Sharing of Vehicle Registration Details in Europe

[5flags]

Does anyone have any concrete information on how car registration information works across the the mainland countries in the EU/Schengen Area?

For example, in the UK, if I drive on the roads without insurance, the Number Plate Recognition (NPR) technology on many police cars (particularly on the motorways) will scan your plate, check the insurance register and determine whether or not you have insurance. This happens instantly, and the police will pull you over if you don't have insurance.

How does it work if you are driving a car registered in Germany, or Poland and you're driving in the UK? What if you're driving a car registered in the UK and you're driving it in France or Italy - do the police in these cases have cross-border access to the registration details?

[Schleicher]

The computer systems are probably not compatible.
It wouldn't surprise me if they use fax machines. Or make phone calls.