Unlicensed Vehicle Fine

Merrievans

I apologise if I have posted this in the incorrect place but will greatly appreciate any guidance I can be given.

I have just received an Unlicenced Vehicle fine from the DVLA about an incident from the 23rd October last year. My husband parked our newly bought vehicle outside the house on the road and a DVLA van pulled up just behind him. We explained the vehicle had just been bought but we were unable to tax in because due to the Postal strikes our insurance certificate had not arrived therefore we were unable to tax it. We had no choice to use the vehicle as my husband had to get to work. The gentleman was happy with our explanation and asked we remove the vehicle from the street, my husband parked it up the side of the house on a private driveway and he would take no further action.

The vehicle was insured at the time and as soon as the certificate arrived we taxed the vehicle from the beginning of Oct (the offence was dated 23rd Oct).

Could someone tell me if there is a limit to how long after the offence you can be contacted??? And also any other advice would be greatly appreciated, I am resisting the urge to write to the DVLA and asking them to try finding the real criminals on the road!!!!

Kind Regards
Sian

Spartacus_Mills

Merrievans wrote: »

I apologise if I have posted this in the incorrect place but will greatly appreciate any guidance I can be given.

I have just received an Unlicenced Vehicle fine from the DVLA about an incident from the 23rd October last year. My husband parked our newly bought vehicle outside the house on the road and a DVLA van pulled up just behind him. We explained the vehicle had just been bought but we were unable to tax in because due to the Postal strikes our insurance certificate had not arrived therefore we were unable to tax it. We had no choice to use the vehicle as my husband had to get to work. The gentleman was happy with our explanation and asked we remove the vehicle from the street, my husband parked it up the side of the house on a private driveway and he would take no further action.

The vehicle was insured at the time and as soon as the certificate arrived we taxed the vehicle from the beginning of Oct (the offence was dated 23rd Oct).

Could someone tell me if there is a limit to how long after the offence you can be contacted??? And also any other advice would be greatly appreciated, I am resisting the urge to write to the DVLA and asking them to try finding the real criminals on the road!!!!

Kind Regards
Sian

Given your car was untaxed on the public highway it looks like they found one.

peter_the_piper

It could have been worse, you could have had an accident whilst untaxed as the insurance company would have had a way of weaseling out of paying. Technically I think, no tax =no insurance, maybe not in law but definitely as far as the insurance company are concerned.

triticale

There is no leeway unfortunately. Either a vehicle is SORN'd and not taken on a public road, or it is taxed and used on the road.

No exceptions for bringing home an untaxed car you have just bought, it would have to either have been taxed somehow beforehand or delivered on a car transporter.

Hence buying an untaxed vehicle can turn out to be less of a bargain than you think.

ps, bit fishy that a DVLA van just happened to be behind you. I've never even seen a DVLA van. I would wonder if I'd been followed from point of purchase - did you buy from a dealer or private?

sarahg1969

peter_the_piper wrote: »

It could have been worse, you could have had an accident whilst untaxed as the insurance company would have had a way of weaseling out of paying. Technically I think, no tax =no insurance, maybe not in law but definitely as far as the insurance company are concerned.

On this occasion, Peter, you're wrong.

I'd be surprised, if there had been an accident, if the insurers ever even noticed that the vehicle was untaxed. And even if it was, it's unlikely that it would void any insurance policy, and they'd have to deal with any third party claims in any event.

Anyway, the OP didn't have an accident.


OP - you were unlucky. You'll need to pay the penalty.

peter_the_piper

OK, its just that, knowing how good I.C's are at not paying anything, they could find out from the police details. However, as you rightly say there was not an accident, but it is a case of pay up.