Continuous Insurance Enforcement - Help!!

[MTech535]

My girlfriend was given a new car and her previous car has been parked off road, taxed but uninsured since.The tax/VED expired at the end of March, so I SORN'd the vehicle before the VED expired. (I was not aware of the CIE rules!)

I have since received a letter from DVLA stating that it was not insured on 25/03/14 and we need to pay a fine.

Obviously, I am looking for a way I can avoid paying this fine, but looking at the rules I think I will just have to pay it. I really don't like paying fines when I don't feel we have done anything wrong (Just ignorant of the rules - I know it is not a good excuse)

Does anyone have any advice regarding this issue?

Thanks.

[MTech535]

No Warning received as far as I am aware.

Thanks Disco You, very helpful - I realise that is the case - I need help with finding out if there are any cunning ways to get out of the punishment.

Transferred the insurance over to the new vehicle back in Feb - old vehicle parked on drive since - not aware of the CIE rules, so thought OK as off road and VED paid.

Clearly not.

[MTech535]

LoonR1 said:

Are you saying that they have fined you for one day without insurance?

Also, are you saying that you've already received this fine?

Either way it's bullst. A fine can't be issued that quickly. Secondly, if you've SORNed it than all subsequent enforcement action ceases.

In all honesty these threads are getting painful. However, if I'm wrong then here's an offer. If you take a photo of the fine and upload it on here then I'll quit SP&L for good, which in sure will make quite a few people's day / week / month / year.

Maybe I was not clear - I think the fine for the letter had already been issued when I SORN'd the vehicle. Fine says no insurance on 25/03/15 (this is correct, there was no insurance at this time). I did not SORN until 31/03/15 when the VED on the vehicle was due to expire, even though the vehicle had been parked off road for a number of weeks.

Obviously, what I should have done was deal with it immediately, but I've had too much other st to deal with over the last few weeks.

Definitely not bullst, but not sure I want to be responsible for you leaving LoonR1

[MTech535]

LoonR1 said:

So she got her new car in Feb and then you decided completely at random to SORN the car just before the tax ran out at the end of March. That seems quite strange.

Anyway, where's the photo of the fine? I could be gone from this thread with it.

One last thought:

Ignorantia juris non excusat

Not quite SORN'd the car because I thought, "Oh st, Car tax runs out today - either need to get SORN'd or buy more tax!" (would be difficult with no insurance I suspect).

I am really good at putting stuff off until the last minute (for example I receive the fine over a week agao and have done nothing about it until today (Fine increases to £100 next week!)

RE: your last thought - this is what I thought (hence me stating this in my OP:"Just ignorant of the rules - I know it is not a good excuse" - I came on here hoping someone had already been in this position and managed to get away with it.

[MTech535]

hornetrider said:

Don't be shy. Post the redacted pics of the relevant stuff.

Is there some history here?

[MTech535]

LoonR1,
You stated that "Secondly, if you've SORNed it than all subsequent enforcement action ceases."

Does this apply even though the SORN was after the date of the offence (even though I was not aware of the offence at the time)?

If so

How can I get confirmation that no further action will be taken - the DVLA do not seem to want to discuss just "fill in the form to dispute it." But the form does not cover the grounds for my dispute (so I am assuming I have no grounds to dispute it.)

[MTech535]

Roo said:

Believe it or not, surprisingly easy to do as you don't need to provide proof of insurance to get road tax.

You always used to have to show proof of insurance - I assumed there was now some online check.

ETA - not that having taxed it instead or SORN would help in this instance.

[MTech535]

This may or may not work...



ETA: Yes I realise the car is a bit Caahncil!

Edited by MTech535 on Thursday 16th April 16:20

[MTech535]

LoonR1 said:

You can't get confirmation, because your situation makes no sense. The timescales are too short for a start.

You would get a warning letter giving you 30 days to SORN or insure. This would take at least two weeks to be sent ( as it takes this blog for thebMId to guarantee to be up to date) If you don't do as requested then you could get a fine. Your timelines are too short to be realistic.

I see.

I may be wrong about the date the new car was received/insurance swapped over - may well have been earlier - don't know where GF has her docs. She may have had a warning letter. She tends to bin things rather than red them properly.

[MTech535]

LoonR1 said:

Excellent. I'm out.

Final bit of advice.

1. The letter is dated 25/03 and states that at that time it wasn't insured. You know it was uninsured from Feb
2. You've delayed dealing with this and are now in a spot of bother
3. Why did you remeber to SORN on 31/03 yet forget to deal with this at the same time?
4. The fact you've waited this long suggests you're not good with admin and probably chose ton ignore the warning letter which would've been sent in Feb. the date of 25th Marchbis to highlight that but remained uninsured or not SORNed after the window they have you to deal with it.
5. Well done. My bluff is sort of called, but I will leave SP&L as promised. Let the party begin.

Before you go...
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. see the tax disc everyday as I walk past the car - not aware of CIE until I was shown the fine letter.
4. Yes. Not my car so only see what I am shown - I have not be shown a warning letter, but suspect may have had one tat was not read and binned.
5. Not my intention.
6. Conclusion. I better pay the fine before it goes up to £100. Sounds like a job I can put off for another 9 days

[MTech535]

Regarding paying tax on a vehicle I was not using: The job of disposing of the old car was given to me and I had been waiting for the documentation from the GF and could not be arsed to chase her for it (I hate selling cars and I'm good at putting off stuff I am supposed to do but dislike doing).

I regularly waste money on stuff to be honest.

Been out of work for the last 6 weeks and can't bring myself to go and claim my £75 a week benefits. So now £450 I have thrown away.

Bought a £150 kitchen knife over a year ago - never used it.

Got loads of expensive tools that I have never used and 5 pairs of trainers and 4 jackets that I have never worn either. I can also see 3 DVDs and 5 PS3 games that I have had for over a year and they are still in their cellophane wrappers.

[MTech535]

Sheepshanks said:

Get your girlfriend to pay it.

Honestly, girls don't give a stuff about this kind of thing. You're cross about it - she'll just pay it and move on with her life.

I'm certain that it will somehow be my fault anyway.

[MTech535]

Sheepshanks said:

You should sign on if only for the national insurance credits.

Looks a bit risky down there though.

When I start work - will my NI be adjusted so I pay for the time I was out of work?

[MTech535]

Thanks, I'll look into it.

[MTech535]

So I assume that i should just suck it up and pay the fine.