insurance

[owz88]

i purchased insurance for my motorbike and went off to work on it fully confident that everythig was legal and above board. On my way home i was stopped by the police and asked to produce my documents which i did not have with me at the time. i got home and sorted them out but had not yet recieved my policy from the insurance. i waited for this to arrive and then took all my documents to the local station. unfortunately i was not insured as my policy did not start untill midnight on the day i was stopped. i only have a learners licence and am hoping to take my bike test later this year and also do my full driving test for a car i really believed i was covered at the time and fully cooperated at the time. Now i need to go to court and intend to plead guilty as charged although at the time i was unaware of this. Plese tell me what to expect as i really dont know.

[Electrochem]

You are in an unfortunate situation. It always pays to check and double check that you have a Certifiacate of Insurance in your possession before using a vehicle on then road.

You will better off pleading guilty and pointing out that it was an error of judgement. You will probably get 6 - 8 penalty points plus a fine. Take any Insurance Documentation with you and say that to the best of your belief you were insured.

Above all else, don't try to "pull the wool over their eyes" (the Magistrates that is) or you will be digging an even bigger hole for yourself. They have ways of finding things out.

[alunrw]

You should be covered form the time you called the Insurance Company (if you rang them) - they tend to time and record all calls, so it may be worth having a check of this, - the only time they would time the cover note/certificate at 00.01am is if you ask for cover to start at a future date.

[JudgeJ]

If the insurers stick to their guns and insist you were not insured there is little you cando. You may be able to ask them to check the details of your dealings with them, but it is a long shot.

If they stick to their guns you should go to court and plead guilty (this will reduce your fine by one third). Explaining the circumstances to the Bench may help a little in reducing your fine even further, but you will be awarded a minimum of six penalty points. Magistrates do have the power to impose a period of disqualification for this single offence alone (as they have with any offence which carries an endorsement). However, I think it is unlikely in your case and six points is the most likely outcome.

[Grunty]

I don't disagree with what has been said, but I would contact the insurance company first. They cannot backdate insurance to a time before you contacted them. They can, however, realise that they have made a mistake on the certificate. If you asked for immediate cover, they have clearly made a mistake. If you said you wanted insurance to start on a certain date, it would be reasonable to expect it to cover you for that date.

[owz88]

appeared in court and case has been adjorned for 3 weeks the judge said that the police should give me a warning and if they do i need not reappear but if not then i will have to attend for the case to be dealt with. not sure what will happen but will inform you as and when i do