Sorn

jagharvest

Hi
Our car is on a SORN for the winter months, I needed to put the battery back on to start the car up which I do from time to time to just keep the car in good health.
To do this I had to get it off the driveway and turn it around the other way to get the front of the car inside the garage.
Anyway just as I was doing this a DVLA van came up my quiet dead end street and two guys wanted to clamp my car at a cost of 260 quid! I explained what I was doing but they insisted that as my car was on a public highway and registered as Sorn that I was breaking the law.
I refused to pay this amount and tried to reason with them but to no avail, at which I put the car back on the driveway.
Now they say that there will be a fine of 1000 pounds sent to me.
My vehicles are always taxed, insured, and mot'd at all times and I am a very law abiding person.
I realise now that even having your sorn'd car outside your own house for just a few mins is against the law but come on a 1000 pounds fine.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Very worried
Jagharvest

peter_the_piper

I suggest you post this also onto pepipoo.com. DVLA are a bunch of people nearly as bad as any ppc. Take that back, they are worse as its government backed.

paddedjohn

Although you were in the wrong by having your car untaxed on the road i think they were trying to scare you by threatening you with the max fine, i wouldn't worry too much about it as you can't do anything untill you get the paperwork in the post.

esmerobbo

As stated they have quoted the max fine. It is normally the back tax from the initial SORN and £80. As suggested post on Pepipoo and ask, however unfortunately if your car was on the public highway you are liable. Also DVLA are quite keen as its easy money for them!

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30

jagharvest

Thanks for your replies.

If I have to pay a fine for having my sorn vehicle on a "Public highway" What is the definition of a public highway as my little dead end street at the moment is like a farm track with potholes everywhere! Not fit for farm animals let alone my Cars, so in respect to me breaking the law for just a few mins by just getting my car off the drive way and putting straight back on, what about the road tax I am paying for all of my other vehicles?
Can I sue the DVLA for not using the money I pay to them to maintain the "Public highways"?

Mustard_Dave

jagharvest wrote: »

Can I sue the DVLA for not using the money I pay to them to maintain the "Public highways"?

No. Money collected from Vehicle Excise Duty is not directly used to fund the roads. Highway maintenance mostly comes from council tax.

peter_the_piper

jagharvest wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

If I have to pay a fine for having my sorn vehicle on a "Public highway" What is the definition of a public highway as my little dead end street at the moment is like a farm track with potholes everywhere! Not fit for farm animals let alone my Cars, so in respect to me breaking the law for just a few mins by just getting my car off the drive way and putting straight back on, what about the road tax I am paying for all of my other vehicles?
Can I sue the DVLA for not using the money I pay to them to maintain the "Public highways"?

Is a highway a road maintained at the public expense? If this is a private road do the same rules apply as far as dvla are concerned? You are not supposed to have the car on a public road, I don't know if different rules apply. Ask on pepipoo.

Bonbon

Maybe I'm missing something , but I don't understand why you had to take your car off the drive. Why did you need the front of the car inside the garage to put a battery on?

peter_the_piper

Some modern garages are so small its difficult to shut the door without parking up to the back wall, maybe this is it.

Rover_Driver

jagharvest wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

If I have to pay a fine for having my sorn vehicle on a "Public highway" What is the definition of a public highway as my little dead end street at the moment is like a farm track with potholes everywhere!

A 'Public Road' is defined as 'a road repairable at public expense' s.62 Vehicles & Excise & Registration Act 1994.

deddogblues

So you must have removed the battery then turned the car round when you took the car off the road in the first place, otherwise you would have been able to refit the battery, why?