Exactly Octavious- and nor would a Policeman. You've proven the point. Cheers

You know....that are vays to to make ze dog talk...don't be zoo confidant....

haha well maybe Mutley would : )

I'm really not saying that this is going to happen though, I'm simply pointing out how things could easily be manipulated quite easily to suit thieves and the like. I mean, is having an ID card really that big of an issue? Like we said before, it's not like the cops can just walk up to me and demand my ID or arrest me. I have to do something wrong before they can.

No... because the policeman would look at his number plate scanner which would tell him "This Ferrari belongs to the Marquis of Bath", and all would be well

So once again you prove the point, lol. So who is to say that the car is yours if you have no ID to prove you ARE "the Marquis of Bath"?

Also, if you are in an area that is prone to illegal activity, you are a bit of a bone-head if you don't carry of piece of ID. You can carry you 20 bucks in your pocket and yoru smokes and a lighter...it's really such a big freaking imposition to carry ID. Hell, why even carry the 20 bucks. Why not just tell the bloke running the store that you'll catch him on payday since you are all such wonderful altruistic people.... (Rolls his eyes, shakes his head....and seriously doubts the veracity of the claims of British leniency...Just as I doubt the claims that people in the AZ are getting thrown in jail or will get thrown in jail on a regular basis simply for walking-without-ID...)

(Damn it... I've just revealed my true identity!)

The big problem with carrying IDs is that the British people don't like it because we know that on the day we have to show it we'd have left it at home and it's bloody awkward and when it comes down to it we're just a bunch of stubborn bastards :)

@ de Gaulle

NO, because the suspicious policeman asks you "Is this your car, sir?" and you say "yes", and he says "and what's you're name, sir?" and you say "erm... Matt Jonson?", and he knows you're a lying bastard.

I'm not sure why you find this idea so hard to grasp...

OK, in the US you *are* required to show license, registration, and proof of insurance if youare pulled, but then plate registration doesn't restrict drivers here. You can loan you car out to anyone you like provided either you or they can show they are insured (either as a friends and family rider on your policy or on their own as an "any car with permission" rider, both very common over here). So the two systems are different in that regard.

But what if you are standing in front of a liquor store and a robbery takes place. Over here, you can be held under suspicion of being an accessory (they'll claim you were a lookout for the theives) and if you can't provide ID, they will lock you up until someone comes down to claim you with positive ID of who you are and they police can verify the story that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But have your ID on you and be helpful and you won't even see the inside of the police station unless you witnessed the crime and can provide a sketch artist with a description.

@ krellin:

"I'm satisfied that I'm not the only bloke that thinks either Jamiet is full of mushrooms or that the UK has a seriously deficient legal system hell-bent on letting car thieves get away. It's especially easy to steal a car when it is owned by the ambiguous Pat..."

1. Octavious is describing how things work in the UK pretty well. A large proportion of drivers do not carry their drivers licence or insurance documents with them when out driving. If you are pulled over for speeding or whatver, they will give you a ticket, and you have to report to a police station within a specified period of time to display your licence and insurance documents. You can then either pay the fine or, if you dispute it, you'll be taken to court. When pulling a car over, the police will check the number plate of the car on their database, which shows who the registered owner is and who else may be insured to drive the car. If the car has been reported stolen, the database check will immediately notify them and they can arrest the driver on the spot.

I realise this may differ from the way things are done in the USA, but most people in the UK are happy with this system. I know you can prove anything with statistics, but according to the British Crime Survey, vehicle crime in the UK fell by 65% from 1995 to 2008/09. I had a look for a comparable US statistic but had trouble finding any.

2. Who the hell is this "Pat" guy you're talking about?

lol Pat was a character on Saturday Night Live years ago. It was a person who was sexually ambiguous named "Pat" - which can be either a man or woman's name. the joke was something always happened in the office were people needed to know Pat's gender....so, if I'm going to steal a car, best to steal a car owned by Pat, because the cop won't know if I'm supposed to be a man or woman....as opposed to Susan, for example.

Don't be too certain. Johnny Cash was called "Sue" as a child, remember, and he was a man.

Whoa - wait a minute! Johnny Cash was a man?

What's the point of steeling a car in the England? You can only drive to Wales and Scotland.

Yeah because, obviously, the majority of car thefts involve people who want to drive really long distances but just don't have a car of their own. Very few cars are stolen by people who want to sell them on to make money.

Thousands of years ago man invented two wondrous devices, and called them ferries and railways. It's quite easy for an Englander to get to France in his stolen car using these great inventions and drive happily across all of Europe, Asia and Africa. Although, given the option, I'd choose Scotland or Wales any day...

The huge advantage to stealing a British car over the sort of crap you find in the States, of course, is that British cars can turn corners! Out of interest have we had a car related thread yet in this forum? And if not, why not???

Thousands of years ago? Are you sure?

Quite sure, yes. Ferries have been working in some form or another pretty much everywhere since humanity started building boats, and the first railways we know about existed in places like Greece around 600 BC. Of course it took over half a millenium before someone invented the steam engine, and then another 1800 or so years before someone else thought it would be a good idea to put a steam engine on a railway, but the railways themselves are a very old idea.

@Oct - you want a car that can turn? Try a Corvette. I'll put a new ZR-1 up against even an Aston Martin Vanquish (and I love AMs too).

Oh, and there was one a while back by someone stating that Germany made the best looking cars, but their opinion was clearly skewed... and wrong. We did a whole long thread with everyone stating what they felt the best looking car was in each category (sprots, super, economy, mid-size, etc). Although the OP did agree that America made the best trucks.

Octavious and jamiet That was an attempt at humor. Do most English have their sense of humor removed when there born or when they come of age.

The Brits just have a different sens of humour. I mean, they have to. Have you seen the bucktoothed, fat-faced girls they consider "hot"?

Oh you mean like Python? I thought it was the male cast dressed up as women.

No, like what's her name who plays Gwen on Torchwood. Buckteeth with a gap. Hot body, but geez, those teeth. And she is the "sexy" on on the show. I'd much rather do Tosh.

@ warsprite

Lighten up, old chap. You make a truly poor effort of a joke about... erm... I can only assume the UK being small, and I responded in the traditional way of mild mockery followed by an equally poor joke about the quality of American cars. What's the beef?

Out of interest, where did this British tooth obsession that Americans have come from? After seeing various news reports from places like New Orleans after the hurricane I can only assume its jealousy because half of the Americans interviewed didn't seem to have any

LOL. Touche, Oct. But seriously. You all don't think Tosh was hotter than Gwen?

....Tough one. I'll admit that Tosh has a more instant appeal, but Gwen has a longer term feel about her. Not that I think about such things, of course ;).

Lighten up? That was just a playful punch on the shoulder.

Hottest British Chicks - a list in no particular order by Draugnar:

OK, my experience is a bit limited to mostly Who/Torchwood babes, but here goes...

Princess Diana - Elegance, grace, class, and a smokin bod to boot.
Tosh - Torchwood
Amy Pond - Doctor Who
Rose Tyler - Doctor Who
Nyssa - classic Doctor Who
Chrstina (Lady Christina de Souza) - Doctor Who
Tegan - classic Doctor Who
Jo Grant - classic Doctor Who
Leela - classic Doctor Who
Peri - classic Doctor Who
Romana (Lalla Ward's Romana) - classic Doctor Who
and I'll give a nod to Gwen, although she still needs to get that gap fixed.

I told you it was overloaded with Doctor Who and Torchwood stuff.