A pilot programme to track and punish foreign vehicles that remain unregistered in the UK has proved a hit in the first two months. The operation, launched by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in April, has already caught 237 vehicles, compared to 84 in the whole of 2013-14. In 2012-13, the figure was just 59.
As the law stands now, drivers can legally use foreign plates on a car for six months in Britain before needing to register it with the DVLA and switch to UK plates. If they’re found to be over this period, though, the registered keeper is issued with an out-of-court settlement. This is calculated from the average vehicle excise duty multiplied by how long they’ve overstayed.
As of now there are four police forces who have joined the scheme, Thames Valley, Hampshire, West Midlands and Northamptonshire. These have been given the power to seize or impound the vehicles, too.
The initial six-week trial has now been extended to three months, and continued success could see it rolled out nationwide. It was reported in the press that how the Government had no way of knowing how many cars on foreign plates were in the UK or had overstayed. In response, the DVLA is now collecting data from the public, police officers and other enforcement agencies to get a grip on the issue.
Roads minister Stephen Hammond said: “If the pilot is successful, the DVLA will explore the potential for extending it to more forces. The DVLA’s also working with other agencies to establish what other data might be used to identify overstaying foreign registered vehicles.”
The powers would let officers issue penalties up to 28 days after the offence – in line with the rest of the EU.
