A motorist says he is “lucky” to be alive after he was injured in a collision with a stolen lorry – as the worst areas for uninsured drivers are revealed.
Ian Lee was travelling home when a stolen truck with cloned number plates struck his car in an “almighty crash” in Wakefield, West Yorkshire – before the driver fled on foot.
The 60-year-old’s car was badly damaged in the collision, with “shards of glass all over the passenger seat and dashboard”.
He told of his ordeal as new data from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) shows the worst offending areas for uninsured driving in the UK.
The damage to Mr Lee’s car. Pic: MIB
Pic: MIB
Locations in the West Midlands account for eight of the top 15 hotspots, which also include areas in Northumbria, London, Thames Valley, South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
Describing how the stolen lorry crash happened, Mr Lee said: “I’d just set off from the traffic lights and, all of a sudden, there was an almighty crash.
“I was shunted over to the other side of the road and it was all a bit of a blur. I got out to have a look and saw this lorry on my car.”
The stolen lorry nearly tipped over in the crash. Pic: MIB
Mr Lee injured his shoulder in the crash in November 2021, needing injections over the coming months – and he still feels pain from the injury to this day.
“When I look back, actually I was really, really lucky to get out of that one,” he said.
On average, every 20 minutes someone in the UK is hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver – and each day at least one person suffers injuries so severe they need life-long care, according to the MIB.
The driver of the stolen lorry fled the scene. Pic: MIB
It has launched its Operation Drive Insured campaign this week in collaboration with UK police forces to get uninsured drivers off the road.
The top 15 postal hotspots for uninsured driving, based on two years of MIB claim data, are all in England:
1. B11, Birmingham
2. B21, Birmingham
3. DA17, Bexley
4. WV2, Wolverhampton
5. NE29, North Tyneside
6. HP12, Buckinghamshire
7. B18, Birmingham
8. SK1, Stockport
9. B8, Birmingham
10. WS4, Walsall
11. CV7, Solihull
12. BL7, Bolton
13. B33, Birmingham
14. DN8, Doncaster
15. MK7, Milton Keynes
The MIB said 30 claims against uninsured drivers from Croydon were submitted – the highest number in one postal district in the UK. However, due to the dense population of the area, it only ranked 176th on the hotspot list.
This week, road policing units will be carrying out additional checks on motorists in problem areas in a bid to tackle uninsured drivers.
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So far this year, almost 115,000 uninsured drivers have had their vehicle seized, the MIB said.
It estimates injuries caused by uninsured and hit-and-run drivers potentially cost the economy nearly £2.4bn a year in emergency services, medical care, loss of productivity and human costs.
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Uninsured drivers receive a £300 fixed penalty notice and six points on their licence. If stopped by police, uninsured vehicles may be seized – with a third going on to be crushed.
Those who end up in court could also receive an unlimited fine and a driving ban.