New analysis by the RAC has revealed a worrying rise in the number of children convicted of driving without insurance.
According to the figures, which were obtained from the DVLA through a Freedom of Information request, around 1,000 children were convicted in 2014, an increase of 21% since 2012.
The analysis shows that in 2014, 991 under 17s were caught driving on public roads without insurance – despite these individuals not even being old enough to hold a licence. And the problem is a male-dominated one, with 32 times as many convictions in 2014 of boys (961) as girls (30).
Driving without insurance isn’t just a problem amongst children. Among drivers of all ages who did not hold valid driving licences and were caught without insurance, the conviction rate has also remained high – rising 6% from 14,466 in 2012 to 15,307 in 2014. In total – taking in full, provisional and non-licenced holders – 100,323 people were convicted in 2014, which is a 6% reduction compared to 106,233 in 2012.
Some of the largest rises in convictions were among male full licence holders aged 65 and over; in this age group, convictions rose 23% from 809 (2012) to 992 (2014). Convictions involving women of the same age group grew 19% from 148 to 176 cases.
“The alarming increases revealed in this Freedom of Information request are all the more significant when you consider that the number of dedicated roads policing officers has declined by 23%, or 1,279 officers between 2010 and 2014, meaning there are fewer officers to catch offenders,” commented RAC Insurance director Mark Godfrey.
“This fact has not been lost on drivers with 60% of motorists believing there are insufficient numbers of police officers on the roads to enforce driving laws, and as a result there is little chance of law-breakers being caught and prosecuted for anything other than speeding or running a red light, offences that tend to be enforced via cameras,” he added.
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