Spoke to a mate today, who was on his way to surprise his sister, tootling along the m1 up north. Goes past a police car and no more than 30 secs later he's pulled up! Back of car etc, what's the problem blah blah, you've got no insurance sir!!! WTF??? Phones insurers etc, nope you're not insured! You didn't reply quick enough so we cancelled the policy etc etc! So car confiscated! 6 points and a juicy fine!
Immediately got insurance sorted to free car but that still cost him 150 quid! This all from a bloke who can prove he's been paying his insurance for the last 26 years! Is this harsh or just me??
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Driving laws. Some times it's so black and white!
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Posted 1 year ago #
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This all from a bloke who can prove he's been paying his insurance for the last 26 years
unfortunately the last 26 years are irrelevant. I haven't murdered anyone of the last 39 years
but that still cost him 150 quid!
Buttons - if he'd had an accident of any scale, rather than a tug from the cops he'd be paying out for the rest of his life. I'd see £150 and a bit of a blush a very narrow escape. How long would he have unwittingly continued to drive uninsured if the cops hadn't told him?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yeah, but why did the insurance company cancel?
Had he actually paid them?Posted 1 year ago # -
No hands up his mistake! Just missed the renewal letter. And skid artist, murder is hardly the same as missing your insurance hey?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Insurance companys rate with bankers and estate agents IMO
Get you cash and let you rot... can't say what i really think with the mod's looking in at naughty words
Posted 1 year ago # -
Don't they just put the **** up when you say **** or piss?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yes - the law is black and white. You are to be insured when driving. He wasn't. He got off pretty lightly. He WAS committing the offence. What is there to debate?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Oops obviously not for the p word. Apologies!
Posted 1 year ago # -
wrightyson - Member
"This all from a bloke who can prove he's been paying his insurance for the last 26 years! Is this harsh or just me??"I know how this sounds, but having 26 years of previous insurance wouldn't help you much if he crashed into you over the day after he let it lapse. Insurance is a big deal IMO.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I thought if you didn't reply to your insurance they renewed anyway? That's what mine does...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Depends if you have a Direct Debit?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Good to see that the police were on the ball.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yes I sit here insured myself, but it wAs genuinely a mistake. Oh and got off lightly?? How's that?
Posted 1 year ago # -
How did the police know he wasn't insured? Do they check random numberplates? Daft sounding question and all that...
Posted 1 year ago # -
ANPR and computers and whotnot
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yup anpr! Which goes bing in the police car without them even doing anything! Oh and just as a note when you type anpr in the Jesus phone the first word it comes up with is snot??
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks lads, my mums boss got pulled over a while back in his new car. Turned out the dealer had put a different number plate on the back to the vehicles documents and front of car.
Posted 1 year ago # -
That happens a lot more often than you'd think, but as the owner/keeper of the car it is your responsibility to check that the registration details are correct.
Yes traffic law is VERY black and white, but it's all generally available to peruse online; as the driver of a motor vehicle on a public road it's your responsibilty to know the law. Folk tend to think that driving is a God given right, rather than the heavily legislated activity it really is. Much traffic law is regulatory and are often referred to as absolute liability offences, which basically means the prosecutor doesn't have to evidence the mental element to the offence. In other words, if you did it you're guilty, and there's no excuse.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hmm...I had the opposite problem. Failed to phone the insurance company to renew as I'd found a better deal elsewhere. They very kindly renewed without my permission & carried on taking the dosh. When I noticed this after a couple of months they point blank refused to refund any of my premium, unless I could provide eveidence I'd been insured elsewhere.
They're making this up as they go along....Grrrrrr
D.
Posted 1 year ago # -
point blank refused to refund any of my premium, unless I could provide eveidence I'd been insured elsewhere.
Hassle for you but presumably you could easily prove it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yup no excuse when your some smacked up Chav with no licence, never had insurance and constantly offend. Seems to me those feckers get away with murder!! And to be fair I should have known better than to come on here and expect owt but flames when it comes to driving issues.
Posted 1 year ago # -
sorry to hear your mate got caught breaking the law but he's banged to rights TBH. I do sympathise insofar that maybe the insurance company could have done more to get in contact but I don't know for sure how much effort they put in to contacting you before cancelling your policy. I for one know when my policy is up and shop around each year.
did they cancel it midway through his policy for some reason or was it at the end of the policy?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Our home wasn't insured for the best part of a year because apparently I didn't reply to a letter I never received.
This in spite of the fact thet for the previous 4 years I'd been paying my premium by DD monthly.
Ultimately I suppose the blame lies with me because I didn't notice the monthly payments had stopped, but this was all due to the fact that the insurance company had randomly sent out a letter to see if we still wanted to stay with them.
Posted 1 year ago # -
That happened to me in 2007 - Aviva (toss-pots) didn't bother calling, writing or anything, and when I moaned about it to them they just said "you should go speak to your broker", I pointed out that I bought my insurance direct from them, and not through a broker and they replied "well we don't sell direct anymore", when I asked why they didn't inform me of that they said "you should have realised when your renewa documents didn't arrive". After much more of this nonsense I vowed never to get Aviva again (****).
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think people need to start reading their insurance policy's rather than just assuming it may be cancelled/renewed. Christ its not hard.
These people would be the first to complain if they were hit by someone, had to have 2 months off work due to injury, deal with mortgage payments and feed their kids whilst not getting paid etc etc...
Its always somebody else's fault.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Margin Walker - Member
I think people need to start reading their insurance policy's rather than just assuming it may be cancelled/renewed. Christ its not hard.These people would be the first to complain if they were hit by someone, had to have 2 months off work due to injury, deal with mortgage payments and feed their kids whilst not getting paid etc etc...
Ooh, get you - rather condescending, don't you think?
Things get missed and easily so. Yes it's ultimately the fault of the person taking out the policy, but the way insurance companies go about things, whilst being completely absolved from any liability, stinks sometimes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
To the OP, I feel a little sympathy for your mate. We've all made oversights. I drove a car around with no MOT for a couple of months a few years ago for the want of making a correct entry in my diary. I was lucky. I didn't get caught and didn't have an accident. I guess he just has to suck it up. I'd try pleading my case to the magistrates for the 6 points though. Maybe too late for that now. That's going to cost him heavily for the next few years. Road Cops and similar programmes woyld have us believe that the road is crawling with knowingly uninsured drivers. Tough break when you get done. But, thems the breaks I guess.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@artist! Totally agree! As I said, the bloke in question put his hands straight up and said fook, I've dropped one! Love the holier than thou folk on here!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Dd, we were debating this earlier, as it literally happened today, how long will those points stay on for, I thought 3 years but he reckoned on 5!! If so that's really harsh
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mine automatically renewed this year, they wrote to me to tell me it would and after checking on line I decided it was still a good deal and let it go ahead. I still phoned them to confirm though.
I'd rather be paying over the odds for my insurance than have none. The MOT situation is worse as you get no reminder and if that expires then you can also find yourself uninsured. I feel sorry for your friend as he obviously had no intention of driving uninsured but at the same time I'm glad the police are actually actively monitoring this as there as a lot of uninsured cars out there which we all end up paying for when they are involved in accidents.Posted 1 year ago # -
Fair play to the coppers.
Posted 1 year ago # -
As for the points, I think you can have them cleared from your license after 3 or 4 but you have to declare them to the insurance bastards for 5. (could be wrong...check dvla website for sure).
Posted 1 year ago # -
Points stay on for 4 years, but only count towards your running total for 3 (ie. your current score includes everything within 3 years of today, but something 3.5 years ago won't count).
The only reason I can think of for this is so that the courts, should you be bad, can see a little further back into your offending history when considering your punishment. I don't know if that's the reason, but it's all I can think of.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
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