Pulled by traffic cops
Discussion
Paraphrased from my post on the Piston Heads Scotland forum:
I got pulled by Aberdeen's finest last night for still having US plates on my car. The car's legally taxed and registered in the UK but I've not got round to changing the plates yet (had it booked in to get that done today!). I was under the impression that you could drive on US plates for a while after seeing numerous cars in Aberdeen. But rather than just telling me to get them done (which, as I said, I was about to do today anyway), they charged me with 'fraudulent use of number plates'! I'm certainly not denying they had good reason to pull me over, just what they charged me with. To me 'fraud' implies that I'm trying to stealthily hide from the law on fake plates for criminal intentions. How inconspicuous am I likely to be in a white Viper that sounds like a NASCAR in Aberdeen with US plates? I can't imagine that the court will go ahead with this nonsense. In which case, what a waste of public time and money... It's good to know that our roads are being policed by such sensible and reasonable characters!
I got pulled by Aberdeen's finest last night for still having US plates on my car. The car's legally taxed and registered in the UK but I've not got round to changing the plates yet (had it booked in to get that done today!). I was under the impression that you could drive on US plates for a while after seeing numerous cars in Aberdeen. But rather than just telling me to get them done (which, as I said, I was about to do today anyway), they charged me with 'fraudulent use of number plates'! I'm certainly not denying they had good reason to pull me over, just what they charged me with. To me 'fraud' implies that I'm trying to stealthily hide from the law on fake plates for criminal intentions. How inconspicuous am I likely to be in a white Viper that sounds like a NASCAR in Aberdeen with US plates? I can't imagine that the court will go ahead with this nonsense. In which case, what a waste of public time and money... It's good to know that our roads are being policed by such sensible and reasonable characters!
Edited by ViperScot on Tuesday 10th April 12:41
Sounds fair enough to me so you could drive round doing what you like and no one could never find you.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
I was under the impression that there's a fixed £30 fine for not displaying the proper plates. I'm pissed off at the 'fraud' implications - they have no evidence of any intent to fraud on my part. And there's no speed cameras that have been set off by the car with the US plates! The situation was so clearly that I hadn't got round to putting the UK plates on (given I'm driving a very American car) and wasn't trying to pull the wool over the eyes of country's finest with the intention of committing a crime. I even had the UK plates in the boot and had an appointment for the following day to get them fitted! They weren't interested in that though.
put a post on the forum of traffic/transport lawyers
http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?a
it maybe a new subject, but there are some very experienced minds on there, who often show the CPS etc just how many holes there are in the relevant legislation, etc....
http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?a
it maybe a new subject, but there are some very experienced minds on there, who often show the CPS etc just how many holes there are in the relevant legislation, etc....
viper paul said:
Sounds fair enough to me so you could drive round doing what you like and no one could never find you.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
Sorry Paul but that is BS.
I drove my vette on Texas plates for 4 months before I could change it to UK plates due to the incompetence of the DVLA. My vette was still taxed in Texas, MOT'd in Texas, it was MOT'd in the UK, SVA'd in the UK and insured on the VIN in the UK so the insurance could not have "walked away" as you put it. I am sure this chap was in a similar situation as to he would not be able to change to UK plates without all of the appropriate documentation.
If the US tags were still on the car then they belong to the car and hence the car would still be registered on those plates in the state where the car came from so for the BiBs to say it was being driven of "fake" plates is also bullshit.
vetteheadracer said:
viper paul said:
Sounds fair enough to me so you could drive round doing what you like and no one could never find you.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
Car was no longer registered or insured in the USA.
And if you had an accident the insurance company would walk away due to fake plates possibly leaving the person you hit out of pocket.
IMHO you done the crime.........you do the time.
Sorry Paul but that is BS.
I drove my vette on Texas plates for 4 months before I could change it to UK plates due to the incompetence of the DVLA. My vette was still taxed in Texas, MOT'd in Texas, it was MOT'd in the UK, SVA'd in the UK and insured on the VIN in the UK so the insurance could not have "walked away" as you put it. I am sure this chap was in a similar situation as to he would not be able to change to UK plates without all of the appropriate documentation.
If the US tags were still on the car then they belong to the car and hence the car would still be registered on those plates in the state where the car came from so for the BiBs to say it was being driven of "fake" plates is also bullshit.
I'm going to make a note of this post just in case the court tries to go ahead with the charge! My situation was very similar to described by vetteheadracer. This info adds to my theory of some traffic police being incompetent and, at times, down right prejudiced. The ones that stopped me even said that they were pissed off that I had UK registration as they were wanting to impound my car!
This quote is taken from the DVLA website:
This relates to "Temporary Importation" however, "Temporary" can become "Permanent" on payment of the relative duties etc. which in your case is obviously what you were doing.
The page you need is this one.
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/ImportingAndExportingAVehicle/DG_10014623
Assuming you have all of the relative paperwork proving you have jumped through all of the bureacratic hoops then the case will be dismissed should it ever get to court which I doubt. Just make sure you have all of the paperwork as this will save your ass.
: DVLA said:
There are international agreements which provide for the temporary use of a vehicle in a foreign country for a limited time, usually six months in a 12 month period. A visitor to the UK may use a vehicle displaying foreign plates, provided that all taxes (including vehicle excise duty) are paid in their country of origin.
This relates to "Temporary Importation" however, "Temporary" can become "Permanent" on payment of the relative duties etc. which in your case is obviously what you were doing.
The page you need is this one.
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/ImportingAndExportingAVehicle/DG_10014623
Assuming you have all of the relative paperwork proving you have jumped through all of the bureacratic hoops then the case will be dismissed should it ever get to court which I doubt. Just make sure you have all of the paperwork as this will save your ass.
DVLA are at times a joke, they just can't get their act together sometimes...even when they try (telling them in writing 20 times, still doesn't guarantee result!) Traffic cops are offen after results and bragging ego, they have satistical demands to meet to stay in the job (and that info come from chief sup. intd.)!
Don't want to get into a I am right/wrong but as an ex copper the facts are not as you say.
The car was registered in the UK had a UK tax disc which was displayed I asume as he was not stuck on for that and he had a valid set of number plates in the boot which he thought he would get around to fitting.
Therefore he was stuck on for fraudulant use of a number plate, if the police had done a VIN check it would come up on Swansea as relating to a different registration.
Its simple really, if you take the piss and get caught expect to be stuck on for it!
And if you think a defence of I can't be bothered to stick the right plates on the car is a good one to plead not gulity you will get a shock.
The CPS will advise that these US plates would allow you to drive through scamera's ANPR system and even garage forcourts without a care in the world.
I do however agree with Vettheadracer that if the car has not yet been registered and is insured on the VIN then you are quite free to use the car.
But registering it then using US plates ???????
However it will be interesting to see what the CPS make of it.
The car was registered in the UK had a UK tax disc which was displayed I asume as he was not stuck on for that and he had a valid set of number plates in the boot which he thought he would get around to fitting.
Therefore he was stuck on for fraudulant use of a number plate, if the police had done a VIN check it would come up on Swansea as relating to a different registration.
Its simple really, if you take the piss and get caught expect to be stuck on for it!
And if you think a defence of I can't be bothered to stick the right plates on the car is a good one to plead not gulity you will get a shock.
The CPS will advise that these US plates would allow you to drive through scamera's ANPR system and even garage forcourts without a care in the world.
I do however agree with Vettheadracer that if the car has not yet been registered and is insured on the VIN then you are quite free to use the car.
But registering it then using US plates ???????
However it will be interesting to see what the CPS make of it.
They are clamping down big time on stuff like this.....
You can try and convince a judge all you like that you did nothing wrong.....but seriously, what do you think he or she is gona say ?
Especially given you had the correct plates in your boot, so knew full well they should be on the car.
You can try and convince a judge all you like that you did nothing wrong.....but seriously, what do you think he or she is gona say ?
Especially given you had the correct plates in your boot, so knew full well they should be on the car.
GravelBen said:
stevieturbo said:
Especially given you had the correct plates in your boot, so knew full well they should be on the car.
That would be why he had it booked in to get the plates fitted, as stated in the OP.
Whether true or not....tell it to the judge !!!
Bit like all those speeding excuses, or dodgy driving excuses etc etc...The judge will ahve heard them all. And how long were the plates in the boot ? How long had the car been driving about with the wrong plates ?
ViperScot said:
Paraphrased from my post on the Piston Heads Scotland forum:
I got pulled by Aberdeen's finest last night for still having US plates on my car. The car's legally taxed and registered in the UK but I've not got round to changing the plates yet (had it booked in to get that done today!). I was under the impression that you could drive on US plates for a while after seeing numerous cars in Aberdeen. But rather than just telling me to get them done (which, as I said, I was about to do today anyway), they charged me with 'fraudulent use of number plates'! I'm certainly not denying they had good reason to pull me over, just what they charged me with. To me 'fraud' implies that I'm trying to stealthily hide from the law on fake plates for criminal intentions. How inconspicuous am I likely to be in a white Viper that sounds like a NASCAR in Aberdeen with US plates? I can't imagine that the court will go ahead with this nonsense. In which case, what a waste of public time and money... It's good to know that our roads are being policed by such sensible and reasonable characters!
I got pulled by Aberdeen's finest last night for still having US plates on my car. The car's legally taxed and registered in the UK but I've not got round to changing the plates yet (had it booked in to get that done today!). I was under the impression that you could drive on US plates for a while after seeing numerous cars in Aberdeen. But rather than just telling me to get them done (which, as I said, I was about to do today anyway), they charged me with 'fraudulent use of number plates'! I'm certainly not denying they had good reason to pull me over, just what they charged me with. To me 'fraud' implies that I'm trying to stealthily hide from the law on fake plates for criminal intentions. How inconspicuous am I likely to be in a white Viper that sounds like a NASCAR in Aberdeen with US plates? I can't imagine that the court will go ahead with this nonsense. In which case, what a waste of public time and money... It's good to know that our roads are being policed by such sensible and reasonable characters!
Edited by ViperScot on Tuesday 10th April 12:41
Hamish, I will be scouring the streets of Aberdeen now for a sighting of my, and my son's, favourite car. The fraud angle is a bit of a laugh, in as much that in England you have to produce the cars docs to get a plate made up, whereas in Scotland you just wonder into Halfords, and ask for, and get whatever you need.......
I am off to the states next year, and regardless of cost, I aim to hire a Viper for a day or two.
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