MORE than 100 drivers were stopped on the M8 in a crackdown on uninsured driving. 

More than 30 additional Police Scotland officers collaborated with the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) yesterday (October 3) for an initiative which saw uninsured vehicles stopped and seized along the motorway from Edinburgh City Bypass and Langbank. 

Across the day road policing officers used several methods to identify uninsured drivers including Operation Tutelage markers where cars passing ANPR cameras on previous occasions have been compared to data held on Navigate, the record of all active motor insurance policies managed by MIB, with uninsured vehicles being flagged to police and dealt with roadside. 

They also used police intelligence and analysis to establish the whereabouts of uninsured vehicles. 

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Of the 102 stops made by 6pm, 36% uncovered secondary offences including drug offences and vehicles in an unroadworthy condition. 

The initiative was the third in a series of operations led by MIB along major UK motorways with their law enforcement liaison officers joining police at the roadside to provide a direct link to Navigate and to the MIB Police Helpline to up the process of confirming a vehicles’ insurance status.

The MIB exists to protect people from the devastation of uninsured and hit-and-run drivers and their support has allowed forces to dedicate additional officers, marked vehicles, ANPR cameras, control room operatives and intel staff to taking uninsured vehicles off the road.

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Martin Saunders, head of enforcement at MIB, said: "We know that uninsured driving is just one of many pressing priorities for our police colleagues.

"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.

"We’re proud to have partnered with Police Scotland today.

"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."

Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan said: "This operation is an effective way of reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on our roads.

"If you have no valid insurance, you have no legal right to be on the road, and I would encourage the public to continue to report drivers who they believed are not insured.

"Police Scotland is committed to keeping the roads safe in collaboration with key partners and this operation allows officers to take action against those who deliberately break the law and put other road users in danger."

Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier, Head of National Roads Policing Operations Intelligence and Investigations (NRPOII), added: "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.

"We know uninsured drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal and fail to stop collisions, and there is also a strong link between uninsured driving and other criminal offences.

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