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[TypeRorS3]

In Birmingham yesterday, stopped by a policeman for no apparent reason. He couldn't even give me a reason for why he'd pulled me!

Anyway, I was driving my partner's car - BMW 120D. Being fully comp on the EP3, I'm insured on any other car 3rd party. He flashed his lights, I pulled over. He asked to speak to me in his own car.

Asked me my name and asked for my documents - license & insurance certificate. Gave him my name and told him I didn't carry them documents with me. He told me it was an offence to not carry your driving license & insurance certificate. Is this true?

He then asked me for some ID. All I had was my bank card and he said that was unacceptable.

He then did a person check on me, my insurance, a check on the BMW and a check on my EP3. As my brother is the registered keeper on the EP3 but I'm the one who's full comp on it, he said that my insurance doesn't cover me 3rd party on other vehicles. Again, is this true?

He also added that when using this benefit, the car you are driving has to be similar to the car you are insured on. Asked him what he meant by this, he said 'a 2.0 petrol hatchback'. Again, is this true?

In the end, he let us on our way but said that my partner had to drive as I wasn't insured. He said I'd be going to court for failing to have the necessary documents when asked by him. Is this really an offence?

Guy was a complete bell-end.

Any help would be appreciated!

[AndyK83]

A lot of it seems silly and sounds like he pulled you as its the Xmas period and had nothing much to do. I got stopped in February for speeding, stupid I know. it was about 10.30 at night and I was on my way home from work. I had no ID on me at all as I didn't have my wallet and never carry documents in the car. The policeman was actually really nice and friendly, gave him my details, name address birthday etc and he just ran my details and the cars details and after a few minutes all was good. I went for the speed awareness course. There was no mention that not having my documents was an offence.


Andy

[jtc]

It is an offence to not produce your driving license when requested by a police officer. Hence people are often given "producers".

It's normally common sense to make your partner a named driver on a car, rather than rely on individual insurance policies and vague small print on what you can drive 3rd party. It will vary between insurers, though sounds like this particular officer was being a bit of a nob.

[mjhamilton]

I suggest you contact your insurance company directly, explain the circumstances and they can clear this up once and for all

As they hold the policy they are the ones who will know the answer

I do have a sneaking suspicion that there is more to this than you are letting on but that is just because threads like this written by others have turned out that way

I suspect that the confusion may have come from you claiming a policy on a car that you don't own

[Lewisgame]

Now driving licences are just a card it's silly not to have it in your wallet.
As for the insurance it's very vague. Being fully comp on your policy and being insured tpft on other vehicles isn't always that simple. You'll need to read the terms on your policy to confirm it and that it's included in your policy. There's age limits and other things that effect this. It's easier just to be a named driver on your partners policy. On my girlfriends policy I actually made it cheaper for her being a named driver.
Also as for your EP3? Doesn't the main registered keeper also have to be the main policy holder of the insurance? Pretty sure they done this to stop parents insuring new drivers cars and putting their kids as a named driver.
As MJ said I think there's more to this than you're letting on.

[TypeRorS3]

He then did a person check on me, my insurance, a check on the BMW and a check on my EP3. As my brother is the registered keeper on the EP3 but I'm the one who's full comp on it, he said that my insurance doesn't cover me 3rd party on other vehicles. Again, is this true?

I think this paragraph seems to have caused some confusion. My brother is the registered keeper of the car. However, he works abroad so I make use of the Type R. When I purchased my policy, the insurer was fully aware that I wasn't the registered keeper. With my insurance being 'Fully Comprehensive', the policy stated that I was able to drive other vehicles 3rd party. What the officer said was that for me - a fully comprehensive policy holder - to be able to drive another car, I would have to be the registered keeper on the car I'm the policyholder on. I've never heard this before which is why I asked in this section.

In terms of not carrying my drivers license, unfortunately, I don't carry a wallet.

As for there being more to this than I am letting on, there honestly isn't. This is what happened.

[jtc]

He then did a person check on me, my insurance, a check on the BMW and a check on my EP3. As my brother is the registered keeper on the EP3 but I'm the one who's full comp on it, he said that my insurance doesn't cover me 3rd party on other vehicles. Again, is this true?

I think this paragraph seems to have caused some confusion. My brother is the registered keeper of the car. However, he works abroad so I make use of the Type R. When I purchased my policy, the insurer was fully aware that I wasn't the registered keeper. With my insurance being 'Fully Comprehensive', the policy stated that I was able to drive other vehicles 3rd party. What the officer said was that for me - a fully comprehensive policy holder - to be able to drive another car, I would have to be the registered keeper on the car I'm the policyholder on. I've never heard this before which is why I asked in this section.

In terms of not carrying my drivers license, unfortunately, I don't carry a wallet.

As for there being more to this than I am letting on, there honestly isn't. This is what happened.

Have you checked your policy documents or contacted and asked the insurer? It'll be policy and insurer specific.

[EvoStu]

The reality is insurance is not the same across the board and some allow cover third party on other vehicles but a lot don't.

He is also bang on the money in that the cars have to be similar. You cannot for instance buy a Kia Picanto, insure it fully comp and then decide to drive a mates Ferrari third party, it simply doesn't work that way. Insurers aren't daft.

If you can't produce the necessary documents then he can give you a producer to show them at the nearest station.

I wouldn't call him a bell-end........he's doing his job.

[Omni]

If the police couldn't give you a reason for pulling you over then legally you don't have to show them your documents and he can't request you to produce them or do a person check, needs reasonable cause you see.

Be putting in a complaint if it were me, sounds like harassment.

[mike]

If the police couldn't give you a reason for pulling you over then legally you don't have to show them your documents and he can't request you to produce them or do a person check, needs reasonable cause you see.

Be putting in a complaint if it were me, sounds like harassment.

This mate - Go for the harassment claim as it sounds like he gave you a really hard time when he stopped you

[bondyboy]

If the police couldn't give you a reason for pulling you over then legally you don't have to show them your documents and he can't request you to produce them or do a person check, needs reasonable cause you see.

Be putting in a complaint if it were me, sounds like harassment.

didn't think a reason was needed?

[NyseriA]

In Birmingham yesterday, stopped by a policeman for no apparent reason. He couldn't even give me a reason for why he'd pulled me!

S.163 of the Road Traffic Act. You were driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road.

Anyway, I was driving my partner's car - BMW 120D. Being fully comp on the EP3, I'm insured on any other car 3rd party. He flashed his lights, I pulled over. He asked to speak to me in his own car.

Might want to read your policy. There are strict stipulations about "any other car" cover and it rarely, if ever, covers "any other car".

One such stipulation is, usually, that you can't drive your partners car. Which is a little bit of a flip for you, isn't it.

Asked me my name and asked for my documents - license & insurance certificate. Gave him my name and told him I didn't carry them documents with me. He told me it was an offence to not carry your driving license & insurance certificate. Is this true?

It is an offence, but it's accepted to produce them at a police station within 7 days if it cannot be verified at the road side.

He then asked me for some ID. All I had was my bank card and he said that was unacceptable.

Of course it is. Photo ID or any PNC details would be better.

He then did a person check on me, my insurance, a check on the BMW and a check on my EP3. As my brother is the registered keeper on the EP3 but I'm the one who's full comp on it, he said that my insurance doesn't cover me 3rd party on other vehicles. Again, is this true?

You'd need to check with your insurers, but you seem to have a very unnecessarily complicated insurance arrangement.

He also added that when using this benefit, the car you are driving has to be similar to the car you are insured on. Asked him what he meant by this, he said 'a 2.0 petrol hatchback'. Again, is this true?

Often it is, but again, this is a matter for your insurers. It was put in place to prevent people driving a 1.0 Nissan Micra fully comp and having third party cover on a Ferrari.

In the end, he let us on our way but said that my partner had to drive as I wasn't insured. He said I'd be going to court for failing to have the necessary documents when asked by him. Is this really an offence?

Again, it is, but if you'd not been given the option of a producer, you won't be going to court. At least not for failing to produce, but I'd be concerned about the no insurance aspect.

Guy was a complete bell-end.

For stopping someone driving without insurance? Au contraire!

[TypeRorS3]

Just spoken to my insurer and they have verified that I am able to drive other cars 3rd party.

As for putting in a complaint etc, I didn't get his name or collar number, and since I'm from Lancashire, don't think he'll be hassling me again any time soon.

Back to the original conclusion, the guy was a bell-end.

Thanks for your time guys.

[mike]

More likely the OP is a bellend

[NyseriA]

So did you clarify you can drive you partners car on this third party cover?

What insurer is it?

[Welshy81]

If the police couldn't give you a reason for pulling you over then legally you don't have to show them your documents and he can't request you to produce them or do a person check, needs reasonable cause you see.

Be putting in a complaint if it were me, sounds like harassment.

Sec. 163(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 states,

1) A person driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road must stop the vehicle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.

You can clearly see that there is a 'blanket' power to stop any vehicle being driven without having a reason. The UK isn't like the US where there has to be an offence being committed/suspected to have the power to stop a vehicle. It would make life easier and negate any future complaints if the reason for the stop is to verify identity/ownership of the vehicle and this is explained to the driver.

Where have you come up with 'reasonable' cause? Please don't give up your day job and become a solicitor! If you are stopped, asked to provide your details regardless of whether the reason for the stop is given I would be providing them, a separate offence is otherwise being committed and if your id cannot be confirmed you could quite easily find yourself locked up.

I am all for the police stopping and checking documents, like the majority of people I pay a lot in car tax, insurance and MOTs etc so why should the few that chose to deliberately ignore the law get away with it. People have enough to say if they been hit by uninsured drivers yet when routine checks like this are being carried out all people do is moan!

[Omni]

:newsmile:

[Lewisgame]

The police don't need to pull over and check basic things because it's easily checked through the reg number.
If they check and the car is registered in a girls name but there's a man driving it, that's probably a good enough reason to pull over and check.

[Welshy81]

So what if a car has been taken by a male person for arguments sake and the vehicle is also registered to a male, this approach clearly wouldn't work!!!

[Welshy81]

The police don't need to pull over and check basic things because it's easily checked through the reg number.
If they check and the car is registered in a girls name but there's a man driving it, that's probably a good enough reason to pull over and check.

So what if a car has been taken/stolen by a male person for arguments sake and the vehicle is also registered to a male, this approach clearly wouldn't work!!!