Motorists who take to the road without valid insurance or a driving licence are to be targeted in a three-day police crackdown.
The Police Scotland initiative will run from 7am on Tuesday until the same time on Friday morning.
During the campaign, vehicle maintenance problems which can endanger road safety will also be targeted.
Inspector Ewan Innes said: “Motorists using vehicles without a valid policy of insurance or full and current driving licence are very obviously taking a conscious decision to flout road traffic legislation which is intended to assist in keeping the roads safe for us all.
“It is conceivable that persons using vehicles in this cavalier manner may have the same approach to routine maintenance of their vehicles.”
Figures from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau show that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 130 people and injure 26,500 every year in the UK, Police Scotland said. The annual cost of uninsured driving is estimated to be £400 million.
Launching the initiative, officers pointed to the “obvious road safety risk” presented by such drivers and said insurance premiums are pushed up by the actions of those who flout the rules, effectively penalising law-abiding motorists.
Drivers caught without insurance or a licence will be charged and either reported to the procurator fiscal or given a conditional offer of fixed penalty, which allows them to settle the matter without having to go to court.
A licence offence comes with a £60 fine and three penalty points. Insurance offenders face a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence.
Mr Innes said: “Whilst there are many people that intentionally drive without statutory documents, we frequently detect drivers that have failed to deal with their obligations to ensure for example, that insurance renewals have been dealt with timeously; that they have not lapsed; and that the correct cover for the actual use of the vehicle at that time by that driver is in place.
“On many occasions we find drivers being caught out because they haven’t paid attention to the details which it is their absolute responsibility to do.
“This initiative is intended to get drivers thinking about their obligations and to ensure that they do not become another statistic or that their actions or inactions do not result in more serious consequences.”
Officers warned a total of 9,000 people have been detected driving without insurance or a licence since Police Scotland came into being on April 1 this year. Many of these drivers will have had their vehicle seized, they added.