Car under cover in street - illegal?

[Malcster]

So, I have my beloved TVR under a cover in the street.

It is taxed, MOT'd and Insured.

However this cover covers the Tax Disc & plates.

Is this legal to be kept on the road with these registration marks covered?

Cheers,

Malc

[cblundell]

Hello, did you ever find out the answer to this?

I have just bought a cover for my Chimaera which is safely parked on the road sandwiched between my trustworthy neighbours car and my runaround. A bit worried that this is going to hide my tax disc! Will I get fined for this?

Many thanks...

[Badgerboy]

I believe you can obtain covers that have a cutout for the plates and disc, I have seen them on cars in London.

However, unless you happen to park your car on a very busy road known for its abundance of traffic wardens, I'm pretty sure your safe. My S2000 is covered up at the moment, and will remain covered until next year. In addition, my motorbike is covered when I am not using it, and I have experienced no issues.

You'd have to be a pretty unlucky person to get caught up on it, although I suppose they are a little more concerned about SORN'd cars etc these days. Still, I imagine they can pull the cover up to see the plate and run it through the relevant databases if they need to.

[attym3]

Badgerboy said:

I believe you can obtain covers that have a cutout for the plates and disc, I have seen them on cars in London.

This is what I was going to suggest

However, unless you happen to park your car on a very busy road known for its abundance of traffic wardens, I'm pretty sure your safe. My S2000 is covered up at the moment, and will remain covered until next year. In addition, my motorbike is covered when I am not using it, and I have experienced no issues.

You'd have to be a pretty unlucky person to get caught up on it, although I suppose they are a little more concerned about SORN'd cars etc these days. Still, I imagine they can pull the cover upto see the plate and run it through the relevant databases if they need to.

Can they though? Would it not class as interfering/tampering?

[poo at Paul's]

I'd have thought the issue of legality was more regarding the displaying of lights / refelctors?

[anonymous-user]

For interference of motor vehicle the offender must have the intention to do certain things to make the offence complete.

I'm guessing at what those things are to be honest! If I recall correctly it is the intent to steal anything in or on the car, TWOC of the car or theft of the car.

The warden would not be committing this offence in this case. However, they may well have their own rules as to what they are allowed to do in order to stop civil litigation or even damage matters before they start. Criminally though, I believe it's fine.

[shovelheadrob]

Why not stencil your reg no on the cover? I have seen this on a car cover, can't remember where was a while ago.

[Garlick]

Used to leave my Chim on the street under a cover before I moved and got a garage

Never had any issue with covered tax disc/ plates, but did write parking permit reference number and reg number on in in marker pen.

[Ozzie Osmond]

cblundell said:

this is going to hide my tax disc! Will I get fined for this?

Yes. You need tax disc and number plates on display. It's not sufficient to put a copy of the tax disc on the outside, although it would be OK to have a second set of number plates fixed on the outside of the cover (just writing the number on there doesn't count).

Someone above made a point about reflectors. It's an interesting one as highway Code says,

"248 You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space."

"249 All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."





.

[hardcorehobbit]

What exactly are parking lights? Is it where you have the sidelight and tail light on on one side of the car?

My car doesn't do that, but my mums Fabia has the facility to turn them on with the indicators.

[anonymous-user]

hardcorehobbit said:

What exactly are parking lights? Is it where you have the sidelight and tail light on on one side of the car?

My car doesn't do that, but my mums Fabia has the facility to turn them on with the indicators.

As far as traffic law is concerned parking lights are side lights.

[Badgerboy]

sebdangerfield said:

As far as traffic law is concerned parking lights are side lights.

So other than affixing small oil lamps to the car, or running the battery into the ground, surely that's a little archaic a law?

[fangio]

Used to use a little double lensed (red/white),low wattage parking light in the last century, hooked on the top of a closed window, plugged into the cigarette lighter if your car was a luxury model!
If not, crocodile clips to battery.

Edited by fangio on Monday 21st November 09:30

[kambites]

Badgerboy said:

sebdangerfield said:

As far as traffic law is concerned parking lights are side lights.

So other than affixing small oil lamps to the car, or running the battery into the ground, surely that's a little archaic a law?

I think the idea is that you don't regularly park at the side of the road in 40mph+ speed limits.

In answer to the OP, I was under the impression that number places, tax disc and reflectors must all be visible when parked on the road, although I'm far from certain.

[Chris71]

My tax disc was delayed in the post the other day so I checked the direct.gov.uk website and it does state that any vehicle on the public road without a visible tax disc is liable for a fine, so that would include car covers (sad but true).

I found it quite ironic that they waste no time in fining you if you've left it a few days late to renew, yet they don't have the facality to confirm that you've paid 'x' hundred pounds for a new tax that's yet to turn up. It's a bit like how you can declare SORN in about five seconds online (when you're surrendering the road tax you've paid for), but to reclaim the unused tax (when they're givbing you money) involves a four week wait, a paper form from the post office and physically returning the tax disc.

[kambites]

I think the way it works, is that it's an offence to not display a tax disc, but showing the disc at a police station within the next week (or something) is a permissible mitigation? The same as with carrying documentation when you drive.

I might be completely wrong though.

[anonymous-user]

Ozzie Osmond said:

cblundell said:

this is going to hide my tax disc! Will I get fined for this?

Yes. You need tax disc and number plates on display. It's not sufficient to put a copy of the tax disc on the outside, although it would be OK to have a second set of number plates fixed on the outside of the cover (just writing the number on there doesn't count).

Someone above made a point about reflectors. It's an interesting one as highway Code says,

"248 You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space."

"249 All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)."





.

Car near me has been under a cover for the past two years on the road. The guy has a cut out for the tax disc but doesn't have plates on show. This is in a city centre too.

[B Huey]

Badgerboy said:

I believe you can obtain covers that have a cutout for the plates and disc, I have seen them on cars in London.

However, unless you happen to park your car on a very busy road known for its abundance of traffic wardens, I'm pretty sure your safe.

Where I live in SE London the authorities have an occasional blitz on untaxed vehicles in residential streets.

[johnpeat]

kambites said:

I think the way it works, is that it's an offence to not display a tax disc, but showing the disc at a police station within the next week (or something) is a permissible mitigation? The same as with carrying documentation when you drive.

I might be completely wrong though.

We've covered this before - it's an offence not to display, irrespective of whether you've paid or not - however if you have used the online renewal service, there is a 5 day grace period (first 5 days of any month) for which you will need your reference number to prove you've applied (BEFORE it expired).

As for car covers, the Police don't even mention the reflector thing but otherwise

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q728.htm

Truth be told you'd probably want a reflector on it just to defuse people hitting it and excusing themselves by saying it was hard to see in the dark.

I don't get why people cover cars outdoors, unless they're not weatherproof (missing glass etc.) - anyway? Car covers often do more damage to the paintwork (moving around in the wind etc.) than the elements would...

Edited by johnpeat on Monday 21st November 10:23

[kambites]

johnpeat said:

We've covered this before - it's an offence not to display,...

Yes I know, that's what I said isn't it?

The question is whether proving that you do have tax is viewed as an acceptable mitigation for the offence you've committed?

Edited by kambites on Monday 21st November 10:26