Serious question about insurance cert

peanuthead

Okay, so the other night I was stopped at a check point and my discs were checked. She asked me for my insurance cert, which I didn't have, so she asked me to produce it in a station of my choice (how nice) within 10 days, which I did.

But what has made me want to write this was the reception I was given in the garda station. They took a look at the cert, brought it into the back for a min, then handed it back, and gave me a mini lecture about how it should be kept in my car at all times (which it is now) because "The disc is just a piece of paper - the cert is the important part."

Okay 2 things strange about this, first, the cert is just a piece of paper too, idiot!! lol , joke!!:p

But seriously - what is the story with the cert being any more important than the disc?? I asked a friend this and he said that anyone could have a disc and not have a cert. They could just pay the deposit or whatever, get the disc in the post and then not pay anymore.

But the disc comes ATTACHED to the cert!!?? So, whats to stop me doing the following:

Calling up insurance company, getting cover, paying deposit. Waiting for disc to come in post, put it in my car. Keep cert, then cancel DD or whatever with the bank. Then when I'm asked for cert I have one, irregardless of the fact that I have no insurance!!??

Or is it possible that I'm missing something here?? When you produce your cert can they scan it or something to make sure its in date?? Or are they just asking for the cert to see that the cert corresponds to the car the disc was in??

I know I sound like I may be asking these questions because I'm looking to do something dodgy, but I'm not. Its just I've been stopped a good few times lately for this and that, and I'm just curious as to the reason why the cert is so much more important than the disc.

The first year I got a car I threw the cert away, I had no idea of its importance!!:eek:

EDIT: By this and that I mean checkpoints. There just seems to be an increaded presence, I'm not some scummer !!

Trampas

when you cancel your insurance you are suppose to hand back the cert and disc.

CharlieCroker

There's no legal basis for the Garda to tell you to have it in the car, in fact i'd say the opposite. If your car is ever stolen and is stopped at a checkpoint, the thief can give your name having seen it on the cert.
Thats why the origional Garda gave you the lawful demand to produce it at a Garda station within 10 days. Failure to do this is an offence and will result in summons' for non production of insurance cert and for driving without insurance.

Forget it and move on

tommmy1979

peanuthead wrote: »

Okay, so the other night I was stopped at a check point and my discs were checked. She asked me for my insurance cert, which I didn't have, so she asked me to produce it in a station of my choice (how nice) within 10 days, which I did.

But what has made me want to write this was the reception I was given in the garda station. They took a look at the cert, brought it into the back for a min, then handed it back, and gave me a mini lecture about how it should be kept in my car at all times (which it is now) because "The disc is just a piece of paper - the cert is the important part."

Okay 2 things strange about this, first, the cert is just a piece of paper too, idiot!! lol , joke!!:p

But seriously - what is the story with the cert being any more important than the disc?? I asked a friend this and he said that anyone could have a disc and not have a cert. They could just pay the deposit or whatever, get the disc in the post and then not pay anymore.

But the disc comes ATTACHED to the cert!!?? So, whats to stop me doing the following:

Calling up insurance company, getting cover, paying deposit. Waiting for disc to come in post, put it in my car. Keep cert, then cancel DD or whatever with the bank. Then when I'm asked for cert I have one, irregardless of the fact that I have no insurance!!??

Or is it possible that I'm missing something here?? When you produce your cert can they scan it or something to make sure its in date?? Or are they just asking for the cert to see that the cert corresponds to the car the disc was in??

I know I sound like I may be asking these questions because I'm looking to do something dodgy, but I'm not. Its just I've been stopped a good few times lately for this and that, and I'm just curious as to the reason why the cert is so much more important than the disc.

The first year I got a car I threw the cert away, I had no idea of its importance!!:eek:

EDIT: By this and that I mean checkpoints. There just seems to be an increaded presence, I'm not some scummer !!

Ya... so what were you doing to draw all this attention from the cops ???

or is your car heavily modified?

alan4cult

I just got added as a named driver to my parents policy and we had to post back the old cert before I was insured.

CharlieCroker

tommmy1979 wrote: »

Ya... so what were you doing to draw all this attention from the cops ???

or is your car heavily modified?

he said he was stopped at a checkpoint.
They happen dozens of times a day all over the country.
Doesn't mean that the OP was doing anything wrong.

peanuthead

tommmy1979 wrote: »

Ya... so what were you doing to draw all this attention from the cops ???

or is your car heavily modified?

Not doing anything, car's not modified. I live in Clondalkin. Enough said, particularly with the shooting that happened up here 2 weeks ago, they are always around, and stopping everyone. Dad gets stopped more than I do, just never has to produce cause he has it all in the car with him!!

Yeah its not a big problem to me, so I will jsut move on. I was just wondering what it was all about.

EDIT: The only modification that has been made to my car since I got it are some extra scratches!! lol

tommmy1979

CharlieCroker wrote: »

he said he was stopped at a checkpoint.
They happen dozens of times a day all over the country.
Doesn't mean that the OP was doing anything wrong.

You're absoulutely correct but are you denying that there was something that made them suspicious ?

Gumbo

tommmy1979 wrote: »

You're absoulutely correct but are you denying that there was something that made them suspicious ?

considering a garda check point was in operation, the OP wouldnt have to be doing much to get stopped.

what is the point of your posts on this matter?

peanuthead

tommmy1979 wrote: »

You're absoulutely correct but are you denying that there was something that made them suspicious ?

There was nothing to make them suspicious - they were routinely asking everyone for ins certs and drivers licences. Everyone.

Personally, I think they're out checking properly to generate a bit of revenue.

But to be honest, I was asking a simple question about the significance of the cert as opposed to the disc, not for your opinion on who I am???!!! for your information, however, I am a 25yr old FEMALE student teacher, with no penalty points, never been in trouble with law for anything, don't drink, smoke any kinds of cigarettes and have a full licence and all my discs. I assure you I was doing nothing to attract attention to myself as I have nothing to be hiding, and nothing is worth risking my future career either.

In fairness, the type of person you think I am would know the in's and out's of these laws (as they do their best to break them and get away with it) so if I was like that why would I be on here asking such a 'basic' question??

tommmy1979

kceire wrote: »

considering a garda check point was in operation, the OP wouldnt have to be doing much to get stopped.

what is the point of your posts on this matter?

The point of my posts?? Curiosity i suppose.. The cops do not randomly request motorists to produce insurance certs. The OP has already answered my questions, he said he wasn't doing anything wrong, his car is not modified. Perhaps the OP looked a bit nervous and raised suspicion that way or perhaps they thought he was someone else.

T

tommmy1979

peanuthead wrote: »

In fairness, the type of person you think I am would know the in's and out's of these laws (as they do their best to break them and get away with it) so if I was like that why would I be on here asking such a 'basic' question??

I sincerely apologise if i've offended you. Something must have made them supsicious, sounds fairly baffling now.

I didn't mean any offence..

T

peanuthead

tommmy1979 wrote: »

The point of my posts?? Curiosity i suppose.. The cops do not randomly request motorists to produce insurance certs. The OP has already answered my questions, he said he wasn't doing anything wrong, his car is not modified. Perhaps the OP looked a bit nervous and raised suspicion that way or perhaps they thought he was someone else.

T

Okay, you know what, maybe you're on to something there actually.

I do get nervous when I approach check points - not because I'm doing anything wrong, but because I'm just a nervous person. But i don't think I was that nervous that it would show on my face - but maybe I am!!

peanuthead

tommmy1979 wrote: »

I sincerely apologise if i've offended you. Something must have made them supsicious, sounds fairly baffling now.

I didn't mean any offence..

T

Ah no its grand, I don't mind being stopped, esp now as I have the cert in the car so all transactions can be done there and then. But I just sometimes wonder about certain things. Like for example after that shooting in Clondalkin they were out searching cars (obv for weapons) stopped me and my bro just as we were coming through the other end of the mcdonalds drive thru, shone a light into the back and waved us on. Why didn't they check properly if theyre going to check at all???? Things like this just make me wonder, and this disc thing is another one of those things.

Anyone now what they do at the station with your disc?? Do they scan it/input your policy number? Can they do that? Surely they must be able to

ottostreet

I'm constantly asked for my insurance certificate and NCT cert. The guards have always checked the engine capacity against my tax, NCT and insurance to check the car is what i claim it is, since the car could be anything from a 1.6-3.2.

I'm curious as to how the guards decide which motorists to ask for an insurance cert though. I had never been asked to produce or show my cert prior to my current car. My sister, driving a 1.3 ford ka, was asked to produce her documentation a few weeks back, and it turns out that quinn direct had cancelled her policy the day previous. she denies she knew about this, and im not going to try and guess whether shes telling the truth or not, but im curious as to how the guard somehow suspected there was something up. car was taxed, ncted and seemingly insured, and i assume nothing would show up on the ANPR considering the time difference.

Body language maybe?

CharlieCroker

Gardai dont need any reason to ask you to produce your docs.
If your driving in a public place, then your required by law to produce if asked.
Could easily have been to do with a separate incident in the area i.e. looking for someone in particular etc.

peanuthead

ottostreet wrote: »

Body language maybe?

I'm starting to think this may be it you know. as I said above, I get pretty nervous when I see them, I have no idea why????!!!

mickdw

An obvious reason for asking for the cert is if the car is not your own, i.e. parents car. In this case, its quite possible that there is a perfectly legal disc in the window but you may not be insured to drive the car.

In my experience, since Ive had my own car Ive never been asked for cert. Garda usually asks "Is this your car". When answer is yes, he has a look at the discs & off I go.
Now when I was younger (17)and driving parents car, when I would say that car belonged to father, they would often request cert to show that I was named as insurance on that particular car cost about 2500 extra for me to be named. Fair question really

In the OPs case, I quess they wanted to find out if
1/ He was actually named/insured on the policy assuming its a genuine cert
2/ Checking to see if there was a cert to match the disc to insure it wasnt just a photocopy/false disc

Nothing unusual there really