Defective Brake Light Bulb

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Bradley1500

Original Poster:

766 posts

145 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Appealing for some help here.

My friend Saturday evening (26/07/14) was given a written ticket for a defective brake light bulb, it was a £100 on the spot fine.

My immediate thought was that normally you would receive a seven or fourteen day producer to get your car tested at a MOT station to give you time to get the issue rectified?

My arguement is that you could check your car for defects before your journey but something like a bulb could blow at anytime so could have blown on his journey?

Is this a legitimate arguement?

Furthermore on his written ticket the Police officer has written down the colour of the car wrongly. He's stated it is grey whereas it's actually green. Will this affect any penalty at all?

To give some background information the ticket was issued at an organised legal car meet with circa 1500 cars attending. The road leaving the meeting was made into a stop check point where each and every car was given a road-side MOT with a lot of cars receiving fines for very trivial issues.

Here's an example which has been posted on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1015437627060...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1015437755168...

This shows an officer issuing a ticket to a 'defective car' while driving an obviously defective car himself, sidelight bulb blown. This is an issue a lot of cars on the night received £100 fines for.

Any information on this would be greatly received even if it is suck it up and pay the fine.

Snowboy

8,028 posts

150 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
It does seem a little harsh, but perfectly legal.

Would I be right in saying that the event was a 'carpark cruise' style of thing rather than a carfest festival thing?
If so I'd guess the test were being used as a deterrent to try and stop people doing it again.

Could you link to the events website, it'll help us to understand the situation.


Bradley1500

Original Poster:

766 posts

145 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Snowboy said:
It does seem a little harsh, but perfectly legal.

Would I be right in saying that the event was a 'carpark cruise' style of thing rather than a carfest festival thing?
If so I'd guess the test were being used as a deterrent to try and stop people doing it again.

Could you link to the events website, it'll help us to understand the situation.
You're quite right, it is a 'car park cruise' style event but was arranged before hand with all local businesses agreeing to hold the event and local authorities (i.e Police) being notified for the increase in traffic for the night.

I've since spoken to a local Police officer to try and get some more information on the fines and their reasoning behind it. He basically said despite the event being perfectly legal some local residents are still getting annoyed with certain members of the event getting a little too excited to and from the main event with dangerous driving and excessive noise (loud exhausts, music etc.)

This was an exercise to deter these type of people from these events. I completely agree with this but as usual the minority are spoiling it for the majority with people like my friend getting fines for very trivial defects.

As far as I am aware the event organisers don't have a website per se but here is their Facebook page where a lot of the events are arranged: https://www.facebook.com/lowdown2013?ref=ts&fr...

Snowboy

8,028 posts

150 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Yes.
You're right

But if these groups and meets don't control themselves then the police will need to get involved.
Your mate needs to realise that if he's going to bang around with bad people he's going to be treated as one.

He also needs to realise that although these cruises might be legal they aren't welcomed by many residents and are seen by many as very bad things.

As it's an 'open' event the organisers don't have any power to ban people or refuse entry. So really they have no control.

rewc

2,187 posts

232 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
The Police have discretion whether to use the Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme, issue a FPN or a summons. it appears that the decision has been made at management level to issue a FPN for these type of offences in this instance as a deterrent to stop drivers attending the event. They get hassle from residents you get hassle from them.
in my neck of the woods there are frequent incursions of groups of travelers which residents oppose strongly. The Police have a strange reluctance to carry out checks on their vehicles so they obviously use their powers selectively.

Edited by rewc on Monday 28th July 13:38

thescamper

920 posts

225 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Unfortunately after This event, policing is going to become more and more heavy handed. It has always been the way that the minority spoil it for the majority, OP if your pal wishes to carry on attending events like this then he needs to make sure he is squeaky clean.

Bradley1500

Original Poster:

766 posts

145 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Not the news I was wanting to hear as I was hoping there would be some way he could fight against the fine.

I completely agree that a lot of local residents will group all together as being the boy racer type and you've got to be whiter than white if you want to attend these gathering. It is just annoying that he's become subject to this punishment as he isn't one to dick about on the roads, especially at events like these due to the amount of traffic and pedestrians about.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Snowboy

8,028 posts

150 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
I think your mate need to realise that joining these events IS dicking about in the roads.
These 'events' are disruptive, annoying and inconvenient to locals and other traffic.

Merely by attending your mate is causing problems for other people; and that's dickish behaviour.

Next time perhaps he'll spend the £100 on a proper ticket for an event that won't ps off a few hundred residents and other road users.

Retroman

961 posts

132 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
It seems a bit strange that the police were fining everyone for vehicle defects but act aggressively when someone pointed out the police vehicle had a defect also.

Dwight VanDriver

6,583 posts

243 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Is there not a defence under Reg 23 ((3) (c) RV Lighting Regs 1969:

(c)a defective lamp, reflector, dim-dip device or headlamp levelling device on a vehicle in use on a road between sunrise and sunset, if any such lamp, reflector or device became defective during the journey which is in progress or if arrangements have been made to remedy the defect with all reasonable expedition

?

dvd

Mk3Spitfire

2,921 posts

127 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
A lot of forces have done away with the VDRS now and the only option (except words of advice) is a FPN. I think it's shocking as the VDRS was a nice middle ground.

Bradley1500

Original Poster:

766 posts

145 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Snowboy said:
I think your mate need to realise that joining these events IS dicking about in the roads.
These 'events' are disruptive, annoying and inconvenient to locals and other traffic.

Merely by attending your mate is causing problems for other people; and that's dickish behaviour.

Next time perhaps he'll spend the £100 on a proper ticket for an event that won't ps off a few hundred residents and other road users.
Personally I fail to see how driving to an event in a normal manner, spending a couple of hours looking at the cars on show then driving home again in a normal fashion is dickish behavior.

If on the other hand he was racing to and from the event, doing stunts on the road (burnouts, drifting or whatever) then I'd completely agree.

Its not as if this happens every weekend, if so then I could understand local residents getting pissed off.

Dwight VanDriver said:
Is there not a defence under Reg 23 ((3) (c) RV Lighting Regs 1969:

(c)a defective lamp, reflector, dim-dip device or headlamp levelling device on a vehicle in use on a road between sunrise and sunset, if any such lamp, reflector or device became defective during the journey which is in progress or if arrangements have been made to remedy the defect with all reasonable expedition

?

dvd
I'll look into this regulation and see if this could be used as a legitimate defence, thank you!

EskimoArapaho

5,135 posts

134 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Snowboy said:
I think your mate need to realise that joining these events IS dicking about in the roads.
These 'events' are disruptive, annoying and inconvenient to locals and other traffic.

Merely by attending your mate is causing problems for other people; and that's dickish behaviour.

Next time perhaps he'll spend the £100 on a proper ticket for an event that won't ps off a few hundred residents and other road users.
Crikey - not keen on the many regular PH drives, then?

ruff'n'smov

1,092 posts

148 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Community Policing at its finest, when BiB think to themselves 'why a is my job so hard' , see this wker.

Mk3Spitfire

2,921 posts

127 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
ruff'n'smov said:
Community Policing at its finest, when BiB think to themselves 'why a is my job so hard' , see this wker.
Can anyone translate?

Snowboy

8,028 posts

150 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
EskimoArapaho said:
Crikey - not keen on the many regular PH drives, then?
Did you notice the OP said it was 1500 cars.
It was also an urban area.

More like a flash mob or rave than a PH drive.

BonzoG

1,554 posts

213 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Bradley1500 said:
Dwight VanDriver said:
Is there not a defence under Reg 23 ((3) (c) RV Lighting Regs 1969:

(c)a defective lamp, reflector, dim-dip device or headlamp levelling device on a vehicle in use on a road between sunrise and sunset, if any such lamp, reflector or device became defective during the journey which is in progress or if arrangements have been made to remedy the defect with all reasonable expedition

?
dvd
I'll look into this regulation and see if this could be used as a legitimate defence, thank you!
Are those videos from the same time? Looks pretty dark. (See bold)

jaf01uk

1,943 posts

195 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Mk3Spitfire said:
ruff'n'smov said:
Community Policing at its finest, when BiB think to themselves 'why a is my job so hard' , see this wker.
Can anyone translate?
It's not that difficult really is it? Did you watch the 1st video on the OP? Those cops came across as idiots and bullies and I could fully understand why the "younguns" would feel aggrieved by their treatment, they did the service no favours at all, treat others as you would like to be treated yourself is not a difficult concept?

Mk3Spitfire

2,921 posts

127 months

Monday 28th July 2014
quotequote all
Calm your passions my friend. What I mean was that I couldn't work out what the guy was saying. I have re-read it a few times now and said it slowly in my head. And now i understand. So every one is happy. smile

speedking31

3,541 posts

135 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
thescamper said:
Unfortunately after This event, policing is going to become more and more heavy handed. It has always been the way that the minority spoil it for the majority, OP if your pal wishes to carry on attending events like this then he needs to make sure he is squeaky clean.
... as should those who turn up to enforce the law cop