Would you expect to have to show ID for breakdown cover?

[toggle]

"Failure to produce" includes a failure to produce at a police station within 7 days. So, in practice, you don't need to carry your licence and a police officer wouldn't expect you to, but might ask you to drop it by later if your name doesn't show up in the database of licences.

spoilsport......

 

[StoneRoad]

The AA know that they do get ripped off, a lot, by people (minicab firms, usually) who take out one "personal membership" - entitling the member to call them for breakdown repair / relay etc, whatever car they are in, even if they are a passenger in a friend's car.

The cab firm then proceed to use this one membership whenever any of their fleet of cars breaks down.

Each cab driver who's car breaks down then pretends that he is the guy whose name the AA membership is in, but says that he's not got his membership card on him.

This is probably why they might want to check if someone actually is the person who has paid for their breakdown cover.

Giles..

PS - if you've made quite a few call-outs to them in the last few months, I can imagine them being more suspicious.

You don't have to actually have your membership card on you with AA, but don't most people have something with their name on it, in their pocket, when out and about? ATM card / credit card? Driving licence? Work ID?

Yeah, this happens. A mate of mine worked for the AA, and they check up if you have more than a "reasonable" amount of callouts / multiple vehicles......

 

[Quartz]

With the RAC I have to show my membership card.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Top tip, from someone who works for a company related to Swintons, and deals with them on a daily basis; don't use them. They're shit!

 

[Jon-of-arc]

With regards compo, you'll probably get your expenses back. Maybe a small "inconvenience" payment. My understanding is the fos aren't particularly keen on giving out big sums for "distress" etc, and the complaints handlers will know this.

Well worth asking someone to point you out the bit in the policy wording where it states that you must carry id. Sounds like your complaint will rest on this. If its there, then don't overplay your hand. Sounds like someone has already offered you expenses, and you might do well to accept this and move on. If its not, then feel free to run wild with it, but be aware that the fos has a massive backlog at the moment, according to my complaint handler friend (she said it can take up to a year for a case to be heard...).

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

"Failure to produce" includes a failure to produce at a police station within 7 days. So, in practice, you don't need to carry your licence and a police officer wouldn't expect you to, but might ask you to drop it by later if your name doesn't show up in the database of licences.

Interesting. Here, it's an offence if you can't immediately produce a DL to a cop when you're behind the wheel. You can take the licence in to the police station and show them, which will nullify a charge of 'driving without a licence', but you're still on for 'failure to produce a licence'.

 

[tombowler]

Interesting. Here, it's an offence if you can't immediately produce a DL to a cop when you're behind the wheel. You can take the licence in to the police station and show them, which will nullify a charge of 'driving without a licence', but you're still on for 'failure to produce a licence'.

when did this new law come into effect?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

when did this new law come into effect?

I dunno. I got charged with it in 1982.

 

[tombowler]

I passed in 1987 had several 7 day wonders never had a failure to produce, Iirc there is no law stating you should carry d/l or any form of id insurance docs mot when driving all you need is a current tax disc on display, got stopped by the mod plod in Aldershot military town they wanted id but I had none they looked the car over and under and let me on my way that would have been late 80s. Not in Uk now and have to carry ID at all times by law and d/l insurance/ mot / emissions test when driving.

 

[salem]

I think Johnny is based outside the UK.

 

[Giles]

There is no legal requirement in the UK to carry your driving licence, or any form of ID at all, when driving.

Such a rule would be tantamount for many people to the introduction of a requirement to carry an ID card, which has proven massively unpopular and controversial whenever some politicians have tried to introduce it.

The UK is unusual in this regard - in most of Europe you have to have your licence and often all your "car documents" with you at all times when driving.

These days there is less need for "producers" at all, or for carrying paper documents, because the cops can instantly look up the car's registration and check if it is insured, who should be driving, whether it has an MoT, if its known to belong to a disqualified driver, etc etc.

People used to be able to get away with not paying for insurance by taking out an annual insurance policy, electing to pay in monthly instalments, but then not paying after the first month or two.

They would still then have the paper certificate of insurance showing 12 months of cover, that could be shown to police for the rest of the year if they got stopped.

Can't get away with that any more.

Giles..

 

[Quartz]

Such a rule would be tantamount for many people to the introduction of a requirement to carry an ID card, which has proven massively unpopular and controversial whenever some politicians have tried to introduce it.

More to the point, IIRC it used to be the law that you had to have ID, but the police abused it so in a rare moment of sense, politicians did something about it.

 

[geminisnake]

Don't UK driver's licences have your photo on them?

Not if you still have an old paper one, which I keep at home because it's old and fragile and I don't want a photo one thanks

 

[geminisnake]

It's AXA for what it's worth,

Ha!! Well if you had said that in the first place I would have told you they are cnuts of the grandest order and NEVER do business with them unless someone holds a gun to your head Just ime. They got way stroppy with us because hubby took my name, which is totally legal is Scotland so suck eggs twats! We cancelled the policy pronto.

 

[peterkro]

"Hey policeman don't give me no producer".Best plan is to select an obscure police station (Fishguard works) and it'll get lost in the system for so long they'll give up.

 

[cybertect]

I think Johnny is based outside the UK.

The 'Canuck' bit of his name is a clue that he's in Canada.

 

[1927]

A little annoyed with Swinton at the moment, had to call them out last week and they wouldn't come out if I didn't have ID. "Luckily" I was only a couple of hours away by taxi and train. Still massive ball ache. The guy who came out didn't ask to see it anyway.

I've called them out before and they've never asked, nor did the RAC when I was with them. It's not clearly in the policy documents like they claim either. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

Well I found the relevant terms quite easily in the policy dicument you linked to!

 

[1927]

With regards compo, you'll probably get your expenses back. Maybe a small "inconvenience" payment. My understanding is the fos aren't particularly keen on giving out big sums for "distress" etc, and the complaints handlers will know this.

Well worth asking someone to point you out the bit in the policy wording where it states that you must carry id. Sounds like your complaint will rest on this. If its there, then don't overplay your hand. Sounds like someone has already offered you expenses, and you might do well to accept this and move on. If its not, then feel free to run wild with it, but be aware that the fos has a massive backlog at the moment, according to my complaint handler friend (she said it can take up to a year for a case to be heard...).

Seeing as it states in the policy docuemnt he has to have ID I'd be telling him to do one.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Seeing as it states in the policy docuemnt he has to have ID I'd be telling him to do one.

Perhaps, but theyve now offered to reimburse expenses. From a TCF perspective they might have to honour this. Especially if they said it on a recorded call.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

There is no legal requirement in the UK to carry your driving licence, or any form of ID at all, when driving.

unless you're a PCV / LGV driver (came in with the driver CPC thing)

More to the point, IIRC it used to be the law that you had to have ID, but the police abused it so in a rare moment of sense, politicians did something about it.

Assuming we're talking UK again, only during the 1914-18 and 1939-45 wars and immediate aftermath - although it took some time after 1945 (and a further change of government) for the state to get round to abolishing it - more here

 

[Mrs Magpie]

"Hey policeman don't give me no producer".

Johnny Canuck3

 

[Quartz]

unless you're a PCV / LGV driver (came in with the driver CPC thing)



Assuming we're talking UK again, only during the 1914-18 and 1939-45 wars and immediate aftermath - although it took some time after 1945 (and a further change of government) for the state to get round to abolishing it - more here

Yep.

In his subsequent appeal, Willcock v Muckle, the judgment of the lower court was upheld, though in summing up Lord Goddard showed sympathy for the defence: This Act was passed for security purposes, and not for the purposes for which, apparently, it is now sought to be used.

Remind you of anything?