On Thu, 3 Nov 2005 03:36:25 +0000 (UTC), "vernon" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:The police attended (grudgingly), and phoned from the scene to check
whether there was valid insurance on both vehicles. There was. Despite
that, the officer issued both of us with a notice to produce insurance
certificate and DL at the local station within 7 days. I've just gone
down to do that, in considerable pain from the whiplash that developed
a couple of days after the prang.
The police are under no obligation to attend any road traffic accident
unless there's an injury involved.
This seems crazy to me, though. Since I was present, I know that the
other driver shot out of a side road at considerable speed, ignoring
the give way markings, and collided at speed with the side of my car,
causing it to spin round in the road and end up on the wrong side
facing in the wrong direction. That's certainly driving without due
care and attention, and maybe even reckless driving. In either event
it's a criminal offence, and it's only by the grace of god that there
was nothing coming in the other direction. The only reason police
don't send people out when there are no immediately apparent injuries
is to save money.
It's also interesting to me that I was asked at the hospital, by the
GP and on my insurance certificate whether the police attended.
Accidents are not taken so seriously if the police were not there.
The other driver and I were very polite to each other, but I rang the
police when she stopped talking after I asked if she'd not seen me,
since she'd just driven straight out into the side of me. I realised
it was possible that she might give a false account of the accident in
the future, so I wanted the police to be there to record the position
of the vehicles, and the damage. When I rang the police, though, I was
told it was just an insurance matter. I had to insist on them sending
a patrol. When the officer came he too said it was just an insurance
matter, and he issued us both with notices to produce our documents.
He did record the position of the vehicles and the position of the
damage, though, so if at some stage I need a police witness I have
one.
Quoted message said:It's worth remembering this as it's easy
enough to 'fake' an injury when summoning the constabulary.
Many people who are actually injured in an RTA don't develop symptoms
until some time afterwards: whiplash tends to come on later.
Quoted message said:The issuing of a
'producer' as a consequence of a document check is standard practice. I
notice theat you did not mention your MOT certificate, is your car
relatively new and not need an MOT?
Yes.
Quoted message said:There is a time lag between insurance
renewals/purchases and their appearance on the central records. I was
stopped by the police because their records showed that I did not have any
insurance despite the cfact that i had purchased a policy from a different
company 24 hours before a policy had lapsed.
I'd not realised that until I saw what a previous poster wrote, but it
makes sense.
Quoted message said:
Possibly the demand to see all documentation arises from the desire to have
a simple, one size fits all procedure. Once MOT certification is
computerised in the not too distant future, the police will have access to
licence, MOT and insurance details instantly. Still gives a driver the
opportunity to attempt to pass him/herself off as someone else unless photo
id is carrried.
I had my DL with me, and the officer could have seen it had he asked.
(It's the one with the photo.)
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:
I asked at the station why it was necessary for me to produce my
documents when the officer knew at the scene that my car was insured
but the enquiry officer couldn't say. Does anyone here have any idea?
I'm wondering whether this was some sort of retribution for insisting
that the police attend the accident.
No it was retribution, just standard procedure. Could have been worse. You
could have been breathalysed.
Yes, I could have been. There would have been no reason to breathalyse
me at 9.15 in the morning, since I was quite clearly sober, but there
are lots of ways for officers to abuse their position, if so inclined.
Wet fishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk
