Fixed Penalty Notice

Theanswers

Anyway of getting out of a FPN? I was stopped at a checkpoint yesterday and was given a fine for non-display of current insurance. It was out by 3 months. That was just the display, the car was insured. The car i was driving wasent mine, it was a mates. Giving my age 18 the guard didnt believe i was insured and ask me to produce my insurance/ lisense. The usually stuff, however the fine is abit un-fair. One cannot be expected to check their insurance disc every time they get into a car... what would one expect this fine 2 be?

Thanks

Seth Brundle

I presume that a court appearance would be required if you want to get out of the FPN but its likely that you will lose and face a stiffer punishment. I don't know!

One cannot be expected to check their insurance disc every time they get into a car

Maybe not if its your own car but when its a car you are not used to driving then I would expect it!

drunkmonkey

I'd take it on the chin, I doubt very much you were insured, is it not only people over the age of 27 are allowed to drive someone elses car.

TheNog

Theanswers wrote: »

Anyway of getting out of a FPN? I was stopped at a checkpoint yesterday and was given a fine for non-display of current insurance. It was out by 3 months.

No way out of it.

That was just the display, the car was insured. The car i was driving wasent mine, it was a mates.

Are you insured on your mates car? If I remember correctly you have to be over 24yrs old and have a full licence before you can drive other vehicles. Check with your insurance company.

Giving my age 18 the guard didnt believe i was insured and ask me to produce my insurance/ lisense.

Its nothin to do with your age. People of all ages drive with no insurance. The Garda followed the usual procedure of making the demand for insurance and licence.

The usually stuff, however the fine is abit un-fair. One cannot be expected to check their insurance
Thanks

It is the responsibility of every driver to ensure the vehicle they drive is road legal which does include the discs being up to date.

hobochris

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I'd take it on the chin, I doubt very much you were insured, is it not only people over the age of 27 are allowed to drive someone elses car.

nope, you can drive other cars on a fully comp policy providing you have a full License with many insurance companies, open drive costs extra though if your under 25.

cover is only third party on the other cars though.

Theanswers

hobochris wrote: »

nope, you can drive other cars on a fully comp policy providing you have a full License with many insurance companies, open drive costs extra though if your under 25.

cover is only third party on the other cars though.

I'm insured as a named driver on the policy.

The-Game

Theanswers wrote: »

I'm insured as a named driver on the policy.

Then your not covered.

Sleipnir

Theanswers wrote: »

One cannot be expected to check their insurance disc every time they get into a car...

Insurance disks are issued year to year so if your mate's insurance disk expired 3 months ago then that would be showing that it expired in, what July or August?
Which mean the disk displayed has been there since July or August 08 and if you're mate renewed his policy he would have received his new insurance disk.
So did he just not bother to stick the new one in the window?

Of course you're not expected to check the insurance disk every time you get into the car. It's not like the date on it changes randomly!

If it was 3 days then fair enough but being done for it being 3 months out sounds fair enough to me. What do you think would be fair; 6 months? 9 months?

hobochris

The-Game wrote: »

Then your not covered.

+1 for you to be covered the policy holder would have to transfer the policy onto your friends car.

otherwise only the policy holder would get the benefit of open drive.

Theanswers

Just an oversight, on their part. However the policy was renewed 3 months ago. I 100% certain I'm insured....

drunkmonkey

TheNog wrote: »

Are you insured on your mates car? If I remember correctly you have to be over 24yrs old and have a full licence before you can drive other vehicles

Your showing your age:D I think it went to 27 around 2000 or so...I remember thinkin cool at 25 I can drive anyone else car them they moved the age, could be wrong but I have it stuck in my mind for some reason..

TheNog

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Your showing your age:D I think it went to 27 around 2000 or so...I remember thinkin cool at 25 I can drive anyone else car them they moved the age, could be wrong but I have it stuck in my mind for some reason..

Was 27 not the age that insurance companies classed male drivers as high risk? I mean between 17-27? Could be wrong now.

Bobo78

Cover to drive other cars depends upon the insurance company.
For example I m 22 and I m allowed to drive other cars ever since I got full licence and that was 3 years ago.
But there are some limits such as your only covered hird party on some one elses car and engine size cant be bigger then 2.5l engine.

Theanswers

True,
However I'm named on the policy as a named driver. I'm on the insurance cert. I'm insured. I can understand why the guard might question this.... I don't mind. I Just wish their was a way they could check at the side of the road to avoid all this hassle, as for the FPN! I suppose i will just have 2 pay it...
Anyone know what it could be? 80, 100 euro?

Padraig Mor

Theanswers wrote: »

True,
However I'm named on the policy as a named driver. I'm on the insurance cert. I'm insured. I can understand why the guard might question this.... I don't mind. I Just wish their was a way they could check at the side of the road to avoid all this hassle, as for the FPN! I suppose i will just have 2 pay it...
Anyone know what it could be? 80, 100 euro?

It's illegal not to display an insurance disk regardless of whether you are insured or not. I would expect the fine to have been stated on the FPN. If it's going to court I'm sure a quick search will reveal the penalty - which I'd guess would be well more than €100.

Samson

Don't pay the fine, and when you are summonsed, go to court and explain all to the judge (make sure you bring supporting documents).
If you were, as you state, insured to drive the vehicle, you may have the case struck out.

kingtut

Theanswers wrote: »

I Just wish their was a way they could check at the side of the road to avoid all this hassle,

hassle you should have just checked it yourself before getting in, I thought it is normal to make sure the car you are driving is taxed and you are insured etc...:cool: especially on a car that you drive infrequently.

Seth Brundle

Samson wrote: »

Don't pay the fine, and when you are summonsed, go to court and explain all to the judge (make sure you bring supporting documents).
If you were, as you state, insured to drive the vehicle, you may have the case struck out.

Wasn't the offence the non displaying of a valid insurance disc? If so then having loads of paperwork surely won't let the OP get off?

Theanswers

The offence is for not having current insurance "displayed" not for not having insurance. I think i will just have to pay.

Hooch

kbannon wrote: »

Wasn't the offence the non displaying of a valid insurance disc? If so then having loads of paperwork surely won't let the OP get off?

Theanswers wrote: »

The offence is for not having current insurance "displayed" not for not having insurance. I think i will just have to pay.

The offence is non display of an insurance disc 10 days after authentication of the certificate. So in essence if you have no insurance the summons will be struck out but the no insurance would stick. If you have insurance and havint put up the disc then your liable once the insurance is issued over ten days, so if this is the case pay or as Padraig mor said the fine will be over €120(the higher limit of FCPS).

Now on insurance. It differs as per insurance companies. My insurance is open driving on any car full comp with Hibernian. It means I can drive any car regardless of age. Most insurance companies go with the 25yr old rule....but only third party. Quinn are one that allow the fully comp policy holder to drive any car third party at any age.

O/P in regard your insurance. If your a name driver on a policy that has open driving on car X, you are insured only on car X, however the policy holder may drive any vehicle (some have stipulations on commercial etc). You, as a name driver, are not covered to drive car y, any other vehicle. No company have a policy for named drivers to have open driving.

Drummerboy08

Ah. The joys of a fleet policy.

My personal insurance policy has drive other cars on it, but im only 21. It did cost extra though.

nice guy always

I think people are getting confused with the op's situation. As far as I understand he was driving the car that he is a named driver on and was therefore insured.

nice guy always wrote: »

Now on insurance. It differs as per insurance companies. My insurance is open driving on any car full comp with Hibernian. It means I can drive any car regardless of age. Most insurance companies go with the 25yr old rule....but only third party. Quinn are one that allow the fully comp policy holder to drive any car third party at any age.

Everybody appears to have a different idea of how the driving other cars extension works and most have the wrong idea. I have been insured with Quinn and now Axa. With both of these I was insured to drive any other car with the owners consent regardless of my age or the value/power of the other car. Third party insurance was also sufficient for availing of the extension i.e You are covered to drive other cars if you have 3rd party insurance yourself. My sister is with Hibernian 3rd party and it is the same. She can drive any other car regardless of her age with the owners consent.

As far as I know this is how most other companies work as well.


On the OP's situation, am I the one who thinks a fine for non-display of a disc is a bit ridiculous. Going by how often people are being asked to produce certs at the station despite having a valid disc it appears they are not worth the paper they are printed on yet when it suits fines can be handed out for not having a disc.

ardmacha

This seems a perfectly reasonable fine. What is the point of having discs if you can just decide not to bother displaying it? Being a few days over might be an oversight, but 3 months is taking the Michael.

robbie99

And who exactly is responsible for having insurance disc displayed?

In this case, it was the OP (the driver) who was landed with the fine. But if the car was parked on the roadside and a traffic warden decided to ticket the car then the registered owner would have been liable, no?

Guy:Incognito

robbie99 wrote: »

And who exactly is responsible for having insurance disc displayed?

In this case, it was the OP (the driver) who was landed with the fine. But if the car was parked on the roadside and a traffic warden decided to ticket the car then the registered owner would have been liable, no?

A person driving a car has the responsibility of it being road legal.