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If your vehicle is impounded and you wonder how to retrieve it from the police pound without any insurance. In every state of the UK, the driver must have insurance to drive a vehicle, you could find yourself in circumstances where you don’t have it and your vehicle has been taken to the police pound. Some of the reasons your vehicle could be impounded include impeding traffic with the vehicle, driving without insurance, illegally parking, or being arrested.
How did your car get impounded by police?
You are driving on the road minding your own work when you see a flashing light in your mirror. You pull over on the roadside and a police officer comes over to you a few mins later the tow truck arrives to take your car away and you are left to complete your journey by transport.
How did the police know you are driving an impounded car?
The most likely is that your vehicle has been taken away because the officer had a valid reason to believe that you were not insured to drive that car. This was easy and simple to check up on since there is a central database that consists of details of all the car insurance policies in our country and the authorities are using an automatic system that can read number plates and compare them against the details in their database almost instantly. The large majority of people who are caught driving whilst not insured are caught by one of these cameras.
What happens to your vehicle?
Your vehicle will now be taken to the police pound where it will be kept under the pound staff custody. It will remain there for a minimum of 14 days. You will have 7 working days and after 14 days if you are unable to collect your impounded vehicle, there is a massive chance that it will be scrapped or sold at auction and the money will disappear into government funds leaving none for you.
How to release an impounded vehicle?
If your vehicle is impounded, you will just have to follow a few steps. The first step is to figure out where it has been taken. The location of the vehicle will depend on the condition. One condition is if your car was impounded when you were not present. In this situation, you will have to figure out where your vehicle may have been taken.
If your vehicle was parked illegally, look for the lot or area where you parked the vehicle where impounded vehicles are taken. You could also check with the business that owns the parking lot where you parked the vehicle. When the vehicle is impounded without your consent or knowledge, you may not know where to start your search. Impound records are managed at the local police pound so check there whether your vehicle has been listed as impounded recently.
The next step in the procedure of releasing your vehicle is contacting the pound where your vehicle has been taken. Calling ahead can assist you to get the important information you need about when and how to release it from impound. You will generally need to pay impound fees plus daily storage charges for the days your vehicle was in the pound. The cost varies, so always check when you contact the local pound to ensure you have the money you need to retrieve your vehicle.
Proof of insurance that your vehicle has an insurance policy that covers it. These documents may include
- The details of the policy
- Address
- Vehicle information
- The name of the registered owner
After you collect all the information required, you must make sure to pick it up as early as possible because impound fees increase day by day, so the longer you wait, the more you will have to pay. You need to ensure you have a way to pay the charges and all the information needed. Forgetting even one required document will result in you leaving without your vehicle.
What is the cheapest way?
There was one method that was used to work to get a friend or family member who had insurance on the vehicle which covered him/her for any vehicle not belonging to drive it away for you. This resulted in many uninsured vehicles arriving back on the road quickly. However, so the loophole was closed some time ago and the overwhelming majority of insurance policies now stipulate that the cover for other vehicles does not include usage for getting a vehicle out of impound.
Temporary insurance policies of 1-28 days will also not be accepted. There is no benefit of using a price comparison site as almost all mainstream insurance providers will decline to cover the driver of an impounded car.
You need a special insurance provider who can advise you on how to go about your business and find you the cheapest impound insurance policy which is available to you.
What happens if you forget to insure your car?
If you forget to renew your car insurance, you are going to face fines big time. If you are involved in an accident and your vehicle was not insured, you will also have to pay for the damages.
Here is what all you need to know
- If you forgot to contact your insurance provider before getting back on the road, remedy the situation instantly and call
- You could be facing big fines if you are found driving uninsured
- If you are involved in an accident without insurance, you are going to be in a very tough condition financially
Driving without valid insurance can be a big mistake
Driving without insurance in the UK is a crime and there are very serious consequences. Your vehicle will be impounded, will have to face penalty points, be banned from driving, or sometimes have to go to jail. So, always insure your car while driving otherwise you are putting yourself in a massive hole.
