Police are now in the driving seat in the battle to get uninsured vehicles off Britain's streets.

That is the message from the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BBIA) as new figures just released show the numbers seized by police have leapt from 78,000 in 2006 to 150,000 last year.

The reason why, says BIBA, is mainly to do with the fact that police now have access to the motor insurance database.

This can help police, when checking a vehicle's insurance status, by cross-checking with already held vehicle ownership details.

Also, another weapon in the police's armoury is the automatic number plate recognition camera, which blips as soon as an uninsured vehicle passes its beady little lens.

Graeme Trudgill, from BIBA, said: "It is great because it also helps solve other crimes… usually criminals use a vehicle to aid in their criminal activity and it is quite likely that, being the type of people they are, they do not bother to buy insurance."

It is hoped that the carnage on Britain's roads might even be reduced by cutting the numbers of uninsured vehicles on the road, as, according to the Motor Insurers' Bureau, they cause an average of 160 deaths a year.

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