Overdue Car Tax, Who to Inform

[a2z]

Hi All, I need a bit of advice about reporting someone who has no RFL. A guy near me has a disc overdue. If it was only a couple of months I wouldn't bother as money may have been tight that month etc. but this is almost 2 years out of date. I pointed it out to him over 6 months ago and he said he would get round to it. Called the DVLA twice with no result. Call my local police station who said that unless the car is abandoned it was best to call the DVLA.

Even with my untrained eye I can tell that the car has no MOT (2 bald tyres for a start) so probably no insurance either.

This has been going on for a while and especially stuck in my throat recently when walking back from the post office with a new disc for my car I had to pass this shed, hence the post.

Any advice on how to get things sorted on this? Thanks.

[randlemarcus]

Best bet, funnily enough, is your local council, and report an abandoned car. They will get around to asking about the tax disc, and when you say it has expired, will be round like little car removing whippets.
S'funny, we had a genuine abandoned one at the bottom of our road for a couple of weeks, and it was only when I phoned them back for the tenth time, saying the tax disc was completely absent that the vehicle disappeared.

[Tahiti]

randlemarcus said:

Best bet, funnily enough, is your local council, and report an abandoned car. They will get around to asking about the tax disc, and when you say it has expired, will be round like little car removing whippets. S'funny, we had a genuine abandoned one at the bottom of our road for a couple of weeks, and it was only when I phoned them back for the tenth time, saying the tax disc was completely absent that the vehicle disappeared.

Agreed. But if the car's in regular use, the DVLA might be a good bet too. Our local council for instance will only put a notice on the car giving them x number of days to sort it out or remove it, before it's taken to be scrapped if I remember right. If the car's moved, or on private property, they don't bother doing anything else.

Rob

[7db]

Crimestoppers?

You should probably dial in the index plates of all the cars that you see speeding too (and shop yourself).

[TangoAlpha]

You can report it online.

[Big Fat F'er]

TangoAlpha said:

You can report it online.

There's a section for comments, so put in that you've told them twice and they were too lazy to get off their fat arses and do anything.

Bit confused though...I thought that if I got stopped by the Bib for something, and they noticed no tax, they could (and definitely would) do me. But if you tell 'em there's no tax, they just ignore it and carry on eating their sandwiches in the canteen. Sounds a bit like lazy b*st*rds to me....or is that unfair?

I generally support the Mr ploiceman, but only if they actually do something in the first place.

[parrot of doom]

Well if the tyres are that dangerous, personally I'd stick a knife in them.

[smeggy]

7db said:

Crimestoppers? You should probably dial in the index plates of all the cars that you see speeding too (and shop yourself).

Driving with bald tyres is dangerous, speeding isn't (depends on situation). Get real!

I guess the DVLA can't do anything if the car isn't registered correctly: no-one to aim a fine or summons at. Do traffic wardens have the power to tow away?

Nice to see ANPR is doing its job

I like PoD's way of thinking

[a2z]

Nice to see ANPR is doing its job

He's done a fairly clever thing rearding this. He has mounted the disc at the top of the screen in the centre (above the rear view mirror) and the windscreen is one of those top tint types so you have to look really close to see it. Is there an issue here with not displaying the disc correctly?

[IaHa]

I presume vehicle is on a road, not on a drive.

If so, then police should report driver for no VEL, check insurance mot etc, and stick owner for two defective tyres. They should also advise owner that it is illegal for the car to be on road with no VEL/defective tyres, and will continue to commit offences if left on the road.
If no insurance then the vehicle goes with Bib under S165A RTA. (if your force is using this legislation yet).

So recontact your local office and give them the full story, and that it is their responsibility to do something about it.

[7db]

smeggy said:

Driving with bald tyres is dangerous, speeding isn't (depends on situation)

You've not driven with slicks, have you?

[smeggy]

7db said:

smeggy said: Driving with bald tyres is dangerous, speeding isn't (depends on situation) You've not driven with slicks, have you?

I said bald, not slick. I'll explain in case you don't know the difference!

Bald means that the tyre would usually have tread, but it's completely worn out. Bald is one step away from the cords showing, it could delaminate the next time it's used on a motorway. You've not driven with bald tyres on a public road in the wet, have you????

[towman]

a2z said:

Any advice on how to get things sorted on this? Thanks.

Climb off your high horse and walk to the nick if it bothers you that much.

Bloody impressed you can MoT a car just by walking past - could you pop round and give mine a once over?

[7db]

Fair point.

Is speeding in the wet safer than driving without tax?

[smeggy]

7db said:

Is speeding in the wet safer than driving without tax?

Owners who don't have tax often don't have a valid MOT (can't apply for tax without a valid MOT). Cars without an MOT are less likely to be road worthy ("I won't bother cos I know it'll fail on the tyres/brakes/lights/rust" ). Hence there is no easy answer to your question.

Anyway, that's not the issue. Regardless its MOT status, the car has 2 bald tyres; wouldn't you prefer it to be off the road/fixed, as opposed to letting the danger continue? (regardless of speeding or driving in wet conditions)


a2Z,
On reflection, perhaps it would be better to start by leaving a note highlighting the situation; did you do this?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Hang on a minute - if it's untaxed and probably un-MOTed, it's likely to be uninsured. I would have NO qualms about shopping an uninsured driver. Stuff all your "I don't grass" crap - what happens when he has a blow out and ploughs into the ubiquitous bus queue?

(don't need a 4-post lift and an inspection lamp to spot bald tyres by the way )

And in the original post the OP says he reminded the guy 6 months ago. Why should this guy saved 300+ quid over 2 years when the rest of us mugs pay?

[7db]

Don't forget from the LTDA adverts that if its untaxed then it's probably uninsured, and if it's uninsured the the driver is probably a rapist.

I never quite understood the link, but there it is.

[streaky]

The replies to a2z's original post make interesting reading. I refer those PHers with uncommonly short memory retention periods to the following elements of the original post:

I pointed it out to [the owner] over 6 months ago

Called the DVLA twice with no result

... so probably no insurance either

According to a report in the Evening Standard recently, a London borough had a car removed and crushed the day following its ticketing for displaying a tax disc two months out of date ... without contacting the RK. Clearly, different councils apply different standards. [Added later] Reported today that it was 12 days not two months.[/added]

And in that context, IaHa's comment about "If no insurance then the vehicle goes with Bib under S165A RTA. (if your force is using this legislation yet)." suggests that the police can pick and choose what bits of the law they want to use too.

Streaky




>> Edited by streaky on Saturday 10th September 13:45

[IaHa]

streaky said:

And in that context, IaHa's comment about "If no insurance then the vehicle goes with Bib under S165A RTA. (if your force is using this legislation yet)." suggests that the police can pick and choose what bits of the law they want to use too. Streaky

To clarify, the legislation (165A RTA) came into force on 6th July 2005 if memory serves. Various forces, ours included, have serious practical difficulties with the management of the potential increase in numbers of scrappers being seized, and are currently building a system which hopefully can cope. So the legislation exists, and it is entirely legal for us to seize an uninsured vehicle under the legislation, we simply do not as yet have the supporting systems in place for the unfettered rollout of the legislation.

But to some degree you are right. I can pick and choose what speeders I want to nick. I can pick and choose what mobile phone users I nick, etc etc.

I'm pleased that I can.

Thought you might be too?

[a2z]

towman said:

a2z said: Any advice on how to get things sorted on this? Thanks. Climb off your high horse and walk to the nick if it bothers you that much. Bloody impressed you can MoT a car just by walking past - could you pop round and give mine a once over?

Just asking for advice thats all. I have spoken some time ago to him just to point it out so gave him the oportunity to get it taxed.

If you read my post I have also spoken to my local police station and was advised to take it up with the DVLA, hence why I am here asking for advice.

Never said that I can do MOT's maybe you should reserve judgement until you see the state of the car. I just made a reasnably educated assumption that having bald tyres, general shoddy state of the car and a tax disc over 18mts out of date that it possibily does not have an MOT.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll drop the DVLA another line and see what happens.