Vocal Voices

I'm just watching a programme on UK traffic police and they've just pulled over a driver for not wearing a seat belt. The on-board computer in the police car also flagged that the car this guy was driving wasn't insured; something both he and his passenger denied - they were very adamant it was insured. The police asked about an insurance certificate as proof and the guy said he doesn't have one in the car nor on him.

Now this is about the second or third time I've heard the police ask for a copy of the certificate on site; is it law to have a copy of the certificate with you? For personal security I try and have as little (if anything) as possible with my address details on my at any given time, and most certainly don't have a copy of my car insurance certificate on me.

Do you?

No I don't - although I do carry my driving license at all times in a secret pocket in my handbag.

If you need to produce 'papers' you have (I think) 48 hours to present them at your local cop shop. Must be originals of course.

No I don't either - nor do I carry a copy of my driving licence. If the police stopped me and I couldn't produce it immediately don't I have so many days to take it into my local station anyway.

Like Gal and Debih, I don't carry those documents for security reasons.

The only time I've been asked to produce documents was following a 4 car road accident I was caught up in, many years back now. I was given 7 days to exhibit them in person at a police station I specified, and was issued with a form.

This I reckon is still the procedure, judging by this link ....

http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/in ... sid=3276#0

You're in deep doo doo here if you get stopped by the traffic police and can't provide:

Driving license
Insurance documents
Ownership documents
Flourescent jacket (in case you breakdown)
2 warning triangles (ditto above)
A spare pair of specs..if you wear them.

Also highly recommended are a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

You're a bit stuffed for room if you have a teeny car!

I don't know of anyone who carries all the documents required if stopped by police.

The officers carry forms on them called HO/RT1/ which they issue you with, asking you to nominate a police station to attend within 7 days with your MOT, insurance certificate and driving license.

Here we have to carry our license with us to drive, so mine is attached to my key ring, but it doesn't ave my address on it.
On our windscreen are stickers, one is the cars warrant of fitness (ie road worthy test and date of renewal) and another sticker is the car registration showing date to renew. But that's it, no papers to carry.

Oh and number plates too....

It used to be the case that police advised NOT to carry all your documents in case your car was stolen. Having all the documentation made it easier for the thief to move the car on, hence the HO/RT/1 and seven days grace.

However, I have seen these cops shows where a car has been seized, often because of an ANPR flag, due to doubts about insurance, only for it later to be proved that the insurance was valid - it was the police database that was wrong. Nothing is ever said about the rights of the owners when their cars are seized illegally.