Road Tax - Insurance

People can still cancel their insurance after that and drive around uninsured so I don't see why they can't renew their insurance for the next year and renew their car tax starting on the 1st of the next month.

Whenever I get a new tax disc - a few days before the old one expires - I put the new one in the holder and sellotape the old one alongside. I can then remove the old one some time after the 1st of the month, when I remember to do it.

I assumed that what the OP meant when he said "I had two motor insurance certificates - the renewal one and the

was that his current insurer had renewed automatically, sending him his "renewal certificate" and he had decided to switch insurers thus meaning he was going to cancel the "renewal certificate" policy, if this is what he meant, he was right, that he could have used either certificate to get a tax disc from Apr 1st.

With a name like "ferris" i thought he would be a "big" wheel

Maybe you have hit the nail on the head. This is just his online persona.

Spot on - bought from new it included "free" Volvo insurance.

It's worse than that. Insurance companies have 7 days to put details on the MIDB and if you don't carry your Certificate of Insurance with you in the car, it could be taken from you there and then and even crushed!

Lots of people buy new cars on 1st March or 1st October - well they used to...

The solution to your first statement is obvious. I have always carried 'my documents' with me. Strangely, in 49 years of driving, I have only once been asked to show my driving licence - and that was in 1962, when driving a friend's car.

And would they actually crush it within 7 days? I doubt it, especially if you were protesting that it was, in fact, insured.

That is what I usually have to do, even without changing insurers. Even if I pay the renewal on the day I get the reminder, the database isn't updated in time for me to be able to order online and be sure I'll get the disk before it has to be displayed.

Colin Bignell

That doesn't necessarily mean their insurance will synchronise with the purchase (unless the insurance comes as part of the package), because typically they would transfer the existing insurance over from their old car, keeping its original expiry date.

Don't be silly. You should *never* carry documents with you in the car. They're generally far safer if kept at home.

Happened in Nottingham not so long ago.

I just put the new one in so that I don't forget it nearer the time. I don't keep the old one on display as it is no longer relevant. If my new disc expires on 31/3/10 I don't need to show another that expires earlier.

Not if you have valid insurance and the police can prove it by calling your insurer.

Too right.

Mike P

I got stopped a couple of months ago on the M6 in cheshire, the day after I bought my MX5. I'd insured it via Adrian Flux with Red Star. They hadn't updated the database. I got pulled for supposedly having no insurance. I sat in the back of the plod car for 40 mins while they called Flux and Red Star. Confirmed I had insurance, gave me a docket to state they'd checked it out in case I got pulled again and sent me on my way. The same thing happened just last week to my brother who used Lancastrian to renew his policy with.

Mike P

Mike P gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

We bought a cheap car for SWMBO the other week.

It sat in the drive for the first day (Thu) whilst I rang about, getting it organised. MID said uninsured. The second day, Fri, the policy started at midnight. MID said uninsured. The following day, Sat, MID said insured.

Under the relevant section 165A RTA, the officer has to "reasonably believe" the driver is uninsured, having a mere suspicion because for example the car is not listed as insured on the MID is arguably (argued by certain chief police officers who then have adopted that stance for their force area) not enough.

Having an ins cert in the car until the car is registered on the MID is a good idea to protect you against over zealous cops. If you lose the certificate it's no big deal, you just ask for a replacement.

Lucky it wasn't after 6 pm - 8pm then.