Roadside ANPR - Uninsured?
Roadside ANPR - Uninsured?
Author
Discussion

Jaaack

Original Poster:

451 posts

165 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Evening guys.

May have had a bit of a f**k up today.

Drove car to work this morning. Drove through the local town after work to grab some bits. On my to-do list was to call my insurance company and inform them that I'm driving abroad for a few days in the near future, so whilst parked outside a shop I gave them a call to let them know. They said my policy expired yesterday!

Only by sheer chance I called them today! Thought I was being organised in doing this more than a week in advance of the trip, turns out I might not be as organised as I thought! I explained that I was in the car right now so I'd need my new policy to start immediately which they said was fine and I paid for the year in full over the phone there and then. They asked if I'd been stopped by the police or had an accident today, of course the answer was (luckily!) no.

Of course, this is my own fault, total lack of organisation on my part, I wouldn't dream of driving it without insurance if I was aware! Especially having just spent a small fortune on fixing it ready for the Nurburgring, and having another working car I could've driven to work in had I known.

This was a few hours ago. Car is insured but not currently showing on the MID. I assume this is due to it not updating.

So, the worry:

I drove to work this morning, passing 2 (possibly 3) roadside cameras. I've been led to believe they're ANPR as they cover every route into the town from one side.

Do I have anything to worry about? Do roadside cameras have the ability to lead to a prosecution? I've not been stopped or even seen a police car all day.

Thanks in advance.

Pericoloso

44,044 posts

192 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
No one, including yourself know what type of cameras you've passed.

Keep an eye on the mail.

LosingGrip

8,861 posts

188 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
You'll be fine smile.

Jaaack

Original Poster:

451 posts

165 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
For the purposes of this thread can we assume worst case and that they are ANPR?

Just getting to an age where I can probably insure an old Japanese turbo nutter machine, 6 points is the last thing I need frown

jondude

2,441 posts

246 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
I don't think ANPR is used to issue no insurance showing fines mainly because the insurance companies can be so hopeless at updating it themselves. Hence why unless the police actually pulled you over to check, you should be fine.

I change insurers pretty much every year and spend about 3-5 days driving around not on the police database/ANPR but with an insurance certificate in the glovebox.

I did once stay on it despite not being insured for close to a week, too.

Bigends

6,158 posts

157 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Jaaack said:
Evening guys.

May have had a bit of a f**k up today.

Drove car to work this morning. Drove through the local town after work to grab some bits. On my to-do list was to call my insurance company and inform them that I'm driving abroad for a few days in the near future, so whilst parked outside a shop I gave them a call to let them know. They said my policy expired yesterday!

Only by sheer chance I called them today! Thought I was being organised in doing this more than a week in advance of the trip, turns out I might not be as organised as I thought! I explained that I was in the car right now so I'd need my new policy to start immediately which they said was fine and I paid for the year in full over the phone there and then. They asked if I'd been stopped by the police or had an accident today, of course the answer was (luckily!) no.

Of course, this is my own fault, total lack of organisation on my part, I wouldn't dream of driving it without insurance if I was aware! Especially having just spent a small fortune on fixing it ready for the Nurburgring, and having another working car I could've driven to work in had I known.

This was a few hours ago. Car is insured but not currently showing on the MID. I assume this is due to it not updating.

So, the worry:

I drove to work this morning, passing 2 (possibly 3) roadside cameras. I've been led to believe they're ANPR as they cover every route into the town from one side.

Do I have anything to worry about? Do roadside cameras have the ability to lead to a prosecution? I've not been stopped or even seen a police car all day.

Thanks in advance.
Dont think any type of camera hit will show the op's car as uninsured especially as its only since yesterday. I wouldnt worry

Boosted LS1

21,200 posts

289 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
I think that tax starts at midnight the day before. Maybe insurance is the same?

henrycrun

2,473 posts

269 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Print out the new policy and pop in the glovebox in case you get stopped in person tomorrow.

LosingGrip

8,861 posts

188 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Jaaack said:
For the purposes of this thread can we assume worst case and that they are ANPR?

Just getting to an age where I can probably insure an old Japanese turbo nutter machine, 6 points is the last thing I need frown
Honestly it's nothing to worry about.

It would require someone to be watching the cameras and stopping you.

Admittedly I have sent a P7 (or P9 can't remember what part off the top of my head) to someone with no insurance. However this is because they are one of our targets who we want off the roads and in court.

I know TVP (and a few others) send a warning letter out.

QBee

22,481 posts

173 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
LosingGrip said:
Jaaack said:
For the purposes of this thread can we assume worst case and that they are ANPR?

Just getting to an age where I can probably insure an old Japanese turbo nutter machine, 6 points is the last thing I need frown
Honestly it's nothing to worry about.

It would require someone to be watching the cameras and stopping you.

Admittedly I have sent a P7 (or P9 can't remember what part off the top of my head) to someone with no insurance. However this is because they are one of our targets who we want off the roads and in court.

I know TVP (and a few others) send a warning letter out.
Good of you to post on this forum - much appreciated

wbnm

56 posts

123 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
In my first year of driving my insurers somehow managed to cancel my policy due to an admin error on their side.

Drove up and down the M3 for a week not knowing I wasn't insured, past many ANPRs, never heard anything.


jm doc

2,944 posts

261 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
I think the policy would be considered to be continuous in any case since you effectively just renewed the existing policy.

Cold

16,707 posts

119 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
jm doc said:
I think the policy would be considered to be continuous in any case since you effectively just renewed the existing policy.
I wonder if that would only be considered the case if the renewal was initiated before the policy expired. It sounds like the OP was, in fact, driving for a handful of hours without insurance in place.

Dogwatch

6,381 posts

251 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Cold said:
I wonder if that would only be considered the case if the renewal was initiated before the policy expired. It sounds like the OP was, in fact, driving for a handful of hours without insurance in place.
Yes, the cover note will be dated and timed as from the OP's phone call so he was driving while uninsured by the sound of it. If you pay by card or DD renewal is usually by default to stop this sort of situation arising. However that can't happen for cheque or cash payments.

What happened to the renewal notice which would have been sent about three weeks ago?

NGee

2,953 posts

193 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
Boosted LS1 said:
I think that tax starts at midnight the day before. Maybe insurance is the same?
The day before what?

Tax starts at the beginning of the month. Which, strangely enough, starts at midnight on the 1st of the month!

Cooperman

4,428 posts

279 months

Thursday 11th April 2019
quotequote all
You will almost certainly find that your policy for this year will be shown to have begun at the time the old policy ended. Thus if asked to prove insurance, you just print off your new certificate and present it at to the Old Bill.
Why you didn't receive a reminder and renewal notice is most strange.

TwigtheWonderkid

49,081 posts

179 months

Friday 12th April 2019
quotequote all
Cooperman said:
You will almost certainly find that your policy for this year will be shown to have begun at the time the old policy ended.
It shouldn't do. It's a criminal offence to backdate insurance cover. If the old policy had run out and you called to try and renew it after expiry, if they start the new cover from anytime before you called, they are committing an offence.

NGee

2,953 posts

193 months

Friday 12th April 2019
quotequote all
Cooperman said:
You will almost certainly find that your policy for this year will be shown to have begun at the time the old policy ended. Thus if asked to prove insurance, you just print off your new certificate and present it at to the Old Bill.
Thanks for the information, it will save me a fortune. I now realise I won't have to renew my insurance policy unless I have an accident or need to prove I have insurance. I can then renew it back to the date the old policy ended.
A great money saving tip.






(Although, to be honest, I think I prefer Twigs version above.)

TwigtheWonderkid

49,081 posts

179 months

Friday 12th April 2019
quotequote all
NGee said:
Cooperman said:
You will almost certainly find that your policy for this year will be shown to have begun at the time the old policy ended. Thus if asked to prove insurance, you just print off your new certificate and present it at to the Old Bill.
Thanks for the information, it will save me a fortune. I now realise I won't have to renew my insurance policy unless I have an accident or need to prove I have insurance. I can then renew it back to the date the old policy ended.
A great money saving tip.






(Although, to be honest, I think I prefer Twigs version above.)
To be fair, with the insurance companies staffed largely by poorly trained button monkeys, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Cooperman turns out to be right, and they just hit the button to renew the previous policy. All I'm saying is that is shouldn't happen, not that it won't!!

Boosted LS1

21,200 posts

289 months

Friday 12th April 2019
quotequote all
NGee said:
Boosted LS1 said:
I think that tax starts at midnight the day before. Maybe insurance is the same?
The day before what?

Tax starts at the beginning of the month. Which, strangely enough, starts at midnight on the 1st of the month!
Some 30 years ago I got stopped on my m/c for no tax or mot. It was in the morning. That afternoon it passed the mot and I taxed it. When the matter went to Ct the matter was dismissed because the m/c was officially taxed on the day of the offence.