By Andy McCue, 20 June 2006 14:20
NEWS
Fleets of wheel-clamping vans armed with number plate scanning technology will hit the UK's streets in an attempt to reduce the number of untaxed and illegal vehicles on the road.
The vans will be equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that will scan car number plates and check them against the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) database of untaxed vehicles.
The ANPR vans will be operated by car-parking group NCP, which has signed a three-year deal with the DVLA.
The DVLA is aiming to double the number of untaxed cars removed from UK roads and the rate of removal will be increased to 2,000 vehicles per week under the new crackdown. There are an estimated 1.5 million unlicensed vehicles in the UK, according to government figures.
Vehicles identified as untaxed by the ANPR vans will be clamped and impounded. For clamped vehicles a valid tax disc must be produced along with a release fee of £80. Those cars not claimed within seven days can be crushed.
The DVLA said the "zero tolerance" approach will help cut the number of illegal and unsafe cars on UK roads.
Transport secretary Stephen Ladyman said in a statement: "We are sending out a clear message today to the small hardcore of evaders who have no intention of paying tax; we will take your car, no more warnings. These anti-social drivers often have no insurance, drive unsafe vehicles and are involved in wider criminal activity."
Comments
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1. Jon Pennycook
Hopefully this will reduce the number of chavs on the roads. I also hope that there will be some action against people who try to obscure their number plates to avoid being recognised.
2. Charles Smith
This deals with cloned plates on vehicles?
Will they have police on hand to stop the vehicles to enable clamping? If so why outsource this task to the NCP, it is after all a police responsibility.
Or perhaps they will send a letter to the address of the last register keeper asking to turn up at the local scrap yard to have their vehicle crushed.
3. anonymous
This is a great idea, getting the illegal cars off the road, but am I missing something? Why spend thousands on this technology, surely rather than scan the number plate a quick glance at the windscreen will show whether there is a tax disc??
4. n.e.driver
2 things here...to what extent will this encourage the cloning of number plates ? and which will be the next dubious organization that this idiot government hands our details on a plate and pays them for the privilege ?
5. anonymous
That's all well and good if they really are targeting the hard core permanent defaulters BUT what about your decent guy who buys a four year old Ford car on say the 16th of June 2006 from a trader with no tax disc on it. He then takes the car home and has to wait for up to 5 days for a cover note to get to him from his insurers which he requested on the day he bought it being a Friday - it does not arrive until the next Wednesday. He parks the car outside the front of his terraced house which is near a town centre. He does not drive it about but leaves it parked. The local traffic wardens see it and give the DVLA task force the nod and the poor bugger ends up having his car clamped and having to pay £80.00 to get it released. (and run the risk of having it crushed) when he couldn't have taxed it any sooner because "the post office won't allow him to use the faxed copy of the insurance certificate" that he went to the trouble to get on Friday 16th June. So could not have taxed it until the original arrived.........and don't tell me the DVLA wouldn't take such steps....because a similar thing happened to me about 15 years ago before they had all this new technology at their disposal.
6. anonymous
You're too clever by half! You should be in IT !
7. anonymous
There has been an untaxed vehicle in my road for the past four weeks and despite reporting it to the DVLA on their web site it is still there.
Which really does make a mockery of those TV adverts about catching road tax evaders.
8. anonymous
By using the scanning method, the police can physically arrest the driver is needed. Not only that but if you haven' got tax, you are not liable to have an MOT, insurance or even a driving licence.
Now we need a change in the law to say that drivers MUST BY LAW carry these documents ....
Otherwise they are simply packed off home to get them, and given 5-10 days to present at the nearest police station ... law abiding citizens will ... tax dodgers ... no chance.
9. Steve Johnson
At last a camera based action against the motorist I can agree with.
Fixed cameras for speeding create bad press for the police as it doesn't address the true criminals. This action does.
Better still also compare the car details to assess whether the number plate has been cloned, whether it has an MOT and its insured.
Take these criminals off the road too
10. Simon
Wonderful, I could go on holiday and come home to find my cars is gone. All it takes is a problem with the computer (not unknown with Government IT) and/or an over zealous contractor with a target to meet ...
I have a friend who's car was 'stolen' in London. He came out from work in the morning to find his car was gone - to the pound because it was parked on yellow lines. They'd only lifted the car up and painted the lines under it, then carted it off to the pound !
Luckily for him the police didn't 'try it on' and admitted that the lines weren't there when he parked.
11. anonymous
I was shocked to find that no proof is needed to acquire a number plate.
It should be made mandatory that car holder produces tax disc or insurance or DVLA certificate when they get the number plates.
C.
12. Roy Corneloues
Proof is most definately required to buy a plate. I found this out recently when I needed a plate for a trailor. As I drive a company car I did not have the vehicle registration document required and was politely declined any service...
Also I have already seen this scheme in action: One van with camera in a layby doing instant checking. 3 police cars on the next on-ramp ready to pounce and 3 car transporters in the next layby steadily being filled with cars and a number of slightly dazed drivers standing in the layby all on their mobiles trying to sort out a lift home!
13. anonymous
Check your tax disc! If you don't get your reminder (either because it wasn't sent out or because it was lost in the post) you are responsible for taxing your car by the appropriate date.
If you always rely on the reminder then you will forget to tax the car and will eventually get a £40 penalty. It's amazing that in the last two months two people I know have not received reminders. I'm sure that the DVLA would not fail to send them out would they? What could they gain? ... other than 40 quid a time!
GO ON! Check your car tax is not out of date and save yourself £40
14. anonymous
Another DVLA initiative. Outsourced to NCP. I await the first story of how it will probably go horribly wrong. A car parking company.......
How much or how good will the training such staff are given be? If any training is being given at all. Might have bene a good idea in theory, but knowing the DVLA & the government these days.
It will probably be another monumental foul-up.
15. anonymous
Unless, of course, you buy a 'show plate' on the internet, which doesn't require any validation...
16. Mick
Great start lets get the uninsured next
17. anonymous
It make logical sense to outsource M25 traffic management to NCP. Afterall, its just another big car park.
18. brian savage
amazingly amazing this bit of folly, why pay a private firm millions of our money when a tax recognition camera does the job at a quarter of the price ..who's getting the backhander?????????? man in the street STUNG again !!!