DVLA sent me letter and asked me to plead guilty or not

Steven225

Steven225

Steven225

Associate
Joined
6 Nov 2022
Posts
5
Location
Bristol
Hi all

I am really stressed out over this and I don’t know whether any of you could provide me some assistance in this.

Around March 2022, I purchased a new car through a manufacturer which came with a plate number. I then insured it with admiral. Round April 2022, i bought a private plate online then I told admiral to swap the old plate into my private plate number.

A month or two after that, I kept getting letter from ask mid stating my old plate that came with that car …. Wasn’t insured but I didn’t think much of it as I swapped it over with the new plate on the same car and wasn’t using the old plate at all.

However, I was unable to check the model or car when I put the new plate on any comparing website and I was still keeping the same letter from ask mid stating the old plate wasn’t insured for the next month

So September 2022, I decided to start a web chat with someone from dvla and i was informed I need to fill a form online to inform dvla the swap from old plate to the new plate which I done it.

Then two days ago, I received a letter form dvla stating I have been driving uninsured with the old plate since July 2022…

It’s a single justice procedure notice stating I committed an offence under the section 144(1) of the road traffic act 1988 and I need to respond the letter within 21 days.

I have two choice either plead guilty and would receive 33% reduction on any fine

Or plead not guilty and Will get send a court hearing date

The issue I got is I have the option to plead guilty or not guilty online . But it doesn’t stated the exact fine it’s going to be or whether it would come with any penalty points on my license on either of those option.

I know it is partly my fault by not inform dvla around swapping the plate over but I have never not insured to drive the car as it has been insured with the old plate since I got the car then swap it over to the new plate. And there have been no accident or any driving offence committed since the car bene on the car since I bought it in March 2022

And I am little bit confused about what happens in July 2022 as it stating I have even driving the old plate since July 2022 which I 100% haven’t at all.



I know it’s very long to read and I am sorry guys but I don’t really know what to do. Of course I don’t want to pay the fine but I am willing to pay the fine as long as it doesn’t come with any penalty point or would have any impact on my driving record but it doesn’t state what outcome it would have if I plead guilty or not.

Also would dvla let me off if I ring them up and apologised then told them it was a honest mistake and provide them with insurance certificate that it was 100% insured ?
 
Probably more likely to get some advice by posting in the motors subforum.

Not my area at all but it sounds like they've got you bang to rights. Trying not guilty sounds like it is just going to delay the inevitable and also give you more of a hit in the pocket.
 
Steven225 said:
insurance certificate that it was 100% insured ?
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It wasn’t insured. It sounds like you got a private plate and just slapped it on without actually registering it against the vehicle. So your insurance wasn’t against the actual registration of your car, it was on a registration that as far as the DVLA were concerned was on retention.

Why does your location say Bristol when you’re posting from Hong Kong btw?
 
Feek said:
It wasn’t insured. It sounds like you got a private plate and just slapped it on without actually registering it against the vehicle. So your insurance wasn’t against the actual registration of your car, it was on a registration that as far as the DVLA were concerned was on retention.

Why does your location say Bristol when you’re posting from Hong Kong btw?
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Bots care not for our human geography.
 
Feek said:
It wasn’t insured. It sounds like you got a private plate and just slapped it on without actually registering it against the vehicle. So your insurance wasn’t against the actual registration of your car, it was on a registration that as far as the DVLA were concerned was on retention.

Why does your location say Bristol when you’re posting from Hong Kong btw?
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I am in Hong Kong for holiday. My other half opened the letter for me and told me on Friday . Been stressing about it event since
 
Does anyone have a similar experience or knowing whether it would come with any penalty point? I am happy to pay the fine to get it over with but I am more concerning about anything other than fines….

I do have 30 min free legal advice call booked in for tomorrow and see what they gotta to say.
 
It was a honest mistake made by me. I did insured the new plate and was driving with the new plate. I know dvla wouldn’t seen it as being insured as I didn’t inform them… it’s my fault regardless and I never bought a new plate before and should have known better
 
Steven225 said:
It was a honest mistake made by me. I did insured the new plate and was driving with the new plate. I know dvla wouldn’t seen it as being insured as I didn’t inform them… it’s my fault regardless and I never bought a new plate before and should have known better
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You won’t get much sympathy on here I’m afraid. Unforgiving lot .

We’ve all made mistakes, just a learning curve of life . Fess up and take the 30% reduction or go to court and take some KY !
 
I expect this is a common occurrence, I would speak to your insurance company they will have had cases like this before and many include legal cover they will be better placed to give advise on the best course of action to take.
 
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Think I'd seek some legal advice OP. Your car was still insured, you just quoted the incorrect reg plate when you took the insurance out, so I don't think you'll be facing a standard driving without insurance conviction.
Sounds like they're fining you under the 'continuous insurance' thing against the old reg plate?
 
Part of the issue here is whoever's got your old plate hasn't registered it against them, so what they're doing is illegal too. Once you can prove that you're under a private plate from the date that Admiral fitted it (show proof of receipt / invoice etc), then the DVLA or relevant body will then need to trace whoever is using the old plate from any available July footage when the driving offences were committed.
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
Part of the issue here is whoever's got your old plate
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... I didn't think the original plate would go back into circulation?

Edit - not that that's relevant anyway, the issue is that as far as the DVLA are concerned, the original registration was the one still associated with the car until Sept 22 but that registration had no insurance listed, because the OP changed the insurance to the new registration that wasn't actually associated with a car.
 
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Pawnless Endgame said:
Part of the issue here is whoever's got your old plate hasn't registered it against them, so what they're doing is illegal too. Once you can prove that you're under a private plate from the date that Admiral fitted it (show proof of receipt / invoice etc), then the DVLA or relevant body will then need to trace whoever is using the old plate from any available July footage when the driving offences were committed.
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The only offence mentioned is the one committed by the OP driving around and insuring the wrong plate.

The original plate can't have gone to anyone else as it's still registered to the OPs car which is the issue.
 
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