Expired Licence & no NCT - Caught !!

Niamh:>)

Dear all,

Ive been a fool x 100%

I have been driving on an expired 1st Provisionl Liscense for the past 7 years.
I was never been pulled before and it has been the skeleton in my closet for a long time . I have no excuse. None whatsoever.
Was caught this morning with no NCT. I have 10 days in which to bring license & insurance cert to station, followed by NCT cert in Dec ( when test is due )
Im prepared for the book to be thrown at me. Was going to head to the station tomorrow and just own up to everything and basically try and plead my very sorry sad case.
My question i suppose is.. has anyone come across a case like this before and will i be facing an automatic ban from driving.

Thanks for any replies..

kensutz

Deserved!

KTRIC

Bring a hockey helmet with you , they're not going to just throw the book at you. They're going to bounce it off your head, repeatedly.


You have been driving without a licence for 7 years !!! Quite simply, you're in shit.

scaldybelt

Niamh:>) wrote: »

My question i suppose is.. has anyone come across a case like this before ...

:eek:
Nope - never met a fool that foolish before.

But -by god- are you lucky you never had a reason to make a claim up to now!
Suggest you go cap in hand to the station ASAP.

Gran Hermano

I love the smell of karma

JoeySully

:eek:what the hell were you telling your insurance company ?? was just talking about this at lunch actually, wondering how many people are lieing to insurance companies just to get a useless expensive piece of paper on their windscreen. hope you weren't paying for comprehensive?

BeardyGit

FFS. That's probably one of the most stupid things I've ever read on this site. Are you a complete idiot?

Everyone can let a license expire accidentally, but you've ignored it deliberately for the last 7 years. That's not a skeleton in the closet, that's a criminal offense.

I'm sorry to generalise, but people like you are also the most likely to ignore requirements for insurance also so I really do hope you're hammered in the court. I really do.

And don't let the gob****es who'll come along shortly writing about 'the high horse brigade' give you some sense of relief. There are many idiots, and just as many who'll make excuses for them.

You've no excuse. You're a prime opportunity for the courts to set an example, and if you're really lucky, you'll be famous for all the wrong reasons.

I'm deadly serious about this bit - You could get jail time.

John Mason

JoeySully wrote: »

:eek:what the hell were you telling your insurance company ?? was just talking about this at lunch actually, wondering how many people are lieing to insurance companies just to get a useless expensive piece of paper on their windscreen. hope you weren't paying for comprehensive?

+1

did you actually have insurance? my insurance company look for a copy of drivers licence every year

mikemac

When I got insurance I had to fax in a copy of my licence
Do companies not ask for this? Have you been with the same company for the last 7 years?

scaldybelt

Got to be honest - I'm kind of expecting a response from our OP along the lines of:
"...car insurance? what's that for?"

Niamh:>)

I know...

Ive been telling the insurance company that I have a provisional licence, paying 3rd party fire & theft.

Will head to station and place said helmet on.

I let things get to this place and blame no one but myself.

BeardyGit

I'm guessing she either wasn't insured, or went with Quinn Direct. Quinn operate on an 'honour' policy (ha ha ha) where they only request your license if you have an accident....

Then they'll pay out if instructed to by the courts and sue you for the losses.

Fact.

Edit: Actually, she WASN'T insured. Not without a valid license she wasn't.

R.O.R

This must be a troll, surely no one is that f**king stupid!

Zube

kensutz wrote: »

Deserved!

I hear a herd of high horses approaching...

Quazzie

My advice is get a taxi to the Garda station because you definitely won't be driving home.

You should get a license, or at least apply* for it. BRing the letter of acceptance along with your Insurance Cert to the Garda station too. Hand them both in and just be honest. Its going to come out in the end so the only hope you have is to be honest and get the Guard on your side, as much as is possible in a case like this, in the courtroom.

You WILL receive a ban from driving, the only question is for how long. Doing everything right now could be difference between a five year ban and a two year ban.

*Applying for the license is necessary because the ban only starts when you actually get your license so the quicker you have it to hand over on receiving the ban the better.

Mitch Connor

I had to send a copy of my license when I first got insurance, but never on renewal. OP could have been with the same company for the last 8 years.

Gotta love all the helpful replys.

Id be surprised if you get banned. I would expect a fine and possibly some points.
Don't make things worse by not producing the license and insurance.

You have two options. Produce your invalid license and insurance and hope they don't notice the expiry date.

Or

Explain the situation with regards to the license as well as doing the above.

Good luck.

jhegarty

Gil_Dub wrote: »

I'm guessing she either wasn't insured, or went with Quinn Direct. Quinn operate on an 'honour' policy (ha ha ha) where they only request your license if you have an accident....

Then they'll pay out if instructed to by the courts and sue you for the losses.

Fact.

You sure about that. If I remember correctly from my days using quinn, as long as you are not disqualified then it doesn't matter that your license expired.

Alanstrainor

Afaik, if a provisional license has expired for 5+ years you have to complete the theory test again and start from square one.

Holsten

Expired 1st Provisional....

Oh god...

mickdw

You are insured. The wording on the policy will be..... Provided you hold a driving licence or having held a licence, are not disqualified from holding such licence so unless you are banned you are ok (to a point) insurance wise. What I mean is the gardai cannot do you for driving without insurance. If you had a claim, well once they sell you that piece of paper, they are legally bound to pay other party claims against you no matter what. They could however refuse to pay any claim from yourself if they thought you misled them.
I guess you will be looking a the fine for no licence and possibly no NCT. Oh and yes, you should have a qualified driver with you given the licence you did have.

r3nu4l

I've never been asked for a copy of my license when looking for insurance, not in Ireland and not in the UK either.

Anyhoo, OP, you need to just admit it. You may go to court and end up banned and having to pay a fine. However, you should go in person to the licensing office and apply for a second provisional ASAP. By going in person you stand a better chance of getting it done a bit more quickly iirc (could be wrong, it's been a while since I had to do this).

Then get some damn lessons*, sit a test and don't worry about it ever again.

Also, as the others have said your insurance could be voided by your lack of a license. If you or someone else was hurt in an accident you would have no comeback and would be personally liable for everything. Think about it.


*The reason I say get some lessons is because driving for your test is a different ball game to driving on a daily basis. It's not difficult but it requires you doing everything the 'correct' way (e.g. hands 10-2 on the wheel for the duration of the journey unless changing gears or using hand signals...)

Zube

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

You WILL receive a ban from driving, the only question is for how long. Doing everything right now could be difference between a five year ban and a two year ban.

How exactly are the Guards going to bring a case if the OP does not run down and confess all? All she can be done for is driving without a license on that day. The only people who know the seven year story are us.

Stufinnegan

I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago (not quite 7 years though). My advise is for you to go to the Garda that pulled you. Explain the situation. This will end up in court anyway. In the mean time, apply for your licence. I don't know weather you can get to the point of sitting your driving test before your court date. If you can it will serve you better. I managed to do this and then represented myself in court. The Judge saw that I got off my arse and fixed the issue, I ended up with two points for the original speeding offence (which is why I was pulled in the beginning) and the rest was thrown out of court. The fact that I had been up front with the garda and the Judge seemed to buy alot of kudos.

jhegarty

mickdw wrote: »

You are insured. The wording on the policy will be..... Provided you hold a driving licence or having held a licence, are not disqualified from holding such licence so unless you are banned you are ok (to a point) insurance wise. What I mean is the gardai cannot do you for driving without insurance. If you had a claim, well once they sell you that piece of paper, they are legally bound to pay other party claims against you no matter what. They could however refuse to pay any claim from yourself if they thought you misled them.
I guess you will be looking a the fine for no licence and possibly no NCT. Oh and yes, you should have a qualified driver with you given the licence you did have.

Yep , don't forget to add the 1000 for not having a qualified driver...

Niamh:>)

yes, i am with Quinn Direct and accept all of the above comments.
As i said, I have no excuse and I know i will be taking a very heavy punishment. I am not a troll, at this point I wish i was making it up.

I dont think anyone is going to get on any high horses about my story.

jhegarty

I'd say your looking at a very hefty fine , and a few points.. but not much more...

mickdw

Also, how long does it take to get a licence, If you could get a theory test today, you could probably have a licence to produce. you could then tell them, it had ran out when you checked it but renewed striaght way.

-Chris-

Niamh:>) wrote: »

I have 10 days in which to bring license & insurance cert to station, followed by NCT cert in Dec ( when test is due ).

When the Garda asked you to bring your licence and insurance to the station, did you say "ok" or did you say "acutally, I don't have a valid licence".

If you said "ok" and are now intending to go in to the Garda, cap in hand, and say "actually..... I don't have a licence after all (for the last 7 years)", I would expect you'll be in a pretty serious situation.

Driving ban seems likely alright.

scaldybelt

Niamh:>) wrote: »

I know...

Ive been telling the insurance company that I have a provisional licence, paying 3rd party fire & theft.

Will head to station and place said helmet on.

I let things get to this place and blame no one but myself.

Do let us know how you get on.......
Or alternatively, we'll watch out for posts from a new User: Niamh:<(

Quazzie

Zube wrote: »

How exactly are the Guards going to bring a case if the OP does not run down and confess all? All she can be done for is driving without a license on that day. The only people who know the seven year story are us.

They can, and quiet possibly will check her insurance history. It isn't hard to see how long she has been insured and check that against her license expiry date. If she is caught out she will have no comeback but being up front and honest from the start might just save her

sprinklesspanky

The car was insured, right?

At any rate you'd be amazed how lenient judges can be. I'd get a solicitor as soon as possible and take his advice.

I've been caught up before in a similar situation my solicitor is Frank Buttimer in Cork I would highly recommend his law firm, they do a great job and charged a very reasonable fee.

You got caught, you have to play the game now and pay the legal system it's due. You'll get fined possibly banned for one year I'd say at worse.

mikemac

Gil_Dub wrote: »

Quinn operate on an 'honour' policy (ha ha ha)

lol
Many people would say they don't operate very honorably themselves

Niamh:>)

Just to come back to one point.

I will be applying straight away for 2nd Learner permit, but as its out of date, I will have to sit the driver theory test again. Next available date is the 20th of Dec.

jhegarty

Niamh:>) wrote: »

Just to come back to one point.

I will be applying straight away for 2nd Learner permit, but as its out of date, I will have to sit the driver theory test again. Next available date is the 20th of Dec.

Actually it's your first permit. You will also need 6 months before you do your test.

Niamh:>)

The car is insured, as in insured with Quinn Direct.
This I assume is voided anyway due to license " situation ".

John Mason

oh your insurance is going to go through the roof, if you get banned from driving

jhegarty

Niamh:>) wrote: »

The car is insured, as in insured with Quinn Direct.
This I assume is voided anyway due to license " situation ".

No , as long as your not banned the 3rd party bit of your insurance will still be in place.

andrewh5

Niamh:>) wrote: »

Just to come back to one point.

I will be applying straight away for 2nd Learner permit, but as its out of date, I will have to sit the driver theory test again. Next available date is the 20th of Dec.

Well take note that you CANNOT drive unaccompanied!

I was talking to an ADI the other day. At the end of the year, a new law is coming in so that learners can ONLY be accompanied by an ADI. This brings us into line with Germany and is long, long overdue.

Zube

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

They can, and quiet possibly will check her insurance history.

It's not a crime to have insurance and no license.

jhegarty

andrewh5 wrote: »

I was talking to an ADI the other day. At the end of the year, a new law is coming in so that learners can ONLY be accompanied by an ADI. This brings us into line with Germany and is long, long overdue.

bull plop

John Mason

whats an ADI?

Niamh:>)

I told the guard that i would produce insurance cert to station along with license yes..
I will let everyone know how i get on.

AudiChris

AudiChris wrote: »

When the Garda asked you to bring your licence and insurance to the station, did you say "ok" or did you say "acutally, I don't have a valid licence".

If you said "ok" and are now intending to go in to the Garda, cap in hand, and say "actually..... I don't have a licence after all (for the last 7 years)", I would expect you'll be in a pretty serious situation.

Driving ban seems likely alright.

The license expired so I doubt a judge would ban you for that.

There are no serious offenses connected with with this so there is a possibility of it not reaching court or getting thrown out.

RayM

Since your licence is over five years out-of-date, you'll have to do a theory test (and an eye-test too - as far as I know, this will be classed as your first learner permit). Apply for that immediately. It's unlikely that you'll get a test within the next ten days, but, depending on how much of a brass neck you have (and let's face it, you clearly have), you might get away with just telling the Gardai that you've applied to renew your 'expired' (omit the 'seven-years' part, maybe) provisional licence, and you're waiting for it to arrive.

Niamh:>)

Yes, I have neck - im not disagreeing with anyone here whatsoever.
Of course part of me would be like to try and get away with this but i will have to come 100 % clean and take all that comes with that. I live 20 miles from work on a country road for the most part and so have no use of public transport. Will most certainly lose my job ( hands are shaking now but anyway )
In every other aspect of my life, i would be considered a model citizen, apart from this flagrant dissregard of the law - again im trying not to make any excuse.
I will leave now.. thanks for very quick replies.

Niamh

Quazzie

If asked in court let the judge know that you will almost certainly lose your job if you lose your license and usually, depending on his mood, will be granted a large fine in lieu of banning. Or at least thats what happened to me.

Niamh:>)

Large fine for a large tool would be the easier option alright. Thanks.

Quazzie

Well best of luck with it anyways. Make sure to let us know how ya get on.

P.S Ignore some of the comments here. Some tend to equate a small driving offense thats hurting no one, to a mass murdering spree. There's a very little amount of people that are fully legal drivers, and some people forget that. Ye without sin and all that.

Niamh:>)

I will come back to everyone here, if i do come across the other side of this.
It was the most foolish & dangerous thing i have ever done. I need a brain transplant. Hopefully, i can work something out and do my punishment without having to lose my job.

I didnt expect a pat on the back .. im mortified this has happened at all.

Stufinnegan

Q2002 wrote: »

Well best of luck with it anyways. Make sure to let us know how ya get on.

P.S Ignore some of the comments here. Some tend to equate a small driving offense thats hurting no one, to a mass murdering spree. There's a very little amount of people that are fully legal drivers, and some people forget that. Ye without sin and all that.

Indeed, you came on here looking for advise and ended up at your own stoning. I didn't realise how many people on this board were qualified Judges.....Anyhoo all the best, remember to just confess all, and when you go to court have an impact statement prepared. I don't think this will be as bad as you imagine or most of the "holier than thou's" are predicting.