Done w/out insurance - 3 days out. Need advice!
Discussion
Hi.
Anyone got out of an IN10, driving without insurance?
As a result of having 4 cars otr, and being incredibly busy at work as a junior Doc., I found myself with a producer (driving without seatbelt, middle of night, on way to A+E) and insurance that expired 3 whole days ago.
I have been given the f.p. of £200 and 6 points, which will probably cost me thousands in additional premiums over 5 years with an IN10 on my licence (particularly the Carrera 4). Of course I am also now 2 sp30's away from no licence at all.
My insurers (Adrian Flux) will not cover me retrospectively - I called them around 7 days after it expired, and they say the policy is cancelled after 5 days.
Is it worth going to court and asking them to have a little perspective (!) - this was clearly an honest mistake, and no-one has got hurt. My other line of defence is a small glitch in paperwork - the officer that stopped me described my Merc as manual, not auto. I don't have the producer anymore.
I don't deserve 6 points!!
TIA
Johnny
Anyone got out of an IN10, driving without insurance?
As a result of having 4 cars otr, and being incredibly busy at work as a junior Doc., I found myself with a producer (driving without seatbelt, middle of night, on way to A+E) and insurance that expired 3 whole days ago.
I have been given the f.p. of £200 and 6 points, which will probably cost me thousands in additional premiums over 5 years with an IN10 on my licence (particularly the Carrera 4). Of course I am also now 2 sp30's away from no licence at all.
My insurers (Adrian Flux) will not cover me retrospectively - I called them around 7 days after it expired, and they say the policy is cancelled after 5 days.
Is it worth going to court and asking them to have a little perspective (!) - this was clearly an honest mistake, and no-one has got hurt. My other line of defence is a small glitch in paperwork - the officer that stopped me described my Merc as manual, not auto. I don't have the producer anymore.
I don't deserve 6 points!!
TIA
Johnny
Johnny G Pipe said:
My insurers (Adrian Flux) will not cover me retrospectively - I called them around 7 days after it expired, and they say the policy is cancelled after 5 days.
Funnily enough, I just renewed my competition car insurance with them. I didn't get round to phoning them for a while and I wanted to make a slight amendment so didn't just automatically renew. I can't remember exactly how long it was, maybe 7-10 days.
But guess what - when the Certificate and Schedule arrived in the post they had been backdated to the original expiry date, not the date when I renewed the policy.
Like I say it was only a few days so I didn't bother chasing it - but what would have happened if I'd made a claim in that period?
The insurance is not RTA cover so your problem doesn't apply but it does seem like one rule when it suits them, another when it doesn't.
In your case I would feel extremely hard done by but I'd be very careful before deciding not to take the FP, you're risking a much bigger penalty. You really need to find someone who's been in this position to have a better idea of what the court might do - good luck.
These days if i found myself in your position i would lie my ass off to the cop on the street, then do my best to produce some kind of document to appease the desk sergeant..or not.
It certainly does not benefit us to be honest and upstanding anymore.
Not long ago I would not have considered this course of action.
It certainly does not benefit us to be honest and upstanding anymore.
Not long ago I would not have considered this course of action.
The name on the V5 is the registered keep, not owner. You'll be on dodgy ground tyring to get out of it like that, the courts are likely to take a tough stand.
If a FP has already been issued then presumably the ownership and insurance situation has already been made clear.
In the good old days insurance renewal notes always had a 14 day TPO cover note on the back, does this not happen anymore?
If a FP has already been issued then presumably the ownership and insurance situation has already been made clear.
In the good old days insurance renewal notes always had a 14 day TPO cover note on the back, does this not happen anymore?
francisb said:
i assume you have fully comp insurance on your other cars. in which case you have 3rd party on any other car you dont own but driving with the owners permission.
But, AFAIU, only if that car has a valid insurance policy relating to it.
slinky
587racing.com
francisb said:
surely they should have auto renewed your policy ???
Er, why exactly is that? Surely a non-response to a renewal notice usually indicates that the customer has gone elsewhere...
As presented, it seems like an honest mistake but as its already been dealt with by a fine and points, I don't see what grounds there are to contest it.
The "too busy to renew" comment I guess (without knowing all the facts) should really be read as "too busy to ring round for competitive quotes", as a straight renewal surely can't take more than a couple of minutes on the 'phone? If so, nobody else to blame!
As to being able to "get off" the charge, there's no denying that the offence(s) took place, so I can't see any grounds for having the case dismissed. £200 and 6pts seems pretty lenient so going to court and moaning is unlikely to work in your favour.
>> Edited by pdV6 on Thursday 28th April 11:37
pdV6 said:
surely they should have auto renewed your policy ???
Er, why exactly is that? Surely a non-response to a renewal notice usually indicates that the customer has gone elsewhere...
I had a policy auto-renewed (
I failed to read the small print) when I didn't want it. They tried to charge me for the cover I'd had, to the point of insisting on seeing the insurance documents from the company I had renewed with. Auto-renewal, to my mind at least, is distinctly dodgy.
pdV6 said:
surely they should have auto renewed your policy ???
Er, why exactly is that? Surely a non-response to a renewal notice usually indicates that the customer has gone elsewhere...
i agree thats how it should work but my insurers on 3 vehicles all auto renew UNLESS i contact them and say no.
francisb said:
fair enough, edited for the common good. however its true, so not libellous....
Libel n
1. A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.
2. The act of presenting such material to the public.
So, unless you have good evindence to the contrary, your statement certainly sounds libellous
Ted has these name & shame rules for a reason. No matter what your personal gripe with a particular company, its best to keep it off the site if only to comply with Ted's rules. You did, after all, agree to these rules before being allowed to post.
As has been said there really is no legal argument for you not having insurance when stopped so the magistrates wuld have no real reason to not hand down the usual penalty for no insurance.
It is mandatory 6 points and the usual minimum fine in our court for a low earner is £275 ish, as a reasonable wage earner your fine is likely to be at least double that.
Take the FP!
A
It is mandatory 6 points and the usual minimum fine in our court for a low earner is £275 ish, as a reasonable wage earner your fine is likely to be at least double that.
Take the FP!
A
pdV6 said:
So, unless you have good evindence to the contrary, your statement certainly sounds libellous
... No matter what your personal gripe with a particular company, its best to keep it off the site if only to comply with Ted's rules...
im (un)happy that i do, which is why i said it.
which is why i deleted it as soon as you reminded me.
Direct Line automatically re-insure
Sounds good to me.
To be honest it isnt very hard to look after important things like this, maybe put a sticker in your car, with when the MOT insurance etc is due?
Also surely working in A&E the number of people youve had in that have been through the windscreen in a crash you would think that would be insentive enough to put the dam thing on?
Sounds good to me.
To be honest it isnt very hard to look after important things like this, maybe put a sticker in your car, with when the MOT insurance etc is due?
Also surely working in A&E the number of people youve had in that have been through the windscreen in a crash you would think that would be insentive enough to put the dam thing on?
i think knowing you weren't insured at the time of the orignal tug, hasn't helped 
if you'd have genuinely missed your renewal by a few days then you'd have discovered the error when producing your documents. In court "bugger i missed my renewal date coz i'm stupid, i'm really sorry" looks far better than "yeah i knew i was uninsured, but drove anyway, i'll sort it when i get chance.."
plus as above: your a doctor, frequent A+E !! and you drive without a seat belt?
if you'd have genuinely missed your renewal by a few days then you'd have discovered the error when producing your documents. In court "bugger i missed my renewal date coz i'm stupid, i'm really sorry" looks far better than "yeah i knew i was uninsured, but drove anyway, i'll sort it when i get chance.."
plus as above: your a doctor, frequent A+E !! and you drive without a seat belt?
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff