No forced entry powers probably limits the effectiveness a bit (put the untaxed car in a garage and you're untouchable until it comes out), but even without that it's a logical extension of the SORN system. It makes little sense for an untaxed car to be clampable if parked on the road outside someone's home but untouchable if driven onto private land (which could be anyone's land).
It's interesting to compare the enforcement of VED with insurance. The VED seems like a fairly simple black-and-white situation, because a vehicle has to have either a tax disc or a SORN declaration. No tax disc=clampable, so there's no grey area. That allows for a zero-tolerance approach to enforcement which doesn't in any way threaten the law-abiding, because the law-abiding know that there is one simple step to take which which will ensure that they are both law-abiding and seen to be law-abiding. It even works if you borrow someone else's car: take a look for the tax disc, and if it's there and up-to-date you're OK.
The insurance problem is much more messy, because even the owner doesn't have any clearcut way of demonstrating on-the-spot that they are law-abiding. Uninsured drivers are a big problem, but we have a big gap between the govt's long-overdue desire for a clampdown and the ability of the owner or driver to demonstrate that they are legally compliant.
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Yes - its not quite as its posted - DVLA have been hamstrung when cars were parked in public places that weren't falling into the definition of a road tax road - so car parks and sort of communal non road areas will now fall into the scheme.
www.dvla.gov.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/011008_1...x
This is the unembroidered press release, which tells you everything.
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AS you highlight the idiocy of our Law makers.
Vehicle Excise & Registration Act 1994 is the mammy and daddy of Excise Matters in relation to motor vehicles with a sibling at Road Vehicle (Reg and Licensing) Regs 1989.
Where do we find the matter your refer to?
An added Reg to that quoted above?
NO.
Section 145 and 147 of Finanace Act 2008.
What the L does clamping a vehicle got to do with an Act that mauinly deals with budget matters.
I despair.
dvd
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Recovery of Revenue my dear DVD ! Read my recent post on poorly written legislation .
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i'm going to play devil's advocate........ (because i'm good at that)
if you have to pay for a tax disc to drive a motor vehicle on a public road (fair enough) are aware that you need to SORN it if you aren't planning on using it (maybe fair, maybe not)...then why would you want officialdom trotting across your land/property and prying into your garage...when the main offence may well not have been committed i.e. driving the vehicle on the road
to clarify, you might have only committed the SORN bit, through illness, absence, forgetfulness...is it proportionate to have your property entered and your veh taken/clamped?
on the whole though, i agree with tax evasion clamp downs as it fairer to the mjaority that do cough up and do play by the rules
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So you fill in a sorn, and for whatever reason it is not actioned (lost in post, missed by dvla staff etc etc); the vehicle is kept off the road and some official comes stomping across private land to clamp it?
maybe I am missing something but it seems unnecessary officialfdom to me.
If anpr is working correctly why is it not stopped whilst on the highway; its obvious if its not taxed, and the action taken there and then? Once it happened to a few, the word would spread and cars would be avoided being used.
Just another case of making another law that isnt needed imo !
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More than anything this will take "pool" cars off the road - cars that ar used by the criminal fraternity and parked on certain types of public space (not roads) on estates. Good bit of law.
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crooks 'pool' cars are quite a problem. Even if you have them away for no insurance .. (and march the miscreants up a snow covered m/way).. someone will turn up at the pound with insurance that covers it, even if only for that day... and it's up and running again
of course it won't be registered and the police will not know who's driving it at any given time, so won't know who's committed what crime
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#
The purpose of the expanded powers, commencing 1 October, is to prevent evaders of vehicle excise duty (VED) from using off road locations as safe havens where the wheel clamping or removal sanction could not previously be used. Evidence gathered in 2005 estimated 150,000 untaxed vehicles in local authority car parks. These were vehicles likely to have been in use on the public road
From the Press Release.
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It has been so reported that they will clamp you other than at your dwelling.
Bearing in mind that Supermarket/Pub Car Parks etc are not repairable at public expense so any untaxed vehicle thereon is not committing an Excise offence. Only applies where the 'road' is repairable at public expense.
Funny they don't mention this?
dvd
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Will it make any difference?
Down the road from me is an untaxed car (always parked on the road) which is used every day to commute to work by its owner. I know several people have reported it to dvla and the police.
Nothing happens. Police not interested - 'Its a matter for DVLA'.
Yet the same force make a big song and dance about a clamp down in York. //shrug
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