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On the matter of road regulations from a recent pub quiz, without cheating: What was the speed limit introduced with the 'Red Flag Act'? Ah, the good old days.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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4mph
speramus in juniperus
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Correct, but only half the answer...
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I'm not sure, but I do know it was variable depending on whether the locomotive was in the city or the countryside. So, I'll go with 4MPH (city) and 10MPH (countryside).
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Correct, with wrong speeds...
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Well, at least I know why it was called the red flag act. Ah, hold on, that's the clue - a person couldn't walk that fast, so let's revise it to 2 MPH city and 3 MPH country.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: a person couldn't walk that fast
Speak for yourself. 
Veni, vidi, vici.
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Extremely close, I believe 2mph in town, and 4mph in the country.
Despite having been lifted a while ago, I don't think anyone told SouthEastern Railway.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I was going to ask you which of the Locomotive Acts they referred to, but apparently it's just The Locomotive Act 1865[^] that's called the Red Flag Act. Which states two and four mph.
Politicians are always realistically manoeuvering for the next election. They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers.
Buckminster Fuller
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...Disc
I thought great, then I saw its only the disc that's going, perhaps we will get a discount. 
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As I learned the hard way, police cars have cameras which automatically read number plates, then check them against insurance/MOT details. All they have to do is drive around and something bleeps when they need to pull people over.
No MOT - £60 fine!
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Rob Philpott wrote: something bleeps when they need to pull people over
I believe it's actually the sound of a cash register they hear. Kerching.
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Yes, ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition.
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Anon wrote: ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition.
Really?
But the police call number plates indexes, so shouldn't it be Automatic Index Recognition?
I'm sure that no-one litigious has a trademark/copyright/patent or anything.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Damn stupid idea.
If you buy a car, how are you supposed to know when the tax runs / ran out? I get mine online, so I have no proof whatsoever that I bought it except for a print out I could produce very easily with Word!
The website won't let you know, and they have never sent reminders...
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It's not clear to me. There is an ongoing taxation on cars AFTER you bought it? Not only a one time tax WHEN buying?
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is (V).
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Yes, originally it was introduced to pay for the road upkeep, now it just goes into the big tax pot.
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Do you have a yearly car test to renew the license of the car? How that the taxation not part of it?
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is (V).
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Yes we have a MOT to make sure the vehicle has been maintained to a basic level of safety. (steering, breaks etc.)
The vehicle is registered when first used on the road and normally keeps the same registration number for its whole life.
To get the vehicle Taxed for use on the road, evidence of MOT and insurance by the registered keeper is required.
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Why tax only one, when you can tax both for twice the price? 
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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There is a one time tax when you buy the car, based on the emmissions - plus VAT for commercial vehicles - but after that, there is:
Annual Road tax (amount varies according to CO2 emissions)
Tax on fuel, plus the VAT on the tax on the fuel.
Annual fitness test for the vehicle (after it is 3 years old) - there is a statutory fee for this.
Insurance, which also attracts an insurance premium tax (and I think, VAT on both of them)
In order to get the Tax, you need a valid test certificate (except they don't give you this anymore, it's all electronic) and a valid insurance certificate. (You do get a physical copy of this, but the police and tax departments work off the electronic version and this mostly is only useful to show you the number to ring to have your claim refused) In order to get the Insurance, you have to have a driving licence (again, all electronic, but you do get a pretty-much-worthless printed version with you photo on it which runs out every ten years and you have to pay for another. The police and insurance companies work off the electronic version. You will also get taxed to enter some areas, such as the London Congestion Zone.
Police cars (and some street cameras) are equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition devices linked to the various databases to ensure that you have paid all the required tax this week, unless you copy a law-abiding citizens number plate on the same make, model and colour of car - in which case you can do what the heck you like. One enterprising journalist waited at the end of Downing Street, and then copied the registration number of the Prime Minister's car, and had new plates made up for his...
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Here we also have a one time tax when buying a car.
There is no road tax except only one road so far...
Fuel is taxed but the fuel prices regulated by government to ensure not all the tax fails on us.
There is a fee for test that starts after 2 years and goes up to 20. From 20 it's every half year for same price...
Also you have to have at least a basic insurance that means nothing for the car, it covers only injuries only for human...
The part I didn't got, that how it's possible to forgot that your test or insurance run out? The companies that doing car testing an insurance has great interest to remember you that you have to pay!
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is (V).
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: There is no road tax except only one road so far...
Ah! Yes, there are a couple of roads and bridges where you have to pay extra to use them here as well - forgot those!
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: Fuel is taxed but the fuel prices regulated by government to ensure not all the tax fails on us.
Same thing here, except the price isn't regulated, to ensure that as much tax as possible lands on our heads.
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: how it's possible to forgot that your test or insurance run out
The insurance companies send you a reminder about two weeks before it expires and will automatically renew it if you don;t respond (normally at a much higher rate than last year).
The company doing the testing can't send you a reminder because they don't have anything to ID you except the car registration number, and there is no (legal) way to get your name or address from that alone.
The government doesn't send you a reminder (despite having all the information it needs) because that way it can fine you (more tax!) if you forget.
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