Parking fines issued for minor registration errors will be cancelled in future
British Parking Association revises Code of Practice to allow leeway for ‘minor’ car registration errors
Parking fines racked up as a result of minor errors when keying in a car’s registration could be a thing of the past following a new rule change.
A revised Code of Practice published by the British Parking Association (BPA) will see firms recognised under its ‘Approved Operator Scheme’ overturn fines issued for a ‘minor keying error’.
The BPA defines a minor error as ‘one letter or number incorrect or letters and numbers in the wrong order’ when keying in a car’s registration. Fines will still be able to be issued for major errors however, described as ‘one that has multiple number and letter keying errors, the first three digits only have been recorded or a completely incorrect registration number is used’.
Steve Clark, BPA head of business operations, said: “Following consultation with key stakeholders, including consumer groups and government, we are delighted to release the latest version of our leading AOS Code of Practice.
“We recognise that genuine mistakes can occur, which may result in a parking charge being issued even when a motorist can demonstrate they paid for their parking. In recognition of this we have further clarified the situation for all parties. Motorists will still need to appeal, but we expect our members to deal with them appropriately at the first appeal stage.”
