points on driving license.

Ultrasonic

Quentin wrote: »

Trouble is anyone steals the car has the docs to prove they own it!!

That's an argument agains keeping the original V5C in the car, but you'd have to be a pretty dim used car buyer not to spot a photocopy I'd have thought? On the flip side I'm not sure in what situations a photocopy would be useful either though?

Aretnap

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Out of curiousity, can anybody explain the point of providing the police with official driving licence counterparts, MOT test certificates or car insurance certificates? Surely all of this data is stored electronically in a way that the police are able to check? Insurance certificates are particularly pointless as you could still have one even after cancelling the insurance.

No point really - just a reminder that technology tends to move faster than the law does. Driving licence counterparts are due to be phased out in 2015, and insurance certificates will follow at some point. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-slashes-motoring-red-tape Tax discs are probably on borrowed time as well.

noelphobic

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Surely a current photocard driving licence would be a rather more respected and therefore useful form of ID, which also helpfully has your address on it.

I don't have a photocard licence. They didn't exist when I passed my test so I 'just' have the counterpart.

forgotmyname

The photo licence has a counterpart. If you dont have a photo licence how can you have a counter part?

Counterpart meaning... One of two parts that fit and complete each other.


You have an old paper licence not a counterpart.

thenudeone

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Out of curiousity, can anybody explain the point of providing the police with official driving licence counterparts, MOT test certificates or car insurance certificates?

For all the online databases - they are never available 100% of the time, and they are not always updated promptly.

Licences
- You could be driving on a foreign licence. The only way to check you have a licence is by viewing the physical document.
- You could be disqualified (IIRC, with bans of less than 6 weeks, you get to keep your physical licence. The counterpart is endorsed with the disqualification)
-An endorseable fixed penalty can ONLY be offered if you don't have too many points already. If the database is down, the only way to tell is with the paper documents.

MOT
- If the database is down, the only way to tell is with the paper documents.

Insurance:
-You could be using a policy which is not recorded against the vehicle; eg: a motor trade policy, a "driving other cars" extension, or the cover for courtesy cars automatically provided by some insurers. None of these will show on the database against the vehicle you're driving, but they will all be on a certificate.
-There may be two different users each with their own policy [yes this is perfectly legal]. The databse can only hold full details of one policy. There will be a flag indicating another policy exists, but no details. The only way to check is with physical documents.
-Details may not have been uploaded yet - Insurers get 7 days to do so
-At expiry, details of the old policy may be removed from the database before the new one is uploaded
- If the database is down, the only way to tell is with the paper documents.

AdrianC

thenudeone wrote: »

MOT
- If the database is down, the only way to tell is with the paper documents.

Have a read of a recent MOT certificate - it's quite adamant that the "certificate" is merely a receipt, and the only relevant record is that held on VOSA's systems.

Insurance:
-You could be using a policy which is not recorded against the vehicle; eg: a motor trade policy, a "driving other cars" extension, or the cover for courtesy cars automatically provided by some insurers. None of these will show on the database against the vehicle you're driving, but they will all be on a certificate.

They are legally required to be recorded on MID.

Equally, it's entirely possible for somebody to hold a perfectly legitimate paper certificate of insurance for a policy that's been cancelled - in which case, the paperwork proves nothing.

Or for somebody to have told DVLA that they've lost their licence, and have two copies. One of which contains details of all their endorsements, the other of which looks clean.

thenudeone

AdrianC wrote: »

Have a read of a recent MOT certificate - it's quite adamant that the "certificate" is merely a receipt, and the only relevant record is that held on VOSA's systems.

But the law still requires you to produce it to police on request