CRACKDOWN ON ROAD TAX CHEATS AND UNINSURED DRIVERS IS WORKING
02 December 2004 - DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling today welcomed the great progress that is being made in tackling road tax cheats and announced further measures to crackdown on the menace of uninsured driving.

The results of the latest Roadside Survey of Road Tax Evasion in Great Britain, show that there are now nearly 700,000 fewer untaxed vehicles on our roads than two years ago, leading to improved road safety for all road users and saving the taxpayer £77m a year.

The introduction of the DVLA''s Continuous Registration scheme has played a significant part in reducing car tax evasion from 4.8% in 2002 to 3.4% today. New plans unveiled in today''s consultation on uninsured driving would operate along similar lines, with drivers who fail to get insurance being picked up automatically on a computer database.

Alistair Darling said:

''This is excellent news for the law abiding motorist. The results of this survey show that we are getting to grips with the problem of road tax dodgers. There are now 700,000 fewer untaxed- and therefore more insured vehicles as drivers need insurance to tax their vehicles - on our roads, leading to improved road safety for all road users and saving the taxpayer £77m a year.

'' We are also pressing ahead with linking the police to the Motor Insurers'' Database, allowing them to target uninsured drivers as well as giving the police the power to seize and, where appropriate, crush vehicles driven by uninsured drivers.

'' But we also need to deter drivers from becoming uninsured in the first place. The consultation launched today proposes a new way of making sure all drivers have insurance. The Government is committed to making life much tougher for the small hard core of anti social drivers on our roads''.

www.dft.gov.uk

More News
  For December 2004
  From DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
  For Government
  Biker247.com Home Page