+1 (or 2 or 3 or whatever)
tax disc holder
- Thread starter BOIRCHE
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+1 (or 2 or 3 or whatever)
andyclift
Registered user
The issue of an FPN is essentially an OFFER to the "victim" to allow an alleged breach of the law to be settled easily and quickly without the need to go to a court hearing. The essential point is that the "victim" may elect not to accept the fixed penalty and elect to use his or her right to a full hearing in court. Nobody is forced to accept an FPN therefore there is no breach of anyone's rights.
When an FPN is issued the officer should advise the victim that they have three options.
(1) dispose of the matter by paying the fine - which with many forces today simply involves picking up the phone and paying by debit/credit card
(2) Ignore the ticket in which case the fine will increase by 50% after 28 days.
(3) Most important of all. Tear off and send the bottom of the ticket to elect to have a court hearing.
If the officer does not advise the victim all these options are clearly written on the reverse of the FPN.
It may be that the victim needs to attend a police station to provide their Driving Licence for the points to be added if it is not seized at the roadside or show other driving documents such as insurance and MOT. In my area today it is policy that officers should not demand presentation of documents if it is possible to verify they exist at the roadside, either through DVLA or Motor Insurance Bureau checks. This would be the case for an FPN or process so nothing has changed here.
Note that not all FPNs are equal. Those issued for parking are normally issued by civilian local authority parking attendants (which are not the same as Police Traffic Wardens and Traffic Police Community Support Officers) and any appeals are handled by special courts (which tend to favour the motorist).
Two out of the three of my speeding offences in 44 years of driving were before the fixed penalty system when all offences were dealt with by a summons and a court hearing. This resulted in long time delays between offence and verdict and lots of anomalies - such as me being fined £29.00 for 95mph in a 60 in Kent and my father being fined, in the same month, £60.00 for 56mph in a 50 in Cambridgeshire. I would hate to go back to this system because of some MPs rather pedantic and obscure interpretation of the law
centurion
Registered user
better late than never
I have trawled thru most of this and if I have missed something sorry. But copying a Vehicle excise licence which is what it is for even sensible reasons amounts to forgery and also fraudulent display of a VEL which is considerably more frowned on than failing to display etc.
I will now proceed on my way in an easterly direction down Letsby avenue where there is a hole in the road that the Police are looking into. Or in these financially straightened times probably a CSO
I have trawled thru most of this and if I have missed something sorry. But copying a Vehicle excise licence which is what it is for even sensible reasons amounts to forgery and also fraudulent display of a VEL which is considerably more frowned on than failing to display etc.
I will now proceed on my way in an easterly direction down Letsby avenue where there is a hole in the road that the Police are looking into. Or in these financially straightened times probably a CSO
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