Police cars exempt from Road Tax?

[Dwight VanDriver]

Vaux said:

Oakey said:

As per topic. Are they? I've only found one site listing vehicles that are exempt and it only states Fire Engines and Ambulances.

Highways Agency Traffic Officer vehicles don't display a VED disk.

Edited by Vaux on Saturday 18th October 11:50

Probably classed as a Crown Vehicle(exempt)but still has to display a disc to that effect. SHMBO's Heals on Wheels provided by NHS was in the same boat.

dvd

[Battenburg Bob]

I read the first few posts on this thread and then couldn't be bothered with the rest.

Four pages so far...how sad!

[eccles]

Battenburg Bob said:

I read the first few posts on this thread and then couldn't be bothered with the rest.

Four pages so far...how sad!

well judging by the recent anti BIB sentiments this thread is still in its infancy!

[andmole]

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

[Vaux]

Dwight VanDriver said:

Vaux said:

Oakey said:

As per topic. Are they? I've only found one site listing vehicles that are exempt and it only states Fire Engines and Ambulances.

Highways Agency Traffic Officer vehicles don't display a VED disk.

Edited by Vaux on Saturday 18th October 11:50

Probably classed as a Crown Vehicle(exempt)but still has to display a disc to that effect. SHMBO's Heals on Wheels provided by NHS was in the same boat.

dvd

Yep - it fades in the light though.

[Greendubber]

andmole said:

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

Noted, although its not as easy as that. A lot of the time you get turned out without having chance to check a vehicle. I know when I'm running across the car park to jump in a car to go out to a job I dont check if there's a tax disc. Perhaps I should but I'd rather be getting to where I'm needed than wasting more of my time doing pointless tasks....we have enough of them already.

[Cat]

Nedrick said:

They don't need insurance if a large enough sum is deposited IIRC

Anti Macassar said:

Police forces have to buy third party insurance from the most competitive insurer, or give security of £500,000 to the Supreme Court, as can anyone else.

Not trying to be pedantic but this is not the case.

The following groups are exempt from requiring third party insurance

• Crown vehicles
• Police authority vehicles
• Local authority vehicles
• Vehicles where the owner has deposited £500,000 with the Supreme Court

Cat

[Brett928S2]

Greendubber said:

andmole said:

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

Noted, although its not as easy as that. A lot of the time you get turned out without having chance to check a vehicle. I know when I'm running across the car park to jump in a car to go out to a job I dont check if there's a tax disc. Perhaps I should but I'd rather be getting to where I'm needed than wasting more of my time doing pointless tasks....we have enough of them already.

Hi

I must remember that as an excuse next time I get caught for not displaying a tax disc....

You think obeying the law is pointless ????

Why not go out into your yard...see how many have no discs and do something about it ???

All the best Brett

[BlackVanGirl]

parapaul said:

To echo what others have said...

Police/Fire/Amb are exempt from paying VED, but that is all. The law states that a valid tax disc must be displayed and the law applies to everyone. The tax disc in an exempt vehicle simply says 'nil' in the section where the fee should go.

I'm tax exempt as well - Specialist Vehicles Fund recepient, pretty sure my disc says 'nil' too.

[Plotloss]

Greendubber said:

andmole said:

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

Noted, although its not as easy as that. A lot of the time you get turned out without having chance to check a vehicle. I know when I'm running across the car park to jump in a car to go out to a job I dont check if there's a tax disc. Perhaps I should but I'd rather be getting to where I'm needed than wasting more of my time doing pointless tasks....we have enough of them already.

Why is an illegal vehicle available to you in such a situation?

Surely your fleet manager should have segregated illegal vehicles and locked them making them unavailable until the RFL arrives? Or are your procedures for dealing with such things really that bad?

They know the law, you know the law, circumventing it under some sort of spurious pragmatism doesnt justify it.

[jaf01uk]

It's the lack of MOT thing that would/does worry me more. We had an accident up here a number of years ago which resulted in a bib being left paralysed (poss due to a seat leaving it's mounts) and prompted the head honcho to have the whole fleet of cars tested at mot stations - the result? 20 cars taken off the road some with serious faults. If their workshops are anything like ours in recent years the standard of fettling has dropped considerably!! And if we have an ambulance that has gone out of tax disc we won't drive it, because remember it's the DRIVER who is responsible for the roadworthiness of a vehicle not the workshops!
Gary

[Oakey]

Greendubber said:

andmole said:

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

Noted, although its not as easy as that. A lot of the time you get turned out without having chance to check a vehicle. I know when I'm running across the car park to jump in a car to go out to a job I dont check if there's a tax disc. Perhaps I should but I'd rather be getting to where I'm needed than wasting more of my time doing pointless tasks....we have enough of them already.

Is there no requirement for each officer that takes out a vehicle to check it's roadworthy? Obviously I don't mean strip the damned thng down and put it back together, but just basic checks to make sure there's no issues?

[vonhosen]

jaf01uk said:

It's the lack of MOT thing that would/does worry me more. We had an accident up here a number of years ago which resulted in a bib being left paralysed (poss due to a seat leaving it's mounts) and prompted the head honcho to have the whole fleet of cars tested at mot stations - the result? 20 cars taken off the road some with serious faults. If their workshops are anything like ours in recent years the standard of fettling has dropped considerably!! And if we have an ambulance that has gone out of tax disc we won't drive it, because remember it's the DRIVER who is responsible for the roadworthiness of a vehicle not the workshops!
Gary

What lack of MOT thing ?
Police cars must have a MOT.

[vonhosen]

Oakey said:

Greendubber said:

andmole said:

vonhosen said:

Brett928S2 said:

14-7 said:

Oakey said:

That's kind of the point i've been trying to make, clearly those serving officers here would like to argue the toss why they should be excluded from following the rules whilst they'd be all too eager to 'uphold the law' if it was a member of the public failing to abide by them.

So if a few cars in the local nick aren't displaying tax discs do you expect them not to use the vehicles?

Hi

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CANNOT HAVE 1 LAW FOR US AND 1 FOR YOU

All the best Brett

Yep, no tax disc = don't take the vehicle out.

All other BiB take note, one of your own, who many (myself included) have a great deal of respect for, has spoken.

Noted, although its not as easy as that. A lot of the time you get turned out without having chance to check a vehicle. I know when I'm running across the car park to jump in a car to go out to a job I dont check if there's a tax disc. Perhaps I should but I'd rather be getting to where I'm needed than wasting more of my time doing pointless tasks....we have enough of them already.

Is there no requirement for each officer that takes out a vehicle to check it's roadworthy? Obviously I don't mean strip the damned thng down and put it back together, but just basic checks to make sure there's no issues?

There are standing instructions for each driver to do a Daily Inspection.

[Hollywood Wheels]

Four pages and counting!

• *All Officers take note! If the vehicle you are due to take out has an out-of-date disc, or no disc at all, you are NOT to take that vehicle out. You will have to walk to calls, whether they are 20 yards or 20 miles away***

You can then come home and relax in front of PH and read posts (of which there are already hundreds....) along the lines of...."I called the Police and nobody came" etc......

I love this place. Instead of arguing that Police vehicles shouldn't have to display a worthless piece of paper, you argue that calls should go unanswered because one is lost! Incredible. This place gets worse everyday. It's pathetic.

[Plotloss]

Hollywood Wheels said:

I love this place. Instead of arguing that Police vehicles shouldn't have to display a worthless piece of paper, you argue that calls should go unanswered because one is lost! Incredible. This place gets worse everyday. It's pathetic.

Whats pathetic is expecting people to labour under one law when the Police expect to exist under another.

[Hollywood Wheels]

Nobody has said Police expect to live under another. The OP stated that the car that stopped his girlfriend had no disc. He has had it confirmed that it should have been displaying one, even though no tax is paid so it is in effect a worthless piece of paper. I would say that what IS pathetic is people being so bothered by that. People should be arguing that the tax discs for Police vehicles should just be gotten rid of. But no, this is SP&L, so it becomes just another page after page dig at the Police.

[JamesZS]

It's not a case of 'one rule for them, one for the public' though.

At the end of the day, there are certain exemptions in law for police, which save public money (not paying VEL for one). I don't see how there should be an issue if BIB don't pay anyway, why there should be such criticism for displaying discs. It still requires someone being paid to collect the discs, administrate the distribution of them an ensure that a piece of paper with £0 written on it is displayed.

I'd much rather drive a car with no VEL displayed than not respond to a call, which is the reality in these circumstances, considering cars are not available on a one-per-officer basis.

[Hollywood Wheels]

JamesZS said:

I'd much rather drive a car with no VEL displayed than not respond to a call, which is the reality in these circumstances, considering cars are not available on a one-per-officer basis.

But that's what sets you apart mate. You'd rather risk being disciplined at work and torn aprt by the PH lynch mob, than allow an emergency call from a member of the public to go unanswered. It's because you're a good person who wants to just on with helping people, and you can see the bigger picture. The people here can't.

But then as I've just been told, it's us that are the pathetic ones.

[JamesZS]

I suppose that's the nature of the beast with this job though. Can't please everyone (actually, sometimes it feels like you can't please anyone, but that's an aside).

We'll continue to do what we signed up for, if that instance arose (our workshops are pretty good at getting VEL's out usually anyway) but i'd continue business-as-usual if there was the need to.