can it be to get these vehicles lifted and crushed, along with all those with obscured dark plates?

This a good example why illegal vehicles need removing from the road. They are often driven dangerously. Sadly, the police are so stretched that they don't see this as a priority.

Years ago my car was rear-ended by a vehicle that had been registered as scrapped with the DVLA - obviously no MOT, insurance etc. They tried to do a runner and overtook me, but their front wheel was mashed so pulled over when I gave chase and they knew they weren't getting away.

Despite getting all the details of the driver at the scene, the police were not interested in prosecuting any driving offences.

Sriracha wrote:

How are cars even on the road with no VED, insurance and MOT? It's all on databases and there's ANPR cameras everywhere. How hard can it be to get these vehicles lifted and crushed, along with all those with obscured dark plates?

There are 38 million cars in the UK.  13% are not insured, which is one in eight.  So, on average, for every group of cars that goes through a green traffic light, one of them is unsured, plus the ninth that squeezes through on red.  1.6% are untaxed, which is 634,000 of them.  ANPR does untaxed vehicles, both moving and parked, but uninsured is more difficult to enforce because of policies that allow people to drive any vehicle etc.  If your untaxed moving car is seen by one of the DVLA vehicles you'll get a notice through the post. If it's parked, it will be clamped and towed 24 hours later if you haven't paid up.

nniff wrote:

uninsured is more difficult to enforce because of policies that allow people to drive any vehicle etc. 

Not so. In the terms and conditions of every insurance policy I've had that allowed me to drive other vehicles (maybe I'm the only person that reads this) it has said that the vehicle has to already have an underlying insurance policy. My insurance generally didn't cover me to drive an uninsured car.

What I can't understand is that you have to have insurance to tax a vehicle - and yet there's a big disparity in the untaxed vs uninsured cars. Does that suggest people get insurance to tax a vehicle then cancel that insurance (maybe within the 14 day cool off period)?

Yes, this is my understanding too - otherwise, there is a loophole that allows me to drive a Ferrari on only my I10 insurance....

Uninsured, untaxed, no MOT and criminal activity (especially theft, burglarly and drugs) tend to go together. Getting rid of the tax disk made it harder for the police to spot untaxed vehicles during routine patrols.

Routine patrols - can I move where you live ?!

I'd hope there is an app for that - point camera at plate, it comes back and says if ok.

Indeed. I also found it a handy reminder for when I needed to renew....

It's not a loophole. My insurance states

The Policyholder may also drive in the UK, any private motor car not owned by or registered to, and not hired, rented or leased to the Policyholder, their employer or business partner. This cover only applies if the Policyholder is still the owner or main driver of the insured vehicle as identified by the registration mark above

BUT we will cover your legal liability for the death of or bodily injury to any person or damage to property (or both) caused by you driving any other private motor car (this does not include any commercial vehicle, motorcycle or any other motor vehicle) that you don’t own, is not registered to you and is not hired to you under a hire purchase or rental or lease agreement...

...We will not insure loss of or damage to the private motor car you are driving under this section.

So I could drive the Ferrari but if I wrote it off, I would be a very poor man for the rest of my life.

If I bought a Ferrari I'd be a poor man for the rest of my life. So no change there.....

There still needs to be an insurance policy covering the specific vehicle - legal requirement. And that's why the loophole isn't one. Your insurance may cover you to drive it, but somewhere there needs to be a policy that covers things like the unattended vehicle catching fire or rolling away etc.

I have had this confirmed by watching too much Channel 5 and ITV4.

It is estimated that there are over 1 million uninsured vehicles on UK roads

If an ANPR equipped police car happens to 'see' a car without VED etc, then I'm sure police will investigate if they're available and not on their way to something higher priority. But tracking an untaxed etc car through stationary ANPR cameras while no doubt possible is probably too laborious and uncertain to be justified for these sorts of crime. Some untaxed etc cars will also be on cloned plates so that they wouldn't register on ANPR in the first place.