Four in 10 bikers dodge road tax

[Wicky]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7200066.stm

Is this figure including SORN bikes legitimately kept off-road over winter? If it's an estimate of untaxed bikes being used on the road how on earth do come up with these figures?

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency risks becoming "a complete laughing stock" after it emerged nearly 40% of motorbikes are untaxed, MPs have said.

It came after it emerged that 38% of motorcyclists evaded road tax in 2006, compared with 30% the previous year.

They must also "strongly consider more severe measures such as impounding unlicensed motorcycles", he said, adding: "Large parts of the biking community are cocking a snook at the law."

The MPs found that enforcement of road tax on motorbikes was difficult because roadside cameras had been unable to read their number plates from the rear.

As for the number plates, is that disinformation or something to do with small plates? or simply a mistake when they mean "front" instead of "rear"?

"And, from September, new legislation will allow the police, DVLA and local authorities to take action against unlicensed vehicles even if they are not parked on public roads."

They'll raid our sheds for basket cases??

[VTRgirl]

Is that our equivalent of "unregistered"?

And Wicky, that bit about the number plates could read two ways, so literally, they're okay.

"unable to read it from the rear" could refer to them being exactly that because their cameras snap from the front. On the other hand, as I'm guessing you've read it, would only make sense if your plates were on the front.

That's very clumsily written on my part, but I hope it still says what I mean (I'm claiming lack of smarts due to night duty & the root canal treatment I started an hour or so ago )

Oh, and what the heck is "cocking a snook"?

As for the claim, wouldn't have a clue how they'd come up with it, especially when in the same breath they claim to not be able to tell. Seems a huge proportion. I'd be surprised if it was anywhere near that here. Bikes are really targetted by police & most cameras point to the rear of our vehicles now. We have a lot of cops out & about & often just sitting on the side of the road where you least expect it. They're required to display a sign stating that a camera is in use (which I think is stupid on their part), but it's usually tucked away in long grass or behind their car or something.

I reckon there'd be more unlicenced riders than unregistered bikes here.

[Fireman on a Storm]

Sounds like the BBc and MPs telling half truths again! You heard the saying "don't let the truth get int he way of a good story"

[solorider]

"And, from September, new legislation will allow the police, DVLA and local authorities to take action against unlicensed vehicles even if they are not parked on public roads."

well i have a 1975 rd200 that is in my kitchen,does that mean that the dvla have the powers to enter my property and remove my bike,the bike is untaxed and does not go on a public road except when it went for its mot which it is till april.this is how dvla probebly get their figures,my bike is not declared sorn as it has not been taxed for so long and i cannot declare sorn either

[Kitch]

Found a snippet from the "made it up" bit I remembered seeing:

The DVLA sent people out to take down the registration number of every passing vehicle and they then checked this against the tax database. This yielded a figure of 16 per cent evasion for bikes. They then ran this through a computer model working on the assumption that untaxed bikes are ridden less and arrived at a figure of 38 per cent.

They basically arrived at 38% because they reasoned that their road survey didn't count the right number of bikes (despite the obvious flaw in a DVLA monkey writing stuff down and then inputting it into a broken computer sytem - and doing it accurately)

So they just made it up ("computer modelled") it.


I submitted that to the BBC, but I doubt it will change anything. Obviously a sensationalised story poorly researched.

[LotusSevenMan]

I have two bikes on Sorn and one all up, sorted and legal.
That should be enough for the Swansea Mafia.

I suppose a clamp-down on number plates the size of a matchbox might be a good idea 'cos if I were clipped by an idjut on a bike (while in my Co car) I might just like to read his reg plate too.

I noticed an R 1 rider the other day going fairly slow in the nearside lane on a motorway with the tiniest rear plate I have ever seen. Fag packet size if magnified!!!
I wondered why he was travelling that slow. Six cars further up was the reason. A cop van he wasn't about to overtake!!!

[bob the builder]

I listened to the show live and probably like others listened in horror as Steve Berry 'journo' make a complete butt of himself.

His point about bikers not being listened to was fair, but all he did was speak over the top of that MP bloke. Sounded to me like a complete tw@!

I, like every other biker i know, have road tax, current MOT's and insurance on all of the bikes in my garage.

Lets point out the uninsured car drivers next week..........nah forget it, there's only 23 million cars in the UK at present it's not worth talking about.

[LotusSevenMan]

As a quick aside, I saw a section of a programme the other night on cable called "Speeders". Basically following American cops etc. They pulled a guy who turned out to have no driving license, but what I found an amazing fact (and no, I don't know how many drivers there are in total in the US) was that they reckoned there was 17,000,000 non licensed car drivers in the States!!!!!
Ummmmmm.

[Wicky]

Bloody right too, still this is an overguestimate as they were misreading bike plates as car plates.


MPs apologise for motorbike error

Motorcyclists pay up to £64 a year in vehicle excise duty
The influential Commons Public Accounts Committee of MPs has apologised to motorcyclists after wrongly suggesting 40% of motorbikes were untaxed.
Committee chairman Edward Leigh blamed the error in last month's report on the Department of Transport, saying it now estimated the figure at 9.8%.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7268854.stm

[sirch345]

That sounds more like it Wicky Even though that is an estimate

40% did seem to be one hell of a lot

Chris.