- Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:44 pm
#28533
There is something which is worth remembering when dealing with such matters as SORN and MOT; when the current continuous registration legislation came in, the MP who introduced it said something along the lines of "We are trying to ensure that road vehicles are properly regulated for safety and security. We are not trying to catch out law abiding citizens who are honestly trying to comply with the law".
What this should mean is that if you fall foul of some minor regulation - displaying and out of date tax disc, or (as happened to me) getting clamped while the bike was newly insured but on SORN outside my house on the morning of the test - then you can plead not guilty and cite that as evidence that Parliament did not intend that people like you should be prosecuted under the law.
I can't say I've actually tried this; shortly after my unfortunate clamping episode I emigrated to Guernsey and was tried and found guilty without my knowledge. Guernsey has no MOT, road tax or SORN, and is in a different jurisdiction to the UK (ans Swansea).
I do have a little moment of paranoia when I step off a plane at Gatwick...