Road Traffic Act 1988

137 Production of certificates and licences to constables and authorised persons

(1) A person to whom a certificate prescribed under section 135 of this Act is issued, or to whom a licence under this Part of this Act is granted, must, on being so required by a constable or any person authorised in writing by the Secretary of State in that behalf, produce the certificate or licence for examination.

(2) Where—

(a) the name of a person is removed from the register, or

(b) a licence granted under this Part of this Act to a person expires or is revoked,

then, if that person fails to satisfy an obligation imposed on him by section 136 of this Act, a constable or a person authorised in writing by the Secretary of State in that behalf may require him to produce any such certificate issued to him or the licence, and upon its being produced may seize it and deliver it to the Registrar.

(3) A person who is required under subsection (1) or (2) above to produce a document and fails to do so is, subject to subsection (4) below, guilty of an offence.

(4) In proceedings against any person for an offence under subsection (3) above, it shall be a defence for him to show that—

(a) within seven days beginning with the day following that on which the production of the document was so required, it was produced—

(i) where the requirement was made by a constable, at a police station specified at the time the production was required by the person required to produce the document,

(ii) where the requirement was made by a person other than a constable, at a place specified at that time by that person, or

(b) the document was produced at that police station or, as the case may be, place as soon as was reasonably practicable, or

(c) it was not reasonably practicable for it to be produced at that police station or, as the case may be, place before the day on which the proceedings were commenced,

and for the purposes of this subsection the laying of the information or, in Scotland, the service of the complaint on the accused shall be treated as the commencement of the proceedings.