Motoring Documents

[woofas]

Please settle an argument.
Is a driver required to carry any document when driving ie. driving licence, insurance certificate or MOT?
I think none although you may be required to produce them at a police station within 7 days.

[Baldric]

No they're not, I believe you get 7 days to present them at a Police Station. I usually carry my Driving Licence as it's a useful confirmation of Identity.

[Prudie]

This is bound to start some arguments1 Ok I haven't googled so this is my perception - in this country no you don't. Abroad usually yes (ie I know I had to in Spain not that I ever did)

[Baldric]

Confirmed here

https://www.gov.uk/stopped-by-police-while-driving-your-rights

[woofas]

I stopped carrying my driving licence when I realised that it contained ALL my personal information: full name, address, post code, date of birth and sample of my signature. Imagine the damage if it fell into the wrong hands!

[Peter Pedant]

No -
they can and do give you a 'producer'
as in 'give him a producer ven, Bill'

I thought the advice now was NOT to carry docs for the reason Woofas said - ease of identity fraud.

If you say you are John SMith and they think you are Bill Brown they can stop you and take you darn ve nick - which a driving licence might prevent

and remember that the PNC carries much more info than - 'he is a bad boy' - whether you have a friearms licence for example. The police commented well it is rather obvious why we record info such as that.

and what does Bill Gates and Mark Zuckeman know about you and is selling at this moment as you read /
Much much more ....

[Hopkirk]

With modern technology, producing a licence is hardly necessary nowadays. They can find out all about you in plenty of ways.

[Buenchico]

As Hopkirk states, 'producers' are very rarely issued these days because modern technology means that it's easy enough to check on the relevant driver and vehicle details directly anyway.

Further, the use of 'producers' can cause great inconvenience for (often entirely innocent) motorists because it can be hard for them to get to a police station during opening hours. (Here in Suffolk there are only three police stations open to the public across the whole of the county and they only open, from Monday to Saturday, during office hours. If, say, a motorist was involved in an accident which took his car off the road, it could take him several hours by bus to get a police station).