Frequently Asked Questions

Please Note!

In our reporting service, we refer to a vehicle's licence plate number in several ways:

  1. Vehicle registration numbers

  2. Licence plate numbers
  3. Number plates

General reporting and viewing questions

  1. Does it cost to view or to submit a report?.
  2. Can I check my own vehicle registration number plate?
  3. Can I check any vehicle's number plate?
  4. How many times can I check a vehicle's registration number?
  5. Can I submit a report on the same vehicle more than once?
  6. How often can I submit incident reports?
  7. Can I submit a report on more than one vehicle for the same incident?
  8. If I submit a report, do I remain anonymous?
  9. Are there any exceptions to this rule?
  10. What information do I need to file a report?
  11. What if I only have a partial vehicle registration number?
  12. What happens after I have made my report?
  13. Will the driver of the vehicle be told of my report?
  14. Can I name the driver to which my report is based?
  15. Can a driver find out who posted a report against them?
  16. How can you know if a reported incident is accurate and truthful?
  17. Can a driver be prosecuted based on my report?
  18. As RoadDriver has a police section. Does this mean the police will have access to my personal details if I were to file a report?
  19. Can the police see my report
  20. When can I submit a report?
  21. Can I delete a report once posted?
  22. What happens if a report is lodged against my vehicle?
  23. What if someone dishonestly or maliciously posts a report against my vehicle?
  24. What if I purchase a vehicle that has a report logged against it?
  25. Can I remove my registration number from your database?
  26. What if my car was reported stolen at the time the report was logged?
  27. What if I was not the driver at the time the report was logged?
  28. When I search for a registration number it can't be found.
  29. What's to stop me giving myself good driving reports?
  30. Can my insurance company use a bad report to increase my insurance premiums?
  31. What if my employer sees a bad report against my vehicle?

1. Does it cost to view or to submit a report?.

No. The reporting and viewing of registration numbers held on our database is absolutely free.

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2. Can I check my own vehicle registration number plate?

Yes. You can check to see if a report has been posted against its registration number on our database.

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3. Can I check any vehicle's number plate?

Yes. Please Note! A vehicle will only show up if it has a report filed against its registration number on our database.

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4. How many times can I check a vehicle's registration number?

You can check a vehicle's registration number as often as you wish.

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5. Can I submit a report on the same vehicle more than once?

Yes. But it must be separate incidents. Please note! We constantly monitor reports for honesty and fairness. Any abuses can get you barred from the system.

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6. How often can I submit incident reports?

We would encourage you to report unsafe or dangerous driving incidents as often as you like; provided they are balanced and fair and it is an honest account of what you have witnessed.

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7. Can I submit a report on more than one vehicle for the same incident?

Yes. Please Note! You will need to file separate reports on each vehicle's registration numbers if you wish the report to show up on each individual vehicle's licence plate number that was involved in the incident.

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8. If I submit a report, do I remain anonymous?

Yes. We take your privacy very seriously. Your e-mail address and any personally identifying information are encrypted and kept secure and is further protected under the 1998 Data Protection Act. RoadDriver is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) registration number Z1846434. Under no circumstances do we release or sell on your details to anyone.

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9. Are there any exceptions to this rule?

Yes. There are two exceptions to this privacy rule.

  1. If you have given us expressed written consent to pass your details on to a Corporate Member of our Safety Schemes so they may communicate with you directly for goodwill reasons. (See our privacy policy) or
  2. We are ordered by a court of law. It is highly unlikely that we would be subject to a court order and then only if they could show that by posting a report you aided or committed a criminal offence. (See our incident report policy)

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10. What information do I need to file a report?

All that is legally required is the correct vehicle registration number and a detailed and honest account of the incident. Any other information such as make, model, and colour of vehicle is always helpful. No driver identifiable information is allowed.

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11. What if I only have a partial vehicle registration number?

Our service must be seen to be fair and truthful. As partial registration numbers could be attributed to innocent parties, they cannot be included. Please note! Most bad drivers are habitual offenders, so if you fail to get the full registration number on this occasion, the chances are that someone else will.

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12. What happens after I have made my report?

Your report will be uploaded to our website via our database and your comments on the driver of the vehicle will be visible for the public to read on our website in perpetuity.

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13. Will the driver of the vehicle be told of my report?

If the vehicle is part of one of the RoadDriver safety schemes, participants will automatically receive an e-mail informing them of your report. If however, the driver is not a member, the only way the driver will be made aware of your report, is if someone tells them of your report, or if they themselves check their own vehicle's registration number on our system.

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14. Can I name the driver to which my report is based?

No. To avoid mistaken identity and to stay within the slander and libel laws, you can only report on the make, colour and type of vehicle plus its registration number as these details are already in the public domain. You can refer to a driver but under no circumstances include any details that could identify him or her. Nor should you include any details that could disclose your identity. (See incident report policy)

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15. Can a driver find out who posted a report against them?

No. There is absolutely no way for a recipient of a report to find out who filed a report against their vehicle.

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16. How can you know if a reported incident is accurate and truthful?

Honesty is an absolute necessity for the lawful operation of our reporting service, anything less renders our site and any reports useless. Sadly, without spending huge resources and money; there is no way to confirm the accuracy of a reported incident. Reported incidents should simply be used for information purposes, noting that a member of the public was concerned enough to take the time to file a report. We recommend that any concerned parties perform additional research to confirm the accuracy of any incident report. 

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17. Can a driver be prosecuted based on my report?

No. Any criminal proceedings can only be brought by you making a formal complaint to the police. If you believe an offence has been committed you should report it to your local police for their expert consideration.

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18. As RoadDriver has a police section. Does this mean the police will have access to my personal details if I were to file a report?

No. The police have absolutely no access to this section of our website and have no way of knowing the personal details of those who post reports.

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19. Can the police see my report

Yes. In common with the general public, once you have posted a report it becomes in the public domain for all to see. Note! Only your comments are on view on our website; not your personal details.

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20. When can I submit a report?

24/7

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21. Can I delete a report once posted?

No. Once you have filed a report it stays on record which is why you should only submit a truthful report and then only when you are calm and collected. (See our Incident Report Policy)

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22. What happens if a report is lodged against my vehicle?

You have the right to reply to any report which is logged against your vehicle. Your comments will be seen alongside the original report. Provided your response is not abusive it will be posted.

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23. What if someone dishonestly or maliciously posts a report against my vehicle?

We do our very best to curtail and to discourage dishonest or malicious reports. Again you have the right to reply to such a report. If it can be proven without doubt that the report is false or malicious RoadDriver would consider deleting the report. RoadDriver also reserves the right to seek legal redress against anyone who uses our services dishonestly.

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24. What if I purchase a vehicle that has a report logged against it?

The point to remember here is that the report is against the vehicle registration number and not you personally. The reports are dated which will show that it was filed before you purchased the car.  We would however consider removing a report from public view if documental evidence of change of ownership was supplied and verified. Please note! This service would attract an administration fee of £10.00.

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25. Can I remove my registration number from your database?

No. Vehicle registration numbers are in the public domain.

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26. What if my car was reported stolen at the time the report was logged?

If you can supply documental evidence such as a police report or solicitor's letter we will consider removing the report from public view. We would however prefer to add a RoadDriver comment next to this report confirming the fact that this report was filed while the vehicle was in the hands of a thief. If you agree to this inclusion, there would be no charge for this service. Alternatively, a deletion would attract an administration fee of £10.00.

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27. What if I was not the driver at the time the report was logged?

The report is lodged against the vehicles registration number and not you personally. In these circumstances the report will stay on file but you will have the right to reply to the report where you can state that another driver was responsible for the report. However, you cannot indentify the driver who was driving your vehicle at the time the incident was witnessed.

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28. When I search for a registration number it can't be found.

It simply means that we do not have any reports against that vehicle on our database.

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29. What's to stop me giving myself good driving reports?

Honesty is an absolute necessity for the lawful operation of our reporting service, anything less renders our site and your report useless. We constantly monitor for the illicit use of our service. Any proven misuse or abuse will result in a barring from our service, reports deleted, and the vehicles registration number being highlighted by RoadDriver as a dishonest contributor. Also RoadDriver reserves the right to seek legal redress against the perpetrator of untruthful reports. (See our Terms and Conditions and our Incident policy use)

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30. Can my insurance company use a bad report to increase my insurance premiums?

Insurance companies have their own criteria for setting insurance premiums. However, insurance companies are likely to check registration numbers that they are concerned about.

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31. What if my employer sees a bad report against my vehicle?

Most employer's would take an even handed view of reports against a employees private vehicle. However, persistant offenders would cause any employer concern. The morale here is to drive safely and sensibly.

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RoadDriver Safety Schemes

Most questions that are likely to be asked are covered in the comprehensive textual content and pdf files for these schemes, but if you have a specific question, please submit your question on our contact page and we will do our best to answer your query as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

If these FAQ's do not solve your query please contact RoadDriver and we will do our best to assist.