The number of untaxed and uninsured motorists has almost doubled to over two million in the last year, according to official figures.
Groups such as the RAC Foundation have described the phenomenon as a motoring underclass, which consists of one in 15 vehicles in the UK.
As well as costing the Exchequer some £217 million, the 2,193,000 owners who failed to pay vehicle excise duty in 2006 were involved in accidents which killed 150 and injured a further 12,000 in 2005. Additionally, such vehicles are 10 times more likely to be involved in hit and run crashes, according to The Telegraph.
Why such a huge jump? The Institute of Advanced Motorists blamed cuts in the numbers of traffic police, its road safety trust's head Kevin Delaney saying that more people on low incomes were tempted to drive illegally because the chances of being caught were slim.
Ex-head of the Met Police traffic division, Delaney said that those on lower incomes thought it was worth taking the risk. He said that if there were more trafpol on the streets, those who decide to evade taxes and insurance might come to a different conclusion.
The Department for Transport said that it was bringing in punitive measures such as wheel clamping, and that the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) scheme currently being rolled out across the country would help.
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