Hi,
Loads of foreign plated cars around our way, LT, PL, F and all the rest.
Presumably some will be insured and roadworthy, some won't be.
Nothing can be done about it apparently.
I'd have thought it was pretty simple, if a car enters the country but isn't registered here, it has the motoring equivalent of a visa, valid for 6 months. If the car is seen, after that time without UK plates, it's impounded or something equivalent.
Is this too hard, or wrong?
Lou
|
UK govt is useless
Foreign registered cars, or folk on foreign licences, may as well have diplomatic immunity at the moment
Doesnt work the other way round though, brits speeding on motorbikes in belgium for instance have their bikes stuck on a low loader and impounded until they pay the fine
particularly worrying is some of the "new" european countries which issue licences which can be swapped straight for a UK licence, to say their standards of driving are somewhat different would be to underplay the issues
|
|
To give some balance to this topic, and to stop it becoming a D--ly M--l type rant - there are plenty of K, L, M, etc., prefix UK-"registered" cars being driven around the Costas of Spain. No tax, insurance or MOT. The local police have occasional purges, but the international problem continues.
|
|
Same story in southern France, colinh, loads of older UK-registered cars being kept at second homes by expats. No tax disk and almost certainly no MOT, even if they are still theoretically insured back in the UK...
|
|
Yes, same story here in SW France - and a lot of them seem to live most of their lives in the crowded airport carpark at Limoges between occasional visits from their UK owners, making life even more difficult for those of us who prefer to stick to the rules.
|
Reminds me of a few years ago when I worked in Hammersmith and had a German colleague.
Everyday he would drive his German registered BMW to the office and park on the road outside. He did not bother to pay the £1.20 per hour parking meter. Assuming that his UK address could not be linked to his German reg plate.
Everyday he collected a parking ticket and filed it, unpaid, on the passengers seat.
He was quite impressed by his immunity for the first 3 weeks and didnt fail to bring up the topic of his free parking whenever there was a chance.
Until week 4. When returning to his car, it had vanished. He thought it had been stolen, but after making enquires discovered it had been towed.
£1,600 later in unpaid tickets it was released. Oh how I laughed
|
good one nick
someone i know has two sets of plates english and spanish,he swaps them over depending where he is
|
>> someone i know has two sets of plates english and spanish he swaps them over depending where he is
>>
What you mean, he puts on the Spanish ones in England and the English ones in Spain??
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
even if they are still theoretically insured back in the UK...
They can't be insured, can they? UK Car insurance generally only allows limited time use abroad. Presumeably the cars must be SORN'd in the UK, too, which would look a bit dodgy even if they were dubiously insured.
|
"They can't be insured, can they?"
Yes. Read the back of your insurance certificate and it will tell you that you are covered for 3rd party only in the whole of Europe. Sure, if the insurance company find out they can cancel the policy, but if they don't know, then you're covered for the legal minimum.
One assumes the foreign police check tax discs, after all, it's not hard to see if it's expired. But why should they pay if they're not using British roads?
|
|
There was a British Police team sent to Malta a couple of years ago to round up some stolen cars (and hoods) with the local fuzz. Basically they PNC'd everything they saw, any markers and the drivers were nicked by the locals, I dealt with one of the shameless ones when they were brought back here for the more serious offences. Surprising what fun can be had in the sun by a couple of Bobbies and a mobile phone !
|
|
did all the wifes sit round the pool after the baddies had been arrested and all say sell like in the sweeney film?
|
I actually stayed at that hotel a few years ago Ta'cenc on Gozo
www.vjborg.com/tacenc/
SWMBO had the Mk10 Jag and the shooter.
|
|
|
|
Upto last year some French companies were still accepting the insurance risk on British regd cars 'pending reregistration' as French. Providing the Green ticket etc. Some companies were still renewing policies, (altho they were not supposed to!) after 2 years.
So dont assume that the British cars seen in the airport car parks are all not insured, some even have CT stickers in the windows.
--
pmh (was peter)
|
|
Why don't they just re-register them then? It isn't rocket science. But then, I guess a couple of hundred euros saved on not re-registering together with the free parking all goes towards doing up the wreck, eh?
|
always wondered why my local coucil will issue 12 month parking permits to foreign registered vehicles.
I believe that you are only allowed in UK with a foreign plate for 6 months and the council will only give you a permit if it is your main residence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
