FLINT, UNITED KINGDOM -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/25/09 -- Ashton West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), has revealed that the number of drivers caught each year driving without insurance is increasing significantly. It is calculated that the number of motorists driving without insurance is rapidly approaching two million.

A spokesman for Staveley Head, one of the UK's leading motor trade insurance providers, said "We reported in January that uninsured driving was on the increase and that the UK has one of the worst records in Europe for this offence. The cost of compensating for uninsured drivers puts an extra Pounds Sterling 30 on the annual premium of every honest motorist. In the current economic recession it is more than likely that the number of uninsured drivers will continue to rise, placing an even greater financial burden on the rest of us."

Motorists in Barkerend in Bradford are the worst offenders with a staggering 50% of all registered vehicles being uninsured. Bradford has already been flagged as the area with the worst record of insurance fraud with a thriving practice in fraudulent "cash for crash" claims. In Greater London 13% of vehicles were flagged as being driven without insurance, whilst Merseyside recorded 12% and Greater Manchester 10%.

But the authorities are cracking down severely on offenders. Currently nearly 500 uninsured vehicles are seized each day and last year 74,000 cars were either crushed or sold and 232,000 uninsured drivers were prosecuted. Most motorists are not yet aware of the Motor Insurers Database (MID) which was set up only a few years ago by insurance companies and holds the details of all vehicles and drivers insured in the UK, and to which the police have instant electronic access. The police make 3.8 million enquiries a month to the MID, and all they need to do so is a vehicle registration number.

"The message to motorists is clear: driving uninsured is simply not worth the risk." Ashton West went on to say.

Staveley Head is one of the country's leading van insurance brokers and will give you all the advice and assistance you need regarding this matter, including a very competitive van insurance quote, if you log on to their website at www.staveleyhead.co.uk

Contacts: Staveley Head Ashley Peters 0800 023 7213 quotes@staveleyhead.co.uk