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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Likelihood of being caught driving with no licence?

277 replies

Throwaway283833848 · 20/10/2019 23:01

Currently don’t have a driving licence.

What is the likelihood of being stopped by the police?

Myself and my husband are both insured on the car.

I know it’s unreasonable, just wondering how likely it is?

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 21/10/2019 07:01

For anyone saying ANPR will pick up no driving license, they are incorrect. I work for a company who produce ANPR software and although I don't work in that side of the business, when I'm in the office, I'm around the people that do.

The no license will come to light as soon as you are pulled over and the Police do the initial checks on you.

k1233 · 21/10/2019 07:06

Insurance is a contract. If you don't uphold your requirements under the contract (ie be licensed) the insurance company can deny the claim. If the other person is insured, their insurance company will then pursue you directly for their claim.

I had a car written off. I was 10 cars back at a red light and the guy behind me didn't even brake. Took out my petrol tank, buckled the chassis. Even though I was badly concussed, I still remember the police saying it was my excellent driving that meant only my car and the imbeciles (they didn't call him that) were ruined. I watched him drive a good 500-800m while we were stopped, so it wasn't like the traffic stopped unexpectedly.

swingofthings · 21/10/2019 07:08

So now that we've established that the likelihood is low, are you breathing a sight of relief and telling yourself that it is ok to drive without a licence? That even if you get caught the consequences are not that bad considering.

So why don't you have a licence. Because you've never passed, hence not up to standard and more likely to cause an accident and injured someone? Because you got it revoked through too many points, so that again you've been identified as being a danger on the roads.

Is you life all about what you do as long as your chances of being caught low? If that's the case, let's hope Karma doesn't come knocking on your door and you or someone you love end up in hospital because of someone who thought they were ok to drive after a few drinks thinking the journey was short and the chances of getting caught very low.

mumwon · 21/10/2019 07:10

so you don't have the skills to drive the car (because if you did you would have a licence) & you don't care - you are more worried about being caught - you are more of a danger to others & you don't care - you are breaking the law & you don't care - yup, says a lot about you & none of it good - simples, get a licence & don't drive by yourself until you do (are you a troll??)

makingmammaries · 21/10/2019 07:21

I know someone who was in this situation because of a bureaucratic mess-up and had the choice of continuing to drive as normal while the mess was sorted out, which took a while, or losing his livelihood. He chose to keep driving. Nothing happened.

motherofawhirlwind · 21/10/2019 07:21

I think some PP need to watch some episodes of Police Interceptors to see how ANPR works and how quick they can get insurance info back.

Kahlua4me · 21/10/2019 07:28

Doesn’t really matter if you, or your sister, are likely to be stopped and checked really.

Having a valid licence and insurance is to protect people should they get insured by your car. If you are involved in an accident it will cover others if they are injured and can’t work and pay their bills. I don’t really care if you can’t pay your bills as you willingly drove without insure and took that risk yourself but it’s not fair on other people.

Dh was run over last year and has major injuries. He has had to have 3 operations already and hasn’t been able to work for 6-8 weeks after each one. If the other driver didn’t have insurance we would really be struggling with paying mortgage etc.

Bloody selfish and stupid to drive without insurance.

Leflic · 21/10/2019 07:30

If your DH has a licence and is also on the insurance I can’t see it being found out unless you get stopped.
I work with someone ( respectable) whose MOT has been out for a month. So definitely no insurance. No one hunted him down.

megletthesecond · 21/10/2019 07:32

I'm afraid to say I agree with hinge on the first page.
So many bad drivers and drivers blatantly using phone these days. You'll blend in.

Fill your boots. Make a phone call while you're doing it.

bellinisurge · 21/10/2019 07:33

@Leflic , not about being "hunted down ". About being informed upon. Which I would do in a heartbeat.

JustMe9 · 21/10/2019 07:35

If you are driving during the day (avoiding silly hours like 2am night trips) you 100% wont ever get pulled by police. Unless you are in an accident or something like that. I have been driving in this country for almost 10 years and have bever been stopped. However my husband has been stopped quite a few times when he was doing his night shift and driving at silly hours as ir obviously is more suspicious to the police. On the other hand I get stopped almost everytime when I go back to Europe LOL

MyOtherProfile · 21/10/2019 07:39

If you are driving during the day (avoiding silly hours like 2am night trips) you 100% wont ever get pulled by police

I've seen the police pull people over in the daytime plenty of times without an accident.

hidinginthenightgarden · 21/10/2019 07:41

Well when we got a new car I was stopped 3 times in two days because the insurance company failed to put it on the police data base. So I would say you would be caught in days.

fantasmasgoria1 · 21/10/2019 07:41

My ex sil drove without having passed her test for over 10 years and never got caught. I always thought she was being really stupid do it. Eventually she took her test and passed. But that was her family mentally do things and not get caught such as when I met my ex the adults parents and adult children all fiddled the benefits system and I was shocked because I had never heard anything about it before.

hidinginthenightgarden · 21/10/2019 07:42

@JustMe9 I got pulled over 3 times in 2 days because my insurance wasn't showing. All 3 occasions were day time.

Ponoka7 · 21/10/2019 07:54

You have to be careful about what areas you drive in to not get caught.

I live in a high crime bit of Liverpool. We aren't far from the Knowsley motorway. It's a route that is used in/out of the city. So there's always a level of drugs and guns coming through.

Because of that there's regular Police stop points. Sometimes they are specifically looking for someone/a vehicle, but will do random stops as well.

When they do taxi checks, they also do random stops.

There's going to be the crackdown on illegal fireworks soon. Then we'll go into drug/drink driving check season.

If your driving without just insurance, it's a matter of luck, but you won't get away with it for long. But it makes our city safer than it would be.

These checks cut down on more serious activity, especially since sniffer dogs are used routinely at the train stations.

Ponoka7 · 21/10/2019 07:57

JustMe9, you've just been very lucky. Do you drive nationwide? You've never seen stop pounts in the cities you've driven in, during the day?

ForalltheSaints · 21/10/2019 08:02

Don't drive until you have a licence. If you do, I hope you are caught.

Over 1,000 people die in road crashes a year. I don't want any more, as I assume there is a valid reason for your having no licence.

Acciocats · 21/10/2019 08:04

What a fucking stupid question to ask. How on earth are Mumsnetters supposed to calculate the probability of you being stopped by the police?

I’m tempted to say there’s quite a good chance because I’m assuming the OP either doesn’t normally drive, has never passed her test or has lost her licence through some driving offences previously. Any of these scenarios suggest the OP wouldn’t be great behind the wheel

But honestly that’s one of the dumbest AIBU I’ve seen in a long time

blahblahblahblahhh · 21/10/2019 08:05

If you have an accident can you afford to pay all the legal fees when you find out you aren't insured because you don't have a license to drive. Why would you even do that! Get your driving licence then drive!

SleepyKat · 21/10/2019 08:07

I’ve been driving 20 years. In that time if I didn’t have a licence I would have been caught out 5 times. So I would say on average once every 4 years. But of course your first time could be a week away or 4 years away.

Leflic · 21/10/2019 08:13

Leflic , not about being "hunted down ". About being informed upon. Which I would do in a heartbeat.

I used that terminology because the thread had turned to software used to find people before they got stopped/were in an accident etc. He would lose his career as you aren’t allowed a police record in my profession. Obviously there is a risk of an accident but that’s not a guarantee is it or even a probability statistically.

“Informed upon” is more worrying. Living with the Stasi is worse than forgetting your MOT.

Rezie · 21/10/2019 08:15

I've had a license for 11 years and nobody has ever asked to see my license while driving.

LoveGrowsWhere · 21/10/2019 08:15

I've only been stopped once and that was because I had a rear light out. I didn't know and they let me off so long as promised to get fixed next day. It was on a very boring road in the suburbs on a Sunday as part of a Christmas drink drive campaign.

Ce7913 · 21/10/2019 08:27

You should tell your sister the truth - that anyone who does this is absolute scum.

Deliberately exposing others to the risk of financially unrecoverable physical injury, permanent impairment or property damage for her mere convenience is beyond selfish.

That she is also willing to expose her husband and nuclear family to potentially crushing debt (after a stressful, years-long legal process) because she couldn't be f*ed either renewing her license or driving safely enough to keep it is just disgusting.

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people.