Why is a physical driving licence still necessary if police sees everything in their database?

gilbutre

AdrianC wrote: »

When you say "European licence", do you mean from a non-UK EU country?

If so, then what the UK demands of UK licence holders is irrelevant...


And it's your own fault for losing your licence, isn't it?

Correct, I have a non-UK EU licence. It's not really the point of my original question whether it's my fault if I lost it.

seatbeltnoob

Car_54 wrote: »

Please explain how that would work.

Well I knew quite a lot of kids from my college who would take their dads cars out. One guy I know took his parents bmw out and drove it around an entire week while his parents were on holiday.


This is despite the risk that a random stop and search can get them nicked as they do driving license check in situ.



Consider police never did that and just relied on ANPR, how many kids would do this?

Car_54

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

Well I knew quite a lot of kids from my college who would take their dads cars out. One guy I know took his parents bmw out and drove it around an entire week while his parents were on holiday.


This is despite the risk that a random stop and search can get them nicked as they do driving license check in situ.



Consider police never did that and just relied on ANPR, how many kids would do this?

ANPR reads the number plate, which identifies the registered keeper of the vehicle. It has nothing whatever to do with driving licences.

seatbeltnoob

Car_54 wrote: »

ANPR reads the number plate, which identifies the registered keeper of the vehicle. It has nothing whatever to do with driving licences.

ANPR does a lot more than that, it tells if the car is insured if the RK has a license, points etc. Tells them about road tax, mot, any intelligence markers on it (i.e. driver has issues with police, drug dealer etc).


I don't see why you're being obtuse this way, what point are you trying to make.


The only thing ANPR does not do is inform the police behind whether the person in the driving seat is the person they've pulled the info about so they sometimes they do on the spot checks.

Car_54

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

ANPR does a lot more than that, it tells if the car is insured if the RK has a license, points etc. Tells them about road tax, mot, any intelligence markers on it (i.e. driver has issues with police, drug dealer etc).

How does it know whether the RK has a licence? The DVLA don't.

TooManyPoints

How does it know whether the RK has a licence? The DVLA don't.

Indeed. There is no link within the DVLA databases between vehicle details (where the details of the Registered Keeper are held) and driving licence holders. I'm sure the police could do a bit of research and find out if the RK has a driving licence (and its status if he does) but that would not be readily obtainable via a simple check made by ANPR.

AndyMc.....

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

ANPR does a lot more than that, it tells if the car is insured if the RK has a license, points etc. Tells them about road tax, mot, any intelligence markers on it (i.e. driver has issues with police, drug dealer etc).


I don't see why you're being obtuse this way, what point are you trying to make.


The only thing ANPR does not do is inform the police behind whether the person in the driving seat is the person they've pulled the info about so they sometimes they do on the spot checks.

ANPR does one thing and one thing only.

It reads number plates.

A computer then checks that number plate against whatever database the operator has selected.