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Unbelievable - what are the chances of this?

explosivo

Well-known member
Joined
1 Nov 2009
Messages
151
I have only ever had two interactions with the police...

Indulge me for a second...

Five years ago, on one of my trips to London, I am sat at some traffic lights on Kensington Gore, just along from the Royal Albert Hall. As the lights turned green there was an open stretch of road ahead so, windows down, I gunned it to hear the lovely exhaust note echoing off the nearby buildings - its 10:30 in the morning, the sun shining - brilliant, things couldn't be better!!

However, at the next set of lights, which are now red, I glance in the mirror to see one of the Mets finest, on his motor bike right behind me - *****! Cutting a long story short, he pulls alongside and with a smile asks "enjoying yourself?" It turns out he is a real petrol head and allows me on my way if I promise not to do it again - relief!!!

Now - roll the clock 5 years forward to Tuesday this week and, in my newer 997, and for the first time since the 2010 incident, I find myself driving down the exact same stretch of road and ***** me - I GET PULLED BY THE FUZZ?!?!?!??!

It can't be for light blasting since the traffic is slow and busy?? Nope - something way more serious.

Police officer "your car is showing no Insurance!!"

Me "well its obviously a mistake because its definitely insured"

Police officer " no, the data base has no record"

Me "it must have"

Police officer "sorry, no - who's it insured with?"

Me (panicking now) "err, err (brain gone blank) - I can't remember"

Police officer (his expression has changed now - to the look one sees on Road Wars, the look that says "I'm taking your car".

Me (working hard to remember who my insurers are - panicking even more) when finally it clicks "SWIFT" I say, "its Swift cover"

Police officer (on the phone now to the Insurance data base (who then get on the phone to Swift))

Meanwhile - I'm standing on the pavement right outside the Albert Hall, its midday, and it feels like everyone passing is staring and thinking "Ah, look at him in his flash car, he he!!"

Police officer "OK, it seems there is a mix up over your reg plate - the insurers have your original and not the personal one - just get it swapped with Swift and all will be well"

Me "so are we OK then"

Police officer (Stare, pause....) "yes, we're all OK"

Me "you know, I may have poo'd myself"

Police officer (grinning now) "have a good day sir"
=================================


What are the chances of this happening?

Thanks for reading.
 
Had exactly the same thing in Guildford town centre. A friend of mine actually passed by without stopping and gave me the "Oh dear, what have you done look"! :nooo:

Did you update your registration recently? The only feedback I got was that it can take time to register on the database.
 
Last week I received a threatening letter from the Government AskMID dept saying I was uninsured on my DD (purchased in December last year) and in big red letters stated that there was no course of action that included doing nothing in response to the letter without incurring fines.

I went on the AskMID app and it said my car was insured, then I went on the CheckMyCar app and it said my car didn't exist!

I thought I was going mad.

Checked the AskMID letter again, sure enough, original reg, not personalised plate.

So I considered binning the letter, assuming the computer was being overzealous on the now retired original plate.

But that didn't explain why the CheckMyCar app had my car as non-existent (and I was still a bit worried about the nasty tone of the letter).

Check original reg on app, car spec comes up.

Now I can insure any car presumably with any (fictitious) plate if the Insurance details are entered manually, so Insurance on my plate did not prove my plate was on the car.

But I had a letter and number plate production certificate form DVLA confirming transfer and allowing me to have plates made up (which I did, and are on the car).

With no tax disc, there was no other immediate proof of failure or success of the transfer process.

Went through paperwork and discovered the V5 they has sent me at the time of the other transfer docs and I had dutifully filed on receipt was for the original plate :frustrated:

So I rang up a rather incredulous DVLA, who said there was no way they could have sent out the transfer confirmation without completing the transfer (in fact I can't believe there is a computer process that is possible to be half done either), but 30 mins later he called back to say they had indeed only partially completed the process, they had all the docs scanned from December and a new V5 was on its way (and the official records updated).

So for 5 months my "false" plates would have failed to validate on any ANPR or other police enquiry.

Which make me wonder about how useful these things actually are (I'll admit, I didn't do donuts in the police station car park or run 150mph round the M25 or other actions to court attention).

The car was even registered under the "false" plates for the Dartford Crossing (which it has emailed me on various occasions to notify me I have been tracked and charged).
 
I can't really grumble too much.

When I bought the car I went online to Swift and keyed in my personal plate, but of course it was recognised as being on my old car. So I went with the 997's original plate and called Swift to explain - the girl told me she would arrange for it to be swapped on the policy as soon as the DVLA processed it. Of course, on reflection, how on earth would she ever know when that happened, but excited about the new car I went with it.

Surprisingly though, I got an email from Swift within 5 mins of my brush with the law saying they were aware of the issue (must have been triggered when Insurance data base guy called Swift) and gave me a link to swap the plate - all fixed within minutes.

I can't blame the fuzz, they were doing their job and totally professional about it all - and, very understanding after it emerged what had happened.

I'm just blown away over being stopped in the same place!
 
"computer says no"... real pain in the @ss sometimes.

Had my previous car confiscated TWICE at the roadside because of a DVLA mixup with my driving license. When I went to retrieve the car from impound, the officer at the desk said 'nothing wrong with your license, have your car back but I still have to charge you the release fee'.

Took a few letters from a solicitor for them to sort it out once and for all.

Eventually I had to send them my passport etc to get a new photo card license and even then, they misspelled my surname quite badly. If I want it corrected, I have to send them my passport! Numpties.
 
Didn't DVLA have a habit of erasing people's additional entitlements? (eg motorbike, HGV etc)

I think even a high ranking police motorcycle rider almost lost his job when DVLA lost deleted his bike credentials.

Had to take his test again :roll:
 
I thought you were going to say it was the same copper but he looked younger :)

Well they do to me anyway :dont know:

Aside from that, I had a Mercedes sports coupe, I was hijacked in Hackney by 5 teenagers, who took the car with all my belongings and sped off, leaving me on the side of the road looking bewildered.

The car was recovered and repaired a few weeks later. I got it back, drove it for the first time along the Mile end Road and got pulled over for driving a stolen car.

Its the number plate recognition thing that causes these problems.
 
I am waiting on v5 and cherished plate to come back from DVLA.
They confirmed on the phone it's being processed , but keep checking dvla website , and still not showing new plate
:pc:

I wonder how strict the old bill are since the online tax disc situation .
Must be no end of ***** ups ?! I've got all sorts of documents plus the old physical plates in the boot!
 
Good job I read this :eek: I have just transferred a plate onto my work vehicle and it`s showing as uninsured. First job tomorrow then :puh:
 
Reading this has made me check my reg against the free basic HPI sites. It seems my car doesn't exist.

Where can I check if the car is showing correctly insured on the database?
 
GT4 said:

Great link. Thanks. :thumb:

I got my new V5 for change of Reg yesterday morning, told my Insurance company yesterday afternoon and it's all showing as done on this link.

I'd better go and put the plates on now. :bye:
 
askgeez said:
I am waiting on v5 and cherished plate to come back from DVLA.
They confirmed on the phone it's being processed , but keep checking dvla website , and still not showing new plate
:pc:

I wonder how strict the old bill are since the online tax disc situation .
Must be no end of ***** ups ?! I've got all sorts of documents plus the old physical plates in the boot!

How do you check your plate on the DVLA site?
 
Thanks dude, my new plate is apparently now on the car !!!! :D :D
 

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