Van insurance news roundup: 7 days ending 14 Oct 2012:
Nearly 50 drivers were stopped this week by Gwent Police for many offences, including speeding and driving without valid van insurance.
Operation Liberal, the nationwide programme for stopping rogue traders in their tracks, was put into effect with excellent results this past week, thanks t the efforts of Gwent Police. The A48 coast road was bristling with police just this past Wednesday who systematically stopped vans, directing them to a nearby factory site where documents and identification were checked in order to look for anything out of place.
A total of 49 vehicles were caught in the police action, leaving after only being issued penalty notices for all sorts of offences, including failure to display correct registration plates, bald tyres, using a mobile phone behind the wheel, possession of cannabis, and speeding. Not only that, but five van drivers had their vehicles seized because they were caught driving without any car insurance, which makes nearby roads all that much safer.
The roads were patrolled by four officers who stopped vans and directed them to Quinn’s Radiator factory near Newport, where four community support officers and six police constables waited to hand out penalties and enforce the law. Newport West crime and disorder reduction officer for Newport West, Nicola Henson, said that the A48 was cut off by both South Wales Police and Gwent officers in order to cut down on crime, as the motorway has traditionally been seen as a hotbed of criminal activity.
The police officer said that much headway has been made into cracking down on criminals using the A48, such as the apprehension of one motorist who was found to have his vehicle equipped to siphon diesel fuel from other vans and other diesel-burning vehicles. Hopes are high that the message will soon be spread that tolerance for such illegal activities has reached an all-time low and that local police are taking action to stem the tide of criminal activity.
Make no bones about it: you may think you’re not really harming anyone if you’re driving about without insurance, but you’re breaking the law just as much as if you were speeding, talking on your mobile, or anything else. Skipping out on van insurance because you can’t be bothered has serious consequences, so if you don’t want to end up with your van seized by the authorities, go to a van insurance comparison site now and get yourself some cover or you may be next!