Insurance in UK

[Dibbles]

Just heard a story of an Irish guy stopped by plod in Wales within the last week or so on his newly purchased secondhand bike, UK plate. Asked for D/L and Insurance, showeded Irish D/L and Irish Insurance policy covering bike or so he thought. He was told that bike was not insured and subsequently arrested.
Pleaded his case and was summoned, had to hire transport(van) for bike to Holyhead.

Maybe someone else can confirm or otherwise the above.

Dibbles.

 

[Padge]

Doesn't seem right to me.
I've bought a lot over there and transferred my insurance to the Reg (and Frame /Chassis number) of whatever I've bought for the day I'm travelling.
I'm guessing this guy has done the same?

If he's trying to get away with the "driving other vehicles" part of his insurance this may have caused the problem??

I've had run-ins with the North Wales plod and they were a less than friendly bunch and don't listen to Reason (i.e. refusing to accept Belfast is in the UK when I had to give a UK address for a summons) but this seems a bit extreme.

I just get the feeling there is more to this story?

 

[the celt]

Dibbs are you sure he had a full Irish D/L and not a pro, or
even maybe a restricted full ( moto maybe over limit ).
This would make his insurance invalid

 

[BeemerBaz]

If it was a UK registered bike then I would have expected his Irish Insurance to be invalid ?

 

[the celt]

If it was a UK registered bike then I would have expected his Irish Insurance to be invalid ?

Not strictly true, you can insure an UK moto in Ireland on a UK plate
and ride until you pay import tax and re register in Ireland.

 

[BeemerBaz]

Not strictly true, you can insure an UK moto in Ireland on a UK plate
and ride until you pay import tax and re register in Ireland.

Thats in Ireland tho ?

 

[the celt]

Thats in Ireland tho ?

Thats what i mean, not sure if the policy in question only covers
the 26 counties of the Rep of Ireland or also includes the UK, when
I returned to Ireland I insured my own moto on its UK plate and was given
cover for Rep and UK. Baz well come to the wonderiful world of Irish insurance .
Ive had people come to me for training on thier own Haybusa (unrestricted), with a learner restricted
licence and an insurance cert, they where well pissed off, when i refused to
to train them as they didnt have a licence for the moto and also that their
insurance did not cover them. I was told i didnt know what i was talking about,
as a garda had stopped him before and said nothing .

 

[nud1e]

Thats in Ireland tho ?

My insurance covers me to ride two identifiable motorcycles that I own - these are identified by their registration numbers, but may be identified by the VIN numbers. My imported 80GS from German was first insure on its VIN.
I'm insured to ride these bikes in Ireland and the UK, and in the rest of the European Union and other European countries to a minimum of third party liability.
The difficulty in the case suggested by Dibbles may have been that the rider did not have an insurance document that he could produce to the police to show that he had this cover for that bike. Their records would have indicated that the bike was insured by another or uninsured by a UK resident. The transfer of insurance is usually done by phone with the amended certificate being forwarded by post, and it might be that faxed/email copy of the cert would have overcome the problem.

 

[Monsieur]

He was told that bike was not insured and subsequently arrested.



Dibbles.

Didn't know you could be arrested for not having insurance - thought it was just a case of getting a ticket and then appearing in court

I may be wrong - usually am

 

[Corkonian]

I went through this with Carole Nash when I brought a car back from London in January. They said I was fully covered to drive it in the UK and Ireland - I threw a load of scenarios at them and the long and the short of it was that I just had to ring them when I changed the plates and they'd send out the new disk.
They gave me a number to quote if the police over stopped me - said that would be enough for them - as I had no documentation to prove it.

 

[Ogmios]

my last, i dunno 6 or 8 Bikes have been "Swimmers".
in every case i phoned Carole Nash before, during and after (when VRTed and has a Reg No.) to confirm that "i AM covered here and U.K, aren't i?"

answered yes every time.
only wanting the foreign Reg. or preferably the VIN No.

i understand my new policy with Axa has the same conditions. ( i asked ).

but i've never been stopped en route like that.

if a U.K. resident / registered rider is stopped - yes their system allows them to check a database to confirm insured or not.
however, this sytem is flawed and is not complete and i have heard of U.K drivers / riders being arrested and car / Bike impounded until paperwork / data is confirmed legal.

now.... if the same rules were to be applied to visitors.....

but surely that couldn't happen, to an EU Citizen, "just passing through" could it?

 

[Padge]

Didn't know you could be arrested for not having insurance - thought it was just a case of getting a ticket and then appearing in court

I may be wrong - usually am

Not if you're considered johnnie foreigner..
Even a speeding ticket is an arrestable offence (believe me, I know)

If it was a UK registered bike then I would have expected his Irish Insurance to be invalid ?

It shouldn't matter what plate the bike in on. I've always got asked the Frame number for the bike and the bike is insured under this number so you're insured as far as you're normally covered with your policy (usually the EU at least).
May be some other law broken.. but insurance is definitely not one of them (if he's made that call to make sure he covered the specific bike before travelling).

 

[the celt]

Dibbles any update on this

 

[The Foolish Fellow]

crap

what a load of shite . never had an irish reg bike yet.

 

[luke scott]

If it was a UK registered bike then I would have expected his Irish Insurance to be invalid ?

Why ? Your insurance company (in Ireland) accepts the risk. It a bike / car, the reg or whether you have paid your import duty is never in question. I suspect as others have said rhere may be more to this story. I have imported my last five cars from the UK. I always get a cover note faxed to me from the insurance company with the reg (UK) of the car on it. I wonder had the bike in question got tax & mot on it ?

 

[Dibbles]

Not really an update but we were talking in the office and it was suggested that the copper checked the PNC database to find that this particular bike was showing not insured on his system and that he would not accept that the Irish policy covered the bike in UK. I'm sure the copper offered to phone the Insurance company etc. NOT!!!

I'll let you know outcome.

 

[Ogmios]

Dibbles,
please do keep us posted.
this has implications for any of us buying over there / bringing over here.

my info is old but i do recall that a Bike that is being "permanently exported" does not require tax and can be ridden to the ferry UNtaxed.
been there done that - had the chat with the Officer .

i would imagine the MOT issue is enforceable on U.K. soil.
The insurance is another matter and if it were me i would kick up merry hell if i were delayed to the point of missing the ferry.
..... of course this would be at a later date - having been through the U.K legal system and all it's "delights" first.

Lukes method - getting an insurance doc. faxed before hitting the road seems Very Wise.

i thought the days of "innocent until proven Irish" were long gone - seems not.

 

[Colm Cummins]

This the guy

Just heard a story of an Irish guy stopped by plod in Wales within the last week or so on his newly purchased secondhand bike, UK plate. Asked for D/L and Insurance, showeded Irish D/L and Irish Insurance policy covering bike or so he thought. He was told that bike was not insured and subsequently arrested.
Pleaded his case and was summoned, had to hire transport(van) for bike to Holyhead.

Maybe someone else can confirm or otherwise the above.

Dibbles.

Not me .From an Irish Site '

Buying Bike/Car in UK - IMPORTANT!
I decided to post this separately from the other threads as it is important and may be overlooked if it was just added as a post.

If you are going to UK to buy a car or bike and intend driving back - get the registration number before travelling, have it put on your insurance and WAIT TO GET THE CERT BEFORE TRAVELLING OVER.

The Wales police are seizing all over the shop. I was stopped 20 miles from Fishguard in July & bike was seized. I did not have a cert as I had only put the bike on the day before. £Stg180 to get the bike to the port in a recovery van.

The only reason I was not arrested & charged & bike impounded was that I was able to provide a N.I. address for service of a summons.

They have now accepted that I was insured after Adelaide took it on (big up to Sean) and am now in process of trying to get my money back.
__________________

 

[misadventure]

Brought a bike back from the UK the other week. Well recommended, serious bargins to be had.

I because my policy had been killed by a theft earlier in the year I couldn't arrange anything in advance without a big potential loss if I didn't like the bikes I went to see.

I got quotes from Adelaide for all of the bikes and got a reference number for each. Then when I'd bought the bike I rang the lads and they activated the policy. I didn't hang around for them to fax anything to the dealer which you could do if you were concerned.

Instead I took off with utter disregard for UK law in a futile effort to make the early ferry, well not utter disregard.



And Hey Og. =D still showing off u-turns on the oil tanker?