Falkirk West MP, Eric Joyce is this week welcoming the announcement by Transport Minister, David Jamieson, that Scotland will be the first area outside London to be targeted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) new Stingray Cameras which detect unlicensed vehicles on the move.

Motorists throughout Scotland who do not license their vehicles will be targeted in this latest initiative in an attempt to recover the millions of pounds lost each year in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion. A simultaneous VED campaign against road tax evaders will be undertaken by Central Scotland police force in conjunction with the DVLA, with the police intensifying their enforcement activity to ensure that vehicles are displaying current licence discs. They will also be on the lookout for motorists committing other road safety offences often associated with VED evasion.

Speaking today, Eric Joyce MP said

‘Honest motorists in Falkirk West and throughout Scotland are fed up with the small hard core who continually evade paying their road tax and meeting their other obligations. Around one third of those found evading vehicle excise duty are also found to be in breach of other road safety offences, such as not having an up to date MoT certificate or valid car insurance, and it is often the honest motorist who suffers when involved in collisions or bumps with unlicensed and uninsured vehicles.

Law abiding motorists have nothing to fear from these new cameras and campaigns, these will in fact assist in making our roads safer by ensuring that the vehicles on our roads are fully licensed, road worthy and properly insured.'

Notes to Editor

• Mobile camera units, staffed by employees of the DVLA, will be operating throughout Scotland from next Monday (29th October).
• The camera vans will operate from lay-bys and over bridges, reading the number plates of passing vehicles, immediately checking them against DVLA records and automatically storing images of those vehicles found to be unlicensed.
• Offenders face a fine of up to £1,000 for a private car or motorcycle and up to £23,000 for a heavy goods vehicle. In addition to paying a fine, convicted offenders will have to pay backduty penalties from the date the vehicle was last licensed.