This morning I was driving behind a car with a Polish registration mark. The registration plate appeared to be hand made which got me thinking....if a Polish person commits a driving offence in in the UK can the British police trace the vehicle and do they have the right to fine them etc? How do we know that they thier cars are roadworthy? Do they pay road tax? Do they require insurance? Can we report them?
2006-10-12 21:22:46 · 9 answers · asked by soggykipper 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
Yes. If a foreigner driving a foreign licensed auto commits an infraction in the UK, the driver can be fined, and is subject to local jurisdiction.
EU Road Safety conventions (to which Poland is a signatory) require that all vehicles operating on European roads be required to pass safety inspections (though at present, there are no uniform standards for making the determination -- thus inspection quality varies from country to country). In addition, all vehicle registrations throughout the EU are computerized, and police can easily check registration from any nation.
Also, per the same regulations as above, all drivers must be insured. (But here's the rub -- and it's a BIG one. Though all drivers are required to have insurance, many insurers will only cover a driver in his or her country of origin. To get "Pan-European" coverage costs more, and many people do not purchase it. Thus, your driver in question may be insured in Poland, but NOT the UK. The driver may not even be aware of this.)
Yes, of course, you may report any infraction on the road you happen to see. The nationality of the driver/vehicle is irrelevant.
Hope this answers your questions.
2006-10-12 21:33:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems that, whatever the actual legal position, foreign drivers seem to be able to do pretty much whatever they wish here, with little chance of any penalty.
Auto Express magazine carried out some research with a French-registered Renault some months ago, and found that they could commit many offences and no action was taken against them.
Of course, our 'Government' co-operates fully with foreign agencies who want to prosecute UK drivers who commit offences in mainland Europe - yet another example of how we all lose out in the European farce.
Did you know, that a few years ago Coventry City Council made a request that the police did not prosecute drivers who had recently moved here as asylum seekers etc because 'they may not know about our insurance and MOT requirements etc, as they may not have such rules in their own countries'.
Since when has ignorance of the law been a remedy????
The next time you are stopped for a motoring offence, try telling the PC that you were not aware that it was an offence, and see what happens!!!
I despair of this country more each day....
The answer from 'Jack' may be technically correct, but , unless the driver is apprehended whilst he is here, there is no system for fining him in his own country - whatever the EU may claim.
There are countless examples of the UK sticking to all the ludicrous rules from the EU so far as we are concerned, whilst the rest of Europe continues to do as it wishes.
For example, just look at the British Beef and Lamb scandals!
2006-10-12 21:38:13 · answer #2 · answered by aarcue 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No is the simple answer. You can drive in the UK for as long as you like on a polish licence, there is no requirment to pass the UK test. However, polish insurance policies are usually only valid for 1 month in the UK and so you will need a UK policy BUT most Uk insurance providers insist you have a UK licence to get insurance. So....while you don't need a UK l icence to drive here, you do need UK insurance and you cant get uk insurance without a UK licence! To put it simply, pass your UK test and get a UK policy. As well as making it easier, you won't be pulled over by the cops everytime you pass them.
2016-05-21 22:21:55 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its sickens me to the belly these drivers of crap cars they bring with them, they can only be fined if the police are on the spot, as to trace the reg means the cars details are usally bought in German car markets and then brought to the new country of choice were they take jobs on local people and a few quid less an hour
2006-10-13 00:38:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a Spanish registered car, I don’t think the police could track us down very easy they could of course if it was worth the effort but I doubt it would be, as for reporting for a driving offence then yes you can but the same thing applies if the police can track it down.
we have an ITV test (MOT) but i dont think we pay road tax and yes we do require insurance.
2006-10-12 21:27:41 · answer #5 · answered by carla s 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Foreign cars in the UK - safety ?
I drive a Swedish registered car quite often in the UK - we have
an annual safety inspection, insurance checks, etc.
Our annual inspection would make the UK MoT look like a joke.
2006-10-12 23:15:04 · answer #6 · answered by swenson0 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is too late madam ... you should have phoned the police on the spot. Thank you for bringing the matter in the light anyway.
2006-10-12 21:33:12 · answer #7 · answered by Vig 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wring your local police station and ask.
say your 'concerned'
2006-10-12 21:24:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
run it it and find out
2006-10-12 21:30:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋