Underclass of untaxed motorists
Discussion
In today's Times: www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2566896,00.html
So untaxed cars are many times more likely to be responsible for KSIs yet government targets for addressing the problem only aim to remove 10% of them from the roads. Meanwhile, the advance of the speed camera, powerless against these people, continues. Truly a demonstration of the fact that policy on policing is now aimed at those who can pay rather than those who cause the damage.
Times said:
'Underclass' of drivers costs lives and millions
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent
# 1 in 15 dodging road tax and speeding fines
# Culprits 10 times more likely to be drink-drivers
The number of people not paying their road tax has almost doubled in the past two years creating a “motoring underclass” of two million drivers who can escape speeding fines, parking penalties and driving convictions.
Figures released by the Department for Transport yesterday show that 2,193,000 owners failed to pay vehicle excise duty last year, compared with 1,240,000 in 2004.
This means that 1 in 15 of the 33 million vehicles on the roads is untaxed, despite a high-profile campaign to reduce evasion. The DfT’s figures do not include the tens of thousands of vehicles with cloned numberplates or false foreign plates. The DVLA estimates that 80 per cent of untaxed vehicles have no insurance and 70 per cent of the people who drive them have criminal records. Uninsured motorists are ten times more likely to be convicted drink-drivers.
Non-payment cost the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency £217 million in lost revenue, up from £129 million two years earlier.
The RAC Foundation said the statistics revealed a huge growth in Britain’s lawless “motoring underclass”, who fail to register their vehicles in order to avoid paying speeding and parking tickets, bus lane fines and congestion charge fines.
The explosion in speeding offences detected by cameras, up tenfold in a decade from 200,000 in 1995 to 1.9 million in 2004. has given drivers a greater incentive to avoid registering their vehicles. More than a million speeding fines are not paid each year, partly because the current owners cannot be traced.
Edmund King, the foundation’s director, said: “This underclass of illegal, untaxed drivers is responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries on our roads. Research shows that vehicles without insurance are many times more likely to be involved in hit-and-run crashes.”
Mr King said that the fall in the number of traffic police was encouraging drivers to believe that they would escape detection.
“You can do a journey of 100 miles and you are lucky if you see one police car. People know they are not very likely to be stopped and they are prepared to take a calculated risk. Having such a large anonymous underclass of drivers who are outside the law makes the roads less safe for everyone.” Mr King said the DVLA needed to explain why its campaign to reduce evasion, including the introduction in 2004 of automatic £80 fines for those who fail to renew their tax discs in time, was failing so badly.
The DfT report revealed that there were 1,338,000 unlicensed private cars and vans in 2006, compared with 851,000 two years earlier — a rise of 57 per cent. The number of unlicensed motorcycles leapt 152 per cent from 275,000 to 694,000. There were also 21,000 unlicensed goods vehicles last year — up from 17,000 in 2004.
The DfT said evasion rates were highest for motorcycles and older vehicles. Cars and vans that are more than ten years old are five times more likely to be untaxed than those less than ten years old, it said. The statistics are based on checks conducted at 256 sites across the UK last summer, when 1.3 million registration marks were recorded and checked against DVLA records. Wales and the North West had the most tax dodgers, double the rate of the North East, which had the lowest rate.
Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the IAM Motoring Trust, said the rising cost of insurance was tempting low-income motorists to drive illegally. “As motoring becomes more expensive, the groups least able to afford it who need a car are finding it more difficult to make ends meet.”
Mr Delaney, the former Metropolitan Police head of traffic policing, added: “If there were more police on the street, those people who might try to get away with it might come to a different conclusion.
“According to the DVLA, the problem was licked two years ago. That has clearly not happened — quite the reverse.”
Uninsured motorists add £30 to the average motor insurance premium and are involved in crashes that cost £500 million a year. A study by the Association of British Insurers also found that uninsured drivers were six times more likely to drive an unroadworthy car.
The DfT said special teams of clampers had begun work in June last year to immobilise or remove vehicles found without a valid tax disc until the owners paid the fee and a penalty.
The teams have been set a target of clamping 100,000 vehicles a year.
The DVLA is also sharing a database of suspected road tax evaders with the police and local authorities. The DfT expects this to result in a further 80,000 vehicles being taken off the roads.
But the DfT admits this will still account for less than one in ten of the current number of untaxed vehicles.
The police gained new powers at the end of 2005 to check numberplates against an insurance database and seize any vehicles without valid insurance. Last year police seized 50,000 uninsured vehicles, of which 20,000 were crushed.
Road toll
£500m Annual cost of crashes by uninsured drivers
£1,000 Maximum fine for driving without a valid tax disc
50,000 Uninsured vehicles seized by police in 2006
1,338,000 Untaxed cars in 2006 — up from 851,000 in 2004
Source: DfT and Motor Insurers’ Bureau
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent
# 1 in 15 dodging road tax and speeding fines
# Culprits 10 times more likely to be drink-drivers
The number of people not paying their road tax has almost doubled in the past two years creating a “motoring underclass” of two million drivers who can escape speeding fines, parking penalties and driving convictions.
Figures released by the Department for Transport yesterday show that 2,193,000 owners failed to pay vehicle excise duty last year, compared with 1,240,000 in 2004.
This means that 1 in 15 of the 33 million vehicles on the roads is untaxed, despite a high-profile campaign to reduce evasion. The DfT’s figures do not include the tens of thousands of vehicles with cloned numberplates or false foreign plates. The DVLA estimates that 80 per cent of untaxed vehicles have no insurance and 70 per cent of the people who drive them have criminal records. Uninsured motorists are ten times more likely to be convicted drink-drivers.
Non-payment cost the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency £217 million in lost revenue, up from £129 million two years earlier.
The RAC Foundation said the statistics revealed a huge growth in Britain’s lawless “motoring underclass”, who fail to register their vehicles in order to avoid paying speeding and parking tickets, bus lane fines and congestion charge fines.
The explosion in speeding offences detected by cameras, up tenfold in a decade from 200,000 in 1995 to 1.9 million in 2004. has given drivers a greater incentive to avoid registering their vehicles. More than a million speeding fines are not paid each year, partly because the current owners cannot be traced.
Edmund King, the foundation’s director, said: “This underclass of illegal, untaxed drivers is responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries on our roads. Research shows that vehicles without insurance are many times more likely to be involved in hit-and-run crashes.”
Mr King said that the fall in the number of traffic police was encouraging drivers to believe that they would escape detection.
“You can do a journey of 100 miles and you are lucky if you see one police car. People know they are not very likely to be stopped and they are prepared to take a calculated risk. Having such a large anonymous underclass of drivers who are outside the law makes the roads less safe for everyone.” Mr King said the DVLA needed to explain why its campaign to reduce evasion, including the introduction in 2004 of automatic £80 fines for those who fail to renew their tax discs in time, was failing so badly.
The DfT report revealed that there were 1,338,000 unlicensed private cars and vans in 2006, compared with 851,000 two years earlier — a rise of 57 per cent. The number of unlicensed motorcycles leapt 152 per cent from 275,000 to 694,000. There were also 21,000 unlicensed goods vehicles last year — up from 17,000 in 2004.
The DfT said evasion rates were highest for motorcycles and older vehicles. Cars and vans that are more than ten years old are five times more likely to be untaxed than those less than ten years old, it said. The statistics are based on checks conducted at 256 sites across the UK last summer, when 1.3 million registration marks were recorded and checked against DVLA records. Wales and the North West had the most tax dodgers, double the rate of the North East, which had the lowest rate.
Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the IAM Motoring Trust, said the rising cost of insurance was tempting low-income motorists to drive illegally. “As motoring becomes more expensive, the groups least able to afford it who need a car are finding it more difficult to make ends meet.”
Mr Delaney, the former Metropolitan Police head of traffic policing, added: “If there were more police on the street, those people who might try to get away with it might come to a different conclusion.
“According to the DVLA, the problem was licked two years ago. That has clearly not happened — quite the reverse.”
Uninsured motorists add £30 to the average motor insurance premium and are involved in crashes that cost £500 million a year. A study by the Association of British Insurers also found that uninsured drivers were six times more likely to drive an unroadworthy car.
The DfT said special teams of clampers had begun work in June last year to immobilise or remove vehicles found without a valid tax disc until the owners paid the fee and a penalty.
The teams have been set a target of clamping 100,000 vehicles a year.
The DVLA is also sharing a database of suspected road tax evaders with the police and local authorities. The DfT expects this to result in a further 80,000 vehicles being taken off the roads.
But the DfT admits this will still account for less than one in ten of the current number of untaxed vehicles.
The police gained new powers at the end of 2005 to check numberplates against an insurance database and seize any vehicles without valid insurance. Last year police seized 50,000 uninsured vehicles, of which 20,000 were crushed.
Road toll
£500m Annual cost of crashes by uninsured drivers
£1,000 Maximum fine for driving without a valid tax disc
50,000 Uninsured vehicles seized by police in 2006
1,338,000 Untaxed cars in 2006 — up from 851,000 in 2004
Source: DfT and Motor Insurers’ Bureau
So untaxed cars are many times more likely to be responsible for KSIs yet government targets for addressing the problem only aim to remove 10% of them from the roads. Meanwhile, the advance of the speed camera, powerless against these people, continues. Truly a demonstration of the fact that policy on policing is now aimed at those who can pay rather than those who cause the damage.
1. Publicise some extraordinary claims about a number of un-taxed "rogue" underclass drivers.
2. Link them loosly with accidents and driving without insurance.
3. Allow to fester in the press and let public opinion stew
4. Introduce draconian numberplate/registered keeper laws to sort out this scum.
SM
PS The real story here is the number of unregistered/mis-registered cars which is set to grow exponentially with the planned increase in big brother speed tax, tracking, etc. They're getting their ducks in a row early by creating a wave of anti-tax dodger public opinion.
2. Link them loosly with accidents and driving without insurance.
3. Allow to fester in the press and let public opinion stew
4. Introduce draconian numberplate/registered keeper laws to sort out this scum.
SM
PS The real story here is the number of unregistered/mis-registered cars which is set to grow exponentially with the planned increase in big brother speed tax, tracking, etc. They're getting their ducks in a row early by creating a wave of anti-tax dodger public opinion.
Just what did they expect to happen. All motoring costs keep increasing so people feel the squeeze. Then we have excessive punitive measures for minor errors. It's no wonder poorer people are taking the easy option. Now if we had some incentives and lower prices then everybody (well most) would be able to afford to drive within the law.
Boosted.
Boosted.
herewego said:
Balmoral Green said:
As I said on the other thread, most of these are just used car stock sitting on dealer forecourts.
That's not what the article says.
Meaning what herewego ? The article says
[quote]The DfT’s figures do not include the tens of thousands of vehicles with cloned numberplates or false foreign plates[/quote]
Thats all. Nothing about used car stock not being included. I met some of these bright sparks completely lacking in intelligence from DVLA Swansea on a train journey in 2000. They insisted that all untaxed cars are driving around daily. They had no concept that like me tens of thousands of people have cars sitting off the road waiting to be fixed, sold or restored or simply taxed and used. Not surpising they haven't thought of the near million stock of cars wating at dealers.
Richard C said:
herewego said:
Balmoral Green said:
As I said on the other thread, most of these are just used car stock sitting on dealer forecourts.
That's not what the article says.
Meaning what herewego ? The article says
[quote]The DfT’s figures do not include the tens of thousands of vehicles with cloned numberplates or false foreign plates[quote]
Thats all. Nothing about used car stock not being included. I met some of these bright sparks completely lacking in intelligence from DVLA Swansea on a train journey in 2000. They insisted that all untaxed cars are driving around daily. They had no concept that like me tens of thousands of people have cars sitting off the road waiting to be fixed, sold or restored or simply taxed and used. Not surpising they haven't thought of the near million stock of cars wating at dealers.
Quote:
The statistics are based on checks conducted at 256 sites across the UK last summer, when 1.3 million registration marks were recorded and checked against DVLA records. Wales and the North West had the most tax dodgers, double the rate of the North East, which had the lowest rate.
Edited by herewego on Friday 26th January 18:06
herewego said:
Quote:
The statistics are based on checks conducted at 256 sites across the UK last summer, when 1.3 million registration marks were recorded and checked against DVLA records. Wales and the North West had the most tax dodgers, double the rate of the North East, which had the lowest rate.
Edited by herewego on Friday 26th January 18:06
That's the North East which contains North Yorks and Durham constabularly who don't have fixed cameras, right?
imbecile said:
herewego said:
Quote:
The statistics are based on checks conducted at 256 sites across the UK last summer, when 1.3 million registration marks were recorded and checked against DVLA records. Wales and the North West had the most tax dodgers, double the rate of the North East, which had the lowest rate.
Edited by herewego on Friday 26th January 18:06
That's the North East which contains North Yorks and Durham constabularly who don't have fixed cameras, right?
I'm not sure but I think it's also the area where they sieze the most cars. It began in County Durham in 2005.
Edited by herewego on Friday 26th January 18:55
Edited by herewego on Friday 26th January 19:07
I thought it was a strange atricle too. Unusual for the Times. The stats it churned out left too many questions.
So the number of untaxed cars has increased. Well has the number of cars on the road not also increased and at a greater rate of those that are untaxed? So does this mean that in real terms the number of untaxed cars has actually gone down?
I don't know enough on the subject but it seemed an odd thing to report.
So the number of untaxed cars has increased. Well has the number of cars on the road not also increased and at a greater rate of those that are untaxed? So does this mean that in real terms the number of untaxed cars has actually gone down?
I don't know enough on the subject but it seemed an odd thing to report.
gently bentley said:
I thought it was a strange atricle too. Unusual for the Times. The stats it churned out left too many questions.
So the number of untaxed cars has increased. Well has the number of cars on the road not also increased and at a greater rate of those that are untaxed? So does this mean that in real terms the number of untaxed cars has actually gone down?
I don't know enough on the subject but it seemed an odd thing to report.
So the number of untaxed cars has increased. Well has the number of cars on the road not also increased and at a greater rate of those that are untaxed? So does this mean that in real terms the number of untaxed cars has actually gone down?
I don't know enough on the subject but it seemed an odd thing to report.
GB - I know where you are coming from, and I would be the first to laugh at the often silly and unsubstantiated stats often quoted on here.
That aside, IF the number of untaxed cars has doubled in the last couple of years, I would suggest something has happened, as I don't think the number of cars on the road has doubled in that period. I haven't got the exact figures, but I'm sure it's nowhere near 100% increase in new drivers and/or cars. Which means that the overall percentage of untaxed cars has considerably increased.
Could it be partly due to this common misconception that people seem to have, that they have a right to drive, even if they have no money. You see them every day, the ones claiming when their vehicle is towed, saying "but I can't afford it, innit". Outraged, simply because they feel they have 'a right'.
Ahh, the good old days, when if you had no money you accepted Shank's offer.
BFF
Richard C said:
herewego said:
Balmoral Green said:
As I said on the other thread, most of these are just used car stock sitting on dealer forecourts.
That's not what the article says.
Meaning what herewego ? The article says
[quote]The DfT’s figures do not include the tens of thousands of vehicles with cloned numberplates or false foreign plates
Thats all. Nothing about used car stock not being included. I met some of these bright sparks completely lacking in intelligence from DVLA Swansea on a train journey in 2000. They insisted that all untaxed cars are driving around daily. They had no concept that like me tens of thousands of people have cars sitting off the road waiting to be fixed, sold or restored or simply taxed and used. Not surpising they haven't thought of the near million stock of cars wating at dealers.
[/quote]
um....all those cars sitting on peoples drives waiting to get fixed etc. should be SORN'd....so won't be classed as untaxed.
autismuk said:
I think those figures might be optimistic.
When I was at University 20 years ago the local Cops (I think it was them) did a huge clamp down on Road Tax in Colchester ; the results were sorted by area, and ranged from about 27-33% untaxed - even in the well off areas.
When I was at University 20 years ago the local Cops (I think it was them) did a huge clamp down on Road Tax in Colchester ; the results were sorted by area, and ranged from about 27-33% untaxed - even in the well off areas.
There were similar results from a mass stop check in my area a few years ago. I don't know why the police don't do this regularly in random locations. Perhaps they don't want to catch too many people.
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