£1000 fine if you have the wrong address‏

[Saint in Paradise]

Copy of an e-mail I received today

 

I just want to re-emphasise that you should never show your

driving licence to Police by the side of the road.

 

We had an email from a member who in the heat of the moment

had forgotten this advice.

 

He showed the Police, who had stopped him on suspicion of

driving while using a mobile phone (he says that he wasn’t) his

licence, believing that he had no reason not to...

 

It was nearly a BIG mistake!

 

The Police Officer pointed out that the address on the members

licence and the address that his car was registered to were

different.

 

“Oh, that’s my old address and my car is registered to my new

address, which all ties in with the insurance”.

 

The Police told our man to wait by his car (not in his car in

the warm, you’ll notice ;-) and came back.

 

The message was shocking:

 

“Why should we not summons you to court and fine you £1000?”

 

Our man was shocked; “I just moved two weeks ago and I will let

the DVLA know as soon as possible. I just hadn’t thought to do

it!”.

It was nearly a BIG mistake!

 

Luckily they “let him off” but said that if he had been pulled

over by Traffic Police, then they definitely would have taken

the easy prey and he would have been given a £1000 fine for

having his old address on his driving licence.

 

The good news is that if you find yourself in this situation,

by not showing the Traffic Police your licence by the side of

the road (because you haven’t got it on you), you are putting

the odds heavily in your favour of not getting the fine.

 

You’ll just get a “producer” and usually the clerk at the

Police station will not even check your licence address. And

even if they do, they are very unlikely to want to mess you

about with details.

[Ponty]

I drove for 11 years with my old address on my licence and amassed 14 points during that time, yet I never had this mentioned to me - even though they were returning an endorsed licence to various addresses, none of which were the one on the licence.

[Saint in Paradise]

Hi all, as you know I no longer abide in the UK so I am no longer au fait with UK motoring law so sorry if this was incorrect

[Ponty]

It's probably factual tbh Seatbelt, but our cops are so slack that they wouldn't have noticed anyway.

[bridge too far]

I got done for this many years ago. A man clipped my car, his car rolled and he was teetering on the edge of a railway embankment. It just so happened a plain clothes police car was passing and, after getting him out of his car, they told me that his car was a write-off. They said that although he was in the wrong, they recommended I didn't pursue the matter (no damage to my car) as he only had 3rd party insurance and that was punishment enough for him.

 

It turned out he was stationed at the nearby army barracks (police and soldiers - hand in glove eh). But they asked me to produce my documents at the local nick. I'd only just moved house and they did me for having the wrong address on my licence!

 

Of course, he got away scot-free

[St Landrew]

I never, ever carry my documents in the car with me. If a police officer tells me that I should carry them for viewing [and an officer did once], I tell him/her that I keep them at home because they are far more secure that way. A copper once insisted that I should keep the car's documents in the car. I said, fine... if you can provide me with a guarantee that my car will never be in danger of being stolen, or of being broken into, I will.

 

I was feeling pretty bullish that day. It's a wonder he didn't decide to find something wrong with the car.

[Huffton]

I never, ever carry my documents in the car with me. If a police officer tells me that I should carry them for viewing [and an officer did once], I tell him/her that I keep them at home because they are far more secure that way. A copper once insisted that I should keep the car's documents in the car. I said, fine... if you can provide me with a guarantee that my car will never be in danger of being stolen, or of being broken into, I will.

 

I was feeling pretty bullish that day. It's a wonder he didn't decide to find something wrong with the car.

 

Technically speaking it is an offence to fail to provide proper documetation when asked to by a police officer, hence the 'producer'. However due to the recent advances in PNC computer technology they can check if you are licensed/insured in seconds anyway so don't normally bother asking for them anymore.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

Technically speaking it is an offence to fail to provide proper documetation when asked to by a police officer, hence the 'producer'. However due to the recent advances in PNC computer technology they can check if you are licensed/insured in seconds anyway so don't normally bother asking for them anymore.

 

About a month ago I was on my way into work one afternoon, 15.00, as I came off the Spitfire roundabout there was a white van there with the flaps open on the rear doors. I assumed it was to catch people who come off that roundabout at speed. As I slowed and turned right into the Ford car park I saw a flash of headlights and realised that I had a 3 series estate behind me, O.B., no flashing lights or anything. I proceeded to where I normally park and then reversed into place. The car shot across in front of me and it was then I realised they wanted me.

 

It was all very polite and I asked if I was in trouble, it was not a speed trap but an ANPR van and, apparently, my vehicle was on the database as not insured. I had no documents on me but showed my work pass, gave my D.O.B. and he gave the info to his mate in the car. While we talked I offered to produce and he assured me I'd probably not need to. He then slipped this nugget into the chat " Had a drink today sir?" I told him no because I was on my way to work but explained that, as a Diabetic, my breath might smell sweet and raise his suspicions. He then went and got my I.D. and assured me I was 'in the clear as I was on another database'.

 

Apparently they do not use the MIND but one of their own which does not get backed up as frequently as the MIND.

[TUS]

If the DVLA didn't charge such extortionate prices to update your license address I am sure more people would make the effort to keep them correct. As a student I moved house 4 times in 4 years and again after I had graduated. I'll be ****ed if I'm paying £20 a pop to update it, if it'll change again in a year.

 

I'm not saying they shouldn't charge anything, but there needs to be some sensible middle ground.

 

Oh and I got points recently. A couple of weeks after producing and receiving back my license I got a letter in the post reminding me my license address was wrong and it is an offence, etc.

[TUS]

And why does your license need to carry your address anyway???? Surely it'd be more sensible to just store the info in the DLVA database & reference via the license number. I can't see the need to have it printed on the card and therefore need to pay to have the card reproduced every time you move house.

[Deppo]

It's free to update your address,knob jockey.