Getting It Right Sometimes

I think it is easy to have a moan here and there about things and not highlight other areas where there has been sensible progress. As I've mentioned before I'm not a persecuting motorists sort of officer, having done my share in my probation several years ago.

I do draw the line at no insurance offences. No matter who you are and what excuse you throw up you are going in the book. I was always a bit peeved to leave a car at roadside having reported a no insurance bandit. "Now you have to leave it here and get somebody to remove it otherwise you will commit a further offence". Invariably you'd cruise past a short time time later and the car was gone, I suspect driven by the original uninsured driver. He or she would then have to wait several months for a summons in the post. Many would get away with a producer and there was always the risk of being had over with duff particulars.

Now all insurance details are available on the police national computer for instant checking. I've found it to be a pretty reliable process and you can always carry out other checks if need be. The best thing however is to be able to seize the car and remove it to a pound. It can only be retrieved by producing valid insurance and paying a fee of £100+. If you are eligible and don't have too many points on your licence, you will be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for £200 with 6 points attached. Nobody can be against this, with uninsured drivers adding a premium to the policies of all the law abiding majority.

I was block walking a few months back and looking out from high above. I saw a Mini Cooper down below manoeuvring having let a passenger out. The car was then waiting and I deemed it worthy of a look, just in case of some estate drug action. A check prior to swooping flagged it up as having no insurance. The driver turns out to be a young lady, who states she is insured. Of course she isn't and comes clean eventually. This car was immaculate and she'd owned it about four months. It had been purchased for just under a five figure sum and her excuse was that with the finance payments she couldn't afford the insurance on top. She actually thought she should receive a verbal warning for this. I pointed out that perhaps she should be driving a less expensive motor and living within her means.

Don't forget if she has an accident with your car and you don't have fully comprehensive cover you will be paying all your own bills through her selfish attitude. I think she would have still been quids up estimating how much her insurance should have been, but having to travel to the other side of the metropolis to collect her car adds to the inconvenience. It was well worth waiting over an hour for a recovery truck to remove it even though it was raining.

A nice little change in the law where the legislators listened to the police - eventually!!