DVLA Rule

[andy_k]

true, any police officer stop any vehicle on the road and yes they can do it in order to ascertain the vehicle is being used legally or in other words to inspect your documents. That is a perfectly valid and legal reason to stop you, as is if you are comitting any moving offence, driving erratically or they suspect you've been drinking etc etc.

What they cannot do is stop you as a "matter of routine" which is what I was commenting on.

Yes, they do have to tell you why they have stopped you if you ask and if they do not give a valid reason any good lawyer will stand a very good chance of getting you off, that's not internet rubbish it's the law that's there to protect us.

Andy

 

[Flip]

true, any police officer stop any vehicle on the road and yes they can do it in order to ascertain the vehicle is being used legally or in other words to inspect your documents. That is a perfectly valid and legal reason to stop you, as is if you are comitting any moving offence, driving erratically or they suspect you've been drinking etc etc.

What they cannot do is stop you as a "matter of routine" which is what I was commenting on.

Yes, they do have to tell you why they have stopped you if you ask and if they do not give a valid reason any good lawyer will stand a very good chance of getting you off, that's not internet rubbish it's the law that's there to protect us.

Andy

Not quite sure what the difference is?!!!

Between stopping you to simply check that everything is legal, and a "routine" check?

And where does it say they have to tell you why they have stopped you????!!!
I suggest you will have some difficulty finding any law that says they HAVE to tell you why you have been stopped, and if you have been stopped as a "matter of routine" (ie to check you're driving legally) and subsequently an offence is found (eg bald tyre, drunk, driving a silver car in a public place) exactly what would the defence be?? Surely not that "the officer didn't tell me why he had stopped me"???

You won't find a law that says the cop has to tell you why you have been stopped, because there isn't one!

:bannana:

 

[lordofthenazgul]

I got to the point in my XR2 mK II when the Runcorn Police actually apologised for stopping me so often, and actually started waving me on...they must have a heart after all...
Anyway I live in Warrington now and I've not been stopped for years (Must have something to do with me driving a Clio for 9+ yrs)
Either way every new invention brought out by the DVLA/County Police is brought about by a desire to process your transaction faster..be it results of a routine check or evidence which supports you prosecution... the moral is to treat them with the contempt they deserve...they may only be doing job..but they are human beings after all...and if you ask them why they are making such a fuss, they usually get emarrasd and all apologetic.well up north anyway!

 

[Shude]

My mum was stopped one night while driving home, she noticed the police car approaching from behind, and it's a really annoying stretch of road that goes down a hill at 30mph then changes to 40 right at the bottom to go up the other side. She maintained 30mph all the way down the hill and only a few metres past the speed limit change she was pulled over. The policeman asked why she was braking all the way down the hill, she explained that it was a 30mph and a steep hill and she didn't want to speed. He asked why she didn't put the car into a lower gear...she answered that it was an automatic and the booklet said not to do that. He walked around the car and asked her to test all the reverse lights etc then after a few tyre kicks went on his way. WTF was the point of all that? 10 minutes wasted for both parties!

I got to the point in my XR2 mK II when the Runcorn Police actually apologised for stopping me so often, and actually started waving me on...they must have a heart after all...

Runcorn police are hilarious, I used to see them having a friendly chat with someone every morning just past that stretch of road going from The Bridge onto the expressway near The Heath, there is always a motorbike cop sitting in the chevrons in both directions, one side watching the slow cars approaching The Bridge, clocking the tax discs etc, and one watching the other direction for enthusiastic drivers going over 30mph because the 60mph sign is just about in view on the expressway! Always a police volvo waiting on the expressway just before that junction too, as you join the expressway you can see it lurking by the chevrons in your rear view mirror .

 

[lordofthenazgul]

Wow,
Must have had a skinful last night, dont even remember typing that last post!

 

[Satch]

I thought you had a 14 day grace period to get the thing taxed, That is certainly what the Belfast version of the DVLA were putting about a few weeks back.

But surely this will encourage even more people to completely opt out of Road Tax, MoT & Insurance for as long as possible.

 

[zip]

just checked the DVLA site [http://www.dvla.gov.uk/newrules/car_tax.htm] and there is no grace period mentioned. I too have heard that you are allowed 14 days grace, before they 'do you'.


..........................
indeed

http://www.instructor.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/oct2002.htm

"There is an unofficial grace period following the expiry of a vehicle licence (tax disc).
It's unofficial because there's nothing in the legislation about it, but the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is on record as saying that neither it nor the police 'would wish to take enforcement action against a motorist whose licence had expired within 14 days'.
The Automobile Association's (AA) legal adviser Iain Murray warns motorists not to put a 'Tax applied for by post' notice where the tax disc should be. 'Not only does that attract the attention of an officer, but he also has no idea of how long out of date the disc is,' Murray says. 'At least if he sees the old disc and it's just a week or so out of date he can turn a blind eye.' The maximum fine for not having a tax disc is £1,000. It isn't an endorsable offence, though, so you won't gain points on your driving licence. Get caught forging a tax disc and the maximum fine rises to £5,000, with the possibility of community service or a curfew order on top of that.
So don't even think about it!

You are not allowed take a car on test with an expired Tax Disc. The DSA does not recognise the 14 day grace period, so driving instructors have to renew the tax before the start date if they have a test within the grace period."

All i need now is a 24 hour post office.

 

[gIzzE]

Bought my car in January, tax due for renewal 1st april 04, I was going away for a couple of weeks back on the 2nd april.
Went into the post office to get the tax before I went away and was told I had to come back closer to the date as they did not have the tax discs yet!!!

So I can't get the tax disc before I go away, but will get fined if I dont have it for the 1st. Hmm that has been thought out well, not many people go away for a fortnight after all.

The dealer I got the car from said they would get it for me, and their post office would only let them do it a couple of days before as well.
The dvla need to sort things out! It has taken them 3 months to get the v5 back to the original owner when they transfered a plate, I now have to send the documents off to get the car in my name so that will probably be another 3 months !!

 

[pluggers]

Its getting even harder now to find a post office that hasn't closed down ,never mind trying to find one thats open when your not at work!It would be better to pay by Direct Debit and have them too send you a tax disk in the post every 12 months.But cynical old me can't see that happening as they would lose money by not sending out any automatic fines too the people who haven't applied early enough.

 

[C240Sport97]

the smaller open post offices don't do tax discs!

Its getting even harder now to find a post office that hasn't closed down ,never mind trying to find one thats open when your not at work!It would be better to pay by Direct Debit and have them too send you a tax disk in the post every 12 months.But cynical old me can't see that happening as they would lose money by not sending out any automatic fines too the people who haven't applied early enough.

 

[NormanB]

I have to chip in and say while there is no doubt that the numbers of vehicles being used untaxed, uninsured, unsafe by banned/unqualified or stupid drivers is of the greatest concern, is a public safety issue and something must be done about that. I shudder at the beauracratic approach to its solution.

The fundamental problem is that these laws really only apply to the law abiding and criminals and other social deviants will continue unabashed in the pursuit of their goals - laughing at the law and the gullible public who stump up big bucks continually for the minor infringements and technicalities that now attract automated fiscal fleecing.

The next step is to link the registration plate with a poxy direct debit mandate then they can just help themselves when the Treasury/Local Authority are running out of funds.

Ho Hum

(wipes foam off mouth and keyboard )

 

[PJH]

my 2p worth

Received these figures from the DVLA recently.
The latest figures we have available are for the end of September 2003.
At that time there were approximately 30,899,593 vehicles currently licensed
in Great Britain. As you know, before any vehicle can be kept or used on
public roads it has to be licensed.
Our figures also indicate that DVLA had been notified that approximately
1,847,676 vehicles were in the motor trade.

 

[craigyb]

Whilst working in London, I lodged at a house around Edgware north London. On my way to work I was constantly amazed at the number of cars with no TAX displayed or months out of date.

A red celica that parked everyday at the Sainsbury's car park had no tax and that was for about 18 months, how do these people get away with it.

I reported the car several times to police officers in the shopping arcade and the DVLA but nothing was ever done. The DVLA said, it's on a car park we can't do anything. My answer was yes, but how does he get to and from it?

They are not interested in doing anything about it if the vehicle isn't registered to a law abiding citizen, we basically get f*&ked over by the law whilst criminals use the law to their own advantage.

Just in case you do see a car with no TAX on a public highway (parked up of course), call this number and report it, but know the name of the road and the postcode if possible.

0800 032 5202

Craig

 

[Richard W]

I've found an owners register of untaxed uninsured cars.....

Chavscum

 

[Mark-R]

I got stopped by the old bill just before Christmas, because my tax disc was in the top corner of the windscreen. He made me move it to the bottom corner of the windscreen( I have had a car fail the MoT for the tax disc being in the bottom of the windscreen as apparently it should not be within the area covered by the wipers!)

 

[Simon]

Has anyone gained any more information on this matter. My daughter went to tax her car today, she's at Nottingham Trent University, trouble is her insurance certificate is at home miles away (she took the old one by mistake!) as it's the first of the month tomorrow is a computer in Wales going to post her a fine?

What do you think?

 

[Will]

Nah, I reckon she'll be ok. Although the DVLA are 'clamping down', I don't think even they are that quick!

Just try and get it taxed ASAP - but if you don't fancy taking the risk, park the car off road and declare it SORN for a couple of days until you can get the paperwork to her.

Good Luck,

Cheers,

Will

 

[pluggers]

A mate of mine at work forgot last year and it was a couple of days late,I think he taxed it on the 2nd,He didnt get a fine.Lucky I guess.

 

[peterchurch]

Would this explain why the date is now embossed in a lovely gold colour?, so it stands out well in a photo of your winscreen?<taken from a roadside camera the b*strds!>
Time to reposition my tax disc in the rear window methinks!!

A chap got fined for having it upside down a few weeks back (failing to display the tax disk in the correct position ) So I would think all you would be doing would be getting a fine on purpoe This government are ar$eh0les no questions about it (I hear that Ken wants to up the CC rate to £8 per day ). Of course you could always sign a one month SORN at the end of each tax disk period wonder if you could sign a SORN for the days your car was off the road and claim back the tax for those days

 

[Plodd]

Hadn't seen this thread before as it started before my time here but felt compelled to respond.

I have been working with ANPR equipment for over 3 years now and in that time have seen vast changes in the numbers of untaxed vehicles on the roads. I do not however feel that this it totally down to ANPR and the increased chance of untaxed vehicles getting stopped I feel the SORN arrangements have also contributed to this.
What we now find is that the miscreants who feel that a car is a right, even if they cannot afford to run one legally are now paying over the odds to buy a taxed car. If you are trying to sell a banger worth £50 put 12mths road tax on it and then advertise it in LOOT for £500 and watch them come running.
An extra £200 or so for the car is better than the £000s they would be paying if they could find a company to insure them.
The vast majority of 'hits' we now get on the ANPR from the DVLA database are of recently purchased vehices that have no current keeper showing on the database they give us.