Something new happened to me today, I got stopped by the police for a routine check (??), seems they were stopping every 4th or so car. They asked for ID and I gave them my driving licence, the officer typed the number into a hand held device, then came the 'Oh that's odd', as this is my very very first stop I had a bottom clenching moment, the officer tried again and then she said 'seems you don't exist', she showed me the screen and it displayed 'No trace'.
Then my licence was inspected; it was bent, twisted, and scratched, then thankfully she said that she could see it was real. I wanted to know if what I should do, and she just said that the computers are often 'overloaded' and return strange results, then I was thanked and sent on my way!
Is there anything I should do? maybe next time (it's bound to happen now I've broken my duck) I won't come across such an accommodating officer.
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Apart from stopping obvious dodgy mobiles with visible faults I can't see the point What are all these much vaunted ANPR cameras for? That said they clearly aren't fool proof, I was walking round my village the other day and came across a newish car whose tax had run out at the end of November 11.
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ANPR can tell a lot about cars, their insurance, their MoT their intel value - but sadly unless the driver has a bar code on his swede can't tell anything about who might be driving it !
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Even that will come in the fullness of time! I agree that drivers cannot be identified but I thought the pricipal interest was in the legal status of the car (Tax insurance MOT) and to track cars known to have been involved in crime and the movements of such vehicles around the country, as you describe and no that much about the driver.
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unless the driver has a bar code .....
Already happened in Newcastle RP ......
The young men there think they are wearing football shirts............
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>>car whose tax had run out at the end of November 11.
The displayed RFL may have expired then, but it doesn't mean it wasn't taxed. If it did have current RFL it wouldn't flag anything.
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"I won't come across such an accommodating officer."
No problem, just carry tissues.
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>> I got stopped by the police for a routine check (??)
You weren't in London on the North or South Circulars, were you? I saw three separate spot checks going on today, two north of and one south of the river, each staffed by 20 or so coppers and preceded by an ANPR van. I sailed past all of them...
In my first 12 months of driving at the age of 17 I got stopped 45 times. Mostly for not looking old enough.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Thu 1 Mar 12 at 20:34
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Just driving around North Kent, the officers did the tax & insurance check when I was stopped.
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if its a 'vehicle check' why do they want to check your license?
the police should change their wording.
one of my friends was pulled over after picking her husband up from the pub and asked 'have you been drinking?'
she said yes and the policeman started to get excited.
then she said 'lets see. two cofees, a and a coke in the pub'.
ok so theres a funny side to it but why dont the police just be honest.
if they treat drivers like idiots its not suprising the answers they get back sometimes.
as for the op, strange that the license didnt show up though
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Diddy: it doesn't have to be called anything, but regardless of what it's called, an officer has lawful power to demand a driving license. In any case, having stopped a driver, why not check their license? If the thread on here was that a driver had been stopped, seemed all respectable and was let go without such a check, then found to be disqualified, you'd have a gripe, wouldn't you?? So there's no dishonesty, is there?
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Of course the police will check licence and insurance one's they stop you.I usually don't take my licence with me when driving locally.
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>>I usually don't
>> take my licence with me when driving locally.
>>
aaah, that old bugbear of 'civil rights' stands in the way here.
Here, it is a fineable (and pointable) offence not to have your license on you.
And not that flimsy-bits-of-paper-nonsense - photographic credit-card sized job required.
Before the credit card, it was an identity document - the mini-passport, which had all your details in it.
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>>Here, it is a fineable (and pointable) offence not to have your license on you.
>>
Does that apply to tourists?
I have only ever been stopped once , late at night, en route from Cape Town but soon waved on my way.
I do not recall if I had my bit of paper with me.
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i didnt know it was an offence to not carry a driving license.
id imagine i should carry mine then.
never in 16 years of driving have i carried one.
its safe at home.
sounds like the uk is turning into a true police state. not that i have anything to hide
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as you may deduce from my address, i don't live in the UK.
I DO live in a former police state, where a few laws from the 'old days' have carried on.
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just double checked and the uk law recommends taking the photocard with you otherwise its a 7 day producer. why?
the police can pull up all details on the driver and the car.
so a seven day producer is complete snip
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 3 Mar 12 at 20:38
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>> just double checked and the uk law recommends taking the photocard with you otherwise its
>> a 7 day producer. why?
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>> the police can pull up all details on the driver and the car.
>> so a seven day producer is complete snip
so, I am Ian, you are diddy. I get pulled - tell them that I am diddy.
Ok, what happens when plod says: "Prove it. Right now."
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 3 Mar 12 at 20:38
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well the police do ask if your the registered keeper.
easy if you say yes.
vehicle details show who keeps the vehicle.
only loophole is as you say. someone says they are somone else.
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>> only loophole is as you say. someone says they are somone else.
>>
That's a pretty big loophole.
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just a thought, say my son drove my car.
gets pulled over and says he is me but no license present.
gets a seven day producer then i pop down the station and provide the right paper work.
illegal but a loophole as the producer will not have a picture of the driver at the time of the routine check.
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>> That's a pretty big loophole.
>>
Yep.
as mentioned above, it becomes a civil-rights issue.
prove who you are? Nope, because nothing compels you to carry any identification.
hence the trend of 'bin surfing' and 'identity theft'.
Should i wish to open a banking account here, or do most anything else involving paying for expensive kit with credit cards etc etc etc photographic ID is needed - passport, ID document, or drivers' license. A utility bill won't do it, sorry.
I bet the same Waily Mail types who bemoan the 'identity theft' problem are the same types who howl about 'big brother' plans for national ID cards...
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Diddy; very few so-called 'producers' issued now because of computer records but the driver signs the producer. The person producing at the station can then sign too. And a licence has a signature on it. Not infallible, but cross checking is a start.
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Very first stop - Meldrew
