HALTON has been named among Cheshire's uninsured driving hotspots as police continue efforts to tackle drivers without cover.
New data released by the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) shows WA7, which covers parts of Runcorn, ranked as the fifth worst-affected postal district in the Cheshire policing area for uninsured driving.
The figures have been published to coincide with Operation Drive Insured, a nationwide campaign running from November 9 to 15 aimed at identifying uninsured vehicles, disrupting offending and helping motorists avoid mistakes that could leave them unknowingly uninsured.
According to MIB data, WA7 was the only Halton postcode area to feature in Cheshire's top five uninsured driving hotspots.
The rankings, based on two years of MIB claims data and measured by the number of defendants per 1,000 residents, placed CH65 in Ellesmere Port at the top of the list, followed by CH3, CW2 and CH1.
WA7 came fifth.
The organisation said nearly 1,500 uninsured vehicles have been seized by Cheshire Police so far this year, with a vehicle being impounded somewhere in the UK every four minutes.
Chief Inspector Cameron Taylor, of Cheshire Constabulary's Roads and Crime Unit, said: "Uninsured driving creates risks for everyone who uses our roads, which is why initiatives such as Operation Drive Insured are so important.
"We're pleased to be working alongside MIB once again, and the addition of this new vehicle will provide our Special Constables with greater access to appropriate policing resources, helping them to support enforcement activity and help to keep Cheshire's roads safe."
MIB estimates there are around 335,000 uninsured vehicles on UK roads on any given day.
The organisation said uninsured driving costs the UK economy more than £1 billion annually through compensation payments, emergency service responses, healthcare costs and lost productivity.
While some uninsured motorists deliberately break the law, MIB said others may be caught out by misunderstandings about their policy or failing to update details with insurers.
Drivers caught without insurance face a fixed penalty of £300 and six points on their licence.
Vehicles can also be seized, while more serious cases may be referred to court where unlimited fines and driving disqualifications can be imposed.
Angus Eaton, chief executive of MIB, said: "Every uninsured vehicle on our roads represents a risk to innocent road users. Our vision is a future where no one suffers the consequences of uninsured driving.
"Through Operation Drive Insured, we work in partnership with police forces across the UK to identify and remove uninsured drivers, but preventing uninsured driving is about more than enforcement alone. It's about helping motorists understand their responsibilities and ensuring they have the knowledge they need to stay legally insured, so that together we can make our roads safer for everyone."
MIB is encouraging motorists to check their insurance details, warning that issues such as expired payment information, incorrect policy details, undeclared vehicle modifications and assumptions about being covered to drive other vehicles can all leave drivers uninsured.
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