Drop in number of motorists driving without insurance

An estimated 1.5 million motorists were on the roads despite not having insurance cover during 2009, down from 1.8 million in 2005, according to the Motor Insurers' Bureau.

But despite the reduction, it is still estimated that four per cent of drivers in the UK do not have any cover, the highest level in Western Europe.

Every year uninsured drivers in the UK kill 160 people and injure 23,000 people, costing insurers around 500m and adding the equivalent of 30 to the cost of policies for honest motorists.

Four of five top hot spots for uninsured drivers between 2007 and 2009 were in Birmingham, with Small Heath taking the top slot, followed by Bordesley and Saltley.

Barkerend in Bradford had the highest proportion of uninsured drivers, between 1997, when the Motor Insurers' Bureau first started collecting data, and 2009, followed by West Gorton in Manchester, and Small Heath in Birmingham.

The Metropolitan area had the highest number of uninsured vehicles in terms of police forces, with an estimated one in 10 motorists in the capital not having insurance.

Police are continuing to crackdown on uninsured drivers by using automatic number plate recognition technology and information from the Motor Insurance Database, which holds details on the 34 million insured vehicles in the UK.

They seized 180,000 uninsured vehicles last year, taking the total to 600,000 since laws were first introduced in 2005.