Are you wondering about how to check if your car is flagged?
You may be concerned that perhaps your vehicle has been marked by cops, and now, you are looking for ways to ease your worries.
This is just some of the questions that many people wonder about, especially if they want to make sure that the vehicle they intend to buy has no further issues with the authority. After all, the last thing you want is to end up buying a vehicle flagged by the police.
So, we look into the different techniques you can do to get your worries out of your head and have confidence in the vehicle you have been eyeing before you make a purchase. Let’s get started!
How To Check If Your Car Is Flagged
If you are thinking of buying a used vehicle, you want to make sure that you get it checked before making a purchase.
There are some cases of people buying a secondhand car, only to realize that this vehicle has been flagged by authorities. Thus, they go through so many issues with it, especially if they had no idea it was marked in the first place.
The authorities have a number of reasons why they mark a vehicle. What this does is to keep roads safe from questionable vehicles that are cruising on the streets.
If you plan on purchasing a used car, yet you have failed to conduct a thorough check on the background or history, it can be risky. It is likened to going to an unfamiliar road without knowing the ins and outs. This is why you should always make it a point to look into history instead of having regrets in the future.
When it comes to used vehicles, there are some chances that it has been marked by the police, at one point or another. And the last thing you want to end up with is a liability. This is why checking if the car is flagged is an important first step before you buy that vehicle you have in mind.
First of all, a marker is the thing assigned to any vehicle that is questionable because of some issues it has incurred in the past with the authority. This is a red-colored flag that authorities put on the registration plate of the vehicle, and it is then registered in the PND or the Police National Database. Each flagged vehicle may be pulled over by the police for checks. There are also police activities that may be done to the vehicle such as a criminal investigation. This all depends on why the marker was placed on the vehicle in the first place.
Reasons For Flagging A Car
There are a few reasons why a car may be flagged. For instance, there may be a negative report conducted regarding the vehicle. If the vehicle has been previously used for a criminal activity, and even if the new owner has no participation whatsoever with it, the vehicle may still be questioned by authorities.
This is why a marker is placed for the police to perform further checks because of the vehicle’s history of a negative report.
Another reason why a car is marked is for the purpose of a theft marker. In the case of stolen vehicles, a marker is placed on these not just by the police but also the insurance company. Thus, you would not want to take the risk of buying a vehicle that was stolen. Just think about the inconveniences you will experience when the authorities arrest you for driving such a car that has a poor reputation.
With this in mind, you need to check the car’s history using the Detailed Vehicle History tool, which enables you to access key databases such as insurance companies and create a history report for your vehicle.
And lastly, you may be driving a car used for drug-related activities. This is one of the reasons the legal authorities put a marker on a vehicle. They may also flag a car if the person driving it is involved in drugs or drunk driving. It is also flagged since the vehicle may also have some drugs hidden somewhere in it, which is why the police are bound to do a thorough check on it.
We would also like to add that a section marker may be placed on a vehicle. A car may be flagged not just because of criminal activities but also some unlawful behaviors done by the driver. Things like disobeying traffic rules or reckless driving, to name a few, are some reasons for a car to be flagged by the authorities.
With all these things in mind, you need to check if your vehicle is flagged by doing a VIN check along with a detailed vehicle history. The checks should provide you with a thorough report on the history of your car, as well as accident records, title changes, previous owners, and some questions you may have about mileage.
Your Next Step
Once you have done a check on your vehicle, you may be wondering how you can remove the marker.
While it may be done, it is definitely not very easy. This depends on the marker type – and you cannot just go to the police station to demand that the marker be removed. You need to first give the authorities a full report of the previous vehicle owner that you have obtained from the report, as well as information on the current owner. Then, the police will decide what they can do about it.
This may be a tedious task to get the marker removed but it may be worth it once you have gathered all the key details you need. However, to avoid getting yourself in such a sticky situation, it is always best to do your research first before you buy. Then, you don’t have to be constantly worried about driving your car after knowing it has a clean history.