car was insured when seized! now day want me 2 pay 4 d impound!

[Gawfield]

my ROI car was insured from nov 2011 but due to bank detail errors it was only sorted jan 15th 2012 but i was still covered but had not received insurance disk!

last sat nite wen i finished work @ 2.30am i stopped at local chipper and an unmarked pulled up and cop asked 4 licence n insurance! i told him i was insured but hadnt received d cert yet! e den rang garda database and after 20 mins waitin was told i wasnt insure! so car was seized!

i rang insurance company on mon 2 b told i was covered and day didnt no y i hadnt received d cert.

finally got d cert 2day and went in2 d police station 2 get my car (as d cop had said if i was covered i would get d car bac n not bill would hav 2 b paid..) i was den told i wil stil hav 2 pay 4 2 get d car out of impound n tat i should claim off insurance! which actually means my insurance wil increase and the cops wil get off wit leavin me without a car 4 a week i wil stil hav a caution 4 drivin wit no insurance n as d car has been in impound from lat sat til nxt monday (as cop has 2 check wit insurance tat i am covered n tat insurance is bein paid) d fee wil b £410

 

can sum1 tell me how d hell i can prove der twistin d law so il pay???

cheerz

[Andy77799]

Talk english!

[crem]

I'm sure you will get more help and advise if you could write your post in English rather than text speak.

[crem]

Touche Andy

[Gawfield]

my apologies

my ROI car was insured from november 2011 but due to bank detail errors it was only sorted jan 15th 2012 but i was still covered but had not received insurance disk!

last saturday night when i finished work @ 2.30am i stopped at local chipper and an unmarked car pulled up and cop asked for licence and insurance! i told him i was insured but hadnt received the cert yet! he then rang garda database and after 20 mins waiting was told i wasnt insured so car was seized!

i rang insurance company on monday to be told i was covered and they didnt know why i hadnt received the cert.

finally got the cert today and went into the police station to get my car (as the cop had said if i was covered i would get the car back and no bill would have to be paid..) i was then told i will still have to pay for to get the car out of impound and tat i should claim off insurance! which actually means my insurance will increase and the cops wil get off with leaving me without a car 4 a week i will still hav a caution for driving with no insurance and as the car has been in impound from last saturday until next monday (as cop has 2 check wit insurance tat i am covered n tat insurance is bein paid) the fee will be £410

 

can someone tell me how the hell i can prove their twisting the law so i wil pay???

cheerz

[honeybee13]

Hello there.

 

Are the rules in the ROI the same as in the UK? I hope we have someone who knows.

 

My best, HB

[Gawfield]

it was in northern ireland i was stopped and car was seized

[Old Snowy]

I admit to being slightly lazy and not having checked that NI insurance requirements are exactly as their are on the mainland, although I'd be surprised if they aren't.

 

In the circumstances you outline the officer appears to have checked available databases, could see that there was no insurance disc displayed on your vehicle and you were unable to produce evidence of its having been in force. That has all the makings of a lawful seizure.

[Gawfield]

i produced the valid insurance yesterday to show i was covered but they want me to pay for release of the car but i shouldnt have to as i was insured at time of seizure

[honeybee13]

Hello again. I'm a bit confused about your reference to the Garda, but I don't really understand txt spk. If you were in Northern Ireland, how do they come into it please?

 

I'm sorry if I've lost the plot.

 

HB

[wobbly]

The PSNI (northern Ireland police)checked with the Guarda(republic of Ireland police) insurance data base.Dont know what law is but I would complain wouldnt think it was Gawfields fault Guarda database was incorrect.

[green_and_mean]

If the legislation is the same as the mainland (RTA 1988) then they can seize the car for failing to demonstrate that the car is insured at the time you are stopped, all subsequent production of insurance does is stop you getting prosecuted the seizure is still lawful.

[wobbly]

Hi Honeybee,just for your information Irish Republic cars have to display Tax ,NCT(their version of MOT)and Insurance disc on windscreen of car.So Gawfield wasnt actually complying with regs applying to his car if he had been south of the border although the guards probably wouldnt have seized his car,they are more laid back than UK police and would have given him the benefit of the doubt and got him to produce his document.

[CrappoMan]

According to the RTA1988, Schedule 2A, Section 3:6 you are liable for seizure costs.

 

If stopped by police and you produce a policy certificate, they WILL check with the company that the policy is valid (i've had this happen to me a few times)

 

We aren't required to travel with insurance documents, we rely on the insurance company to update their own and the MIB databases. As a driver, we don't memorize our policy number, but 99.9% of us remember the company we are insured with, the police then check with the actual company for the existence of a valid policy.

 

If the insurance company incorrectly told the police that he wasn't insured when he was, and he now has proof that he was insured at the time, he may have a valid claim against them for his seizure/storage costs. They will in all likelyhood deny any liability but i'm sure a court would disagree.

 

We are told by courts that it is our responsibility to make sure we are insured before we commence any journey, which the OP has done, but has been let down by his insurance company and has incurred costs through their failure to tell the truth.