The Motor Insurers’ Bureau has completed a two-year programme aimed at helping the police to identify and remove uninsured cars from the roads.

The programme involved police forces throughout the UK getting immediate access to the Motor Insurance Database to check the insurance details of suspect vehicles.

Police officers also now have access to a 24-hour helpline to check cases where drivers claim they do have insurance.

Using this information, more than a quarter of a million cars have been stopped and seized over the past two years for not having insurance.

In 2006 the police removed over 78,000 uninsured vehicles from the UK’s roads.

In 2007 that almost doubled to 150,000.

During the same two-year period the number of claims involving uninsured and untraced drivers fell by almost 10%.

In 2009, continuous insurance enforcement will be introduced, making it an offence to keep a vehicle without insurance, whether or not it is being used, unless it has been issued with a Statutory Off-Road Notification from the DVLA.

Fleet policy holders are again advised to speak to their insurance provider for advice and guidance about getting vehicle data onto the MID to avoid the risk of their drivers being stopped.