Queestion for those of you who drive Skodas with flashing blue lights........

Got stopped this morning by a single female officer who wanted to know why I had european plates on my vehicle. I answered "I didn't realise they were European".......and so the story starts.

I recently had a rather large rock crack the front plate which started to deteriorate so I thought I'd better replace it. Also Motorpoint had managed to affix the rear plate so crooked it was driving me nuts so I bought a pair of pressed alloy plates off ebay. Now going back to the auction it does say in small print (and I mean small print) not for road use however I didn't realise this at the time and bought in good faith. They are listed as "German Plates but I don't have any funny stickers, lines or spacing, they have an EU badge on the left as usual and all I wanted was some metal ones!

Anyway, I explained to the officer I genuinly didn't realise they were illegal but that I would of course replace them ASAP, today in fact assuming I could find somewhere to make a set. She said, "sorry but its a £60 fine". i said "surely you can issue me wih a rectification notice and don't need to fine me". She said "sorry but we don't do that anymore because we were mugged off too often by people and the rules must be applied evenly.

Now bear in mind I'm standing by the side of the road in a business suit with a 59 plate Skud.....OK a suit is not a marker or otherwise of a persons standing in life but its obvious I wasn't a 19yr old scroat with a baseball cap on back to front. You get the picture..........

I stated that had I just left the front plate alone I would probably not have been stopped however in trying to ensure I complied with the law, I made things worse. She could quite plainly see i wasn't trying to "mug her off" as she said but I got the impression it was falling on deaf ears as she continued to write up the ticket. I said to her that this was exactly what alienated people like myself and she sort of agreed but added "look I'm not being rude and I'm only doing my job". At this point thought whats the point in arguing but I was now starting to get annoyed so I just asked If I could have my ticket and license, got in the car and buggered off.

You could argue that I should have read the auction better and ignorance is no defence in law but IMHO this really is a prime example of an officer not exercising her judgement and being just a little too officious. I have the utmost respect for our traffic police and I also have the utmost respect for the law in general but when something like this happens - prosecution rather than education, people like me get rather ****ed off and start to be resentful........

Discuss...........

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by wardth

Have you a link to these plates, if they are the same size and the letters and numbers are correctly spaced and they are reflective what is the problem, we are in Europe after all, and don't forget there are many older vehicles using the pressed plates with black background and silver or white letters and numbers

It's unfortunate, but there are a lot of illegal numberplates about at the moment, and most people do realise they are illegal but don't seem to think it matters.

The rules on numberplates are quite clear.

I'm sorry that you didn't realise, but personally I'm glad they are taking a harder stance with offences like these, as it's annoying to see people running about with illegal number plates and fog lights on all the time.

Have you a link to these plates, if they are the same size and the letters and numbers are correctly spaced and they are reflective what is the problem, we are in Europe after all, and don't forget there are many older vehicles using the pressed plates with black background and silver or white letters and numbers

The police are hard on illegal plates, even with correct font & spacing - they are often used to clone cars by criminals.

It's unfortunate, but there are a lot of illegal numberplates about at the moment, and most people do realise they are illegal but don't seem to think it matters.

The rules on numberplates are quite clear.

I'm sorry that you didn't realise, but personally I'm glad they are taking a harder stance with offences like these, as it's annoying to see people running about with illegal number plates and fog lights on all the time.

Yes I agree that the Ned's use illegal number plates of all descriptions, but if these are the ones I think they are they look like the legal plastic ones you can get but the lettering is pressed out instead of being stuck on

I really agree that the bill should clamp down hard on illegal use of fog lights and give them £100 on the spot tickets as they tend to blind on coming drivers

If I see a car coming with them on when I'm on the open road and nothing behind them I never dip, or go to main beam if on dip

I have just remembered all cars had the metal plates white at the front and yellow at the back with pressed out lettering, before the plastic ones came on the market, I had them on 3 of my cabs

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by skippy41

You could argue that I should have read the auction better and ignorance is no defence in law but IMHO…

IMHO I would argue that you could and maybe should have looked into license plate regulation before looking for a new set.

Maybe post up some pics of the plates.

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by foo

My point is I quite clearly didn't realise and the officer could have said "ok, go get some legal plates" I wouldn't have needed 7 days - I would have turned arond there and then, gone home, got my reg documents and gone direct to halfords. I even offered to do so but to no avail. Yes I know you can't have one rule for one and one rule for another but there are people driving around in cars which are so illegal its untrue and yet she wouldn't give me the owner of a 59 plate Octy with nothing illegal apart from a couple of numberplates the benefit of the doubt. "yes your honour he looked a right crim to me".........

While we were standing there a van sneaked past on the other side of the road at walking pace in the traffic which was quite clearly grossly overloaded - you tell me what is the best use of police time?

There is such a thing as customer service and PR and as many offences can be avoided with the correct application of both. I now feel pretty aggrieved and resentful towards Sussex Police and so do about 20 people I work with who also think it was a bit rough. I didn't feel resentful at 8:15 this morning when I left for the 8 mile drive to work. Whats right, fine me £60 and **** me and other people off or apply some judement, still get the issue fixed yet give the right impression to the public at large. I just think its a shame.

BTW, I completely agree with the fog light issue although to be fair I think its less of an issue than the rear ones which people seem to forget...........but thats another moan!

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by wardth

You could argue that I should have read the auction better and ignorance is no defence in law but IMHO this really is a prime example of an officer not exercising her judgement and being just a little too officious. I have the utmost respect for our traffic police and I also have the utmost respect for the law in general but when something like this happens - prosecution rather than education, people like me get rather ****ed off and start to be resentful........

Discuss...........

Yes you should have read the auction, and yes ignorance is no defence, Why did you think "German plates" were legal in the UK?

You apparently have the utmost respect in general but no respect in particular for the law?

It is not a prime example of anything. You commited a crime, you got caught and the people who enforce the law enforced it.

"people like me..." Who is that exactly? Why should a 19 year old scrote pay a fine and you not pay a fine? One law for jeans and one for suits?

If you want sympathy you might get it here, and you might not. You are not getting any from me.

By the way "German plates" are legal in Ireland and I am thinking of getting some since metal plates look so much better IMHO

When she gets back there is no tick box that says "exercised own judgement".

Rather there is a nice big +1 for the fines issued target and probably + for 'serious crimes solved'. And she is just doing her job as dictated by her politicised masters.

Elected police chiefs would cut down on this sort of rubbish because they'd have to work in the interests of the people who would vote for them.

Here you go..............

Hardly a huge difference IMHO

Edited 26 March, 201016 yr by wardth

Here you go..............

Hardly a huge difference IMHO

I have pressed metal plates on mine from dubmeister and they are legal - they are BS marked and a policeman pulled me a few weeks ago to say 'do you know your plates are illegal?' I said are they whys that then and so the story goes they aren't reflective, metal etc. I then defended in the fact it passed an MOT the week before, they are more reflective than plastic ones and are BS marked. They couldn't get rid of me quick enough as they couldn't find anything else wrong with my car or my tax, ins, etc.

The police are hard on illegal plates, even with correct font & spacing - they are often used to clone cars by criminals.

I disagree, the police regularly turn a blind eye and do not apply the law in an even handed way. Why do they not stop people who go around with fog lights on in all conditions of visibility?

The number of illegally spaced number plates on the road is huge and most are never questioned. A £60 fine and not aplying discretion is shocking and it DOES alienate the public from the Police.

Perfectly legal to use within the EU as long as they have a TUV logo on them

FriendlyFire - don't **** about man - get to the point why don't you but you might want to turn down the volume a tad mate! Jesus - did i offend you in a previous life?!

I'm not after sympathy merely suggesting the officer didn't handle things particularly well. I didn't buy them as "german plates" I bought them as metal plates. I'f I'd have bought them as german plates they would have said "D" on the side and had funny little stickers on them and probably the odd hyphen or two so climb down off the high horse! If you look at the picture I posted you'll see i wasn't trying to make the plates look like anything other than a standard item otherwise I would have at least had some stupid message such as "yes that was a Skoda that just burned your ass" or something equally as banal!

If you actually read my previous posts you'd see I'm not saying there should be one rule for one and one for another but it does seem that in this instance and others, the benefit of the doubt should be used. It would result in less bad feeling among "the public at large".

I mistakenly fitted a set of plates that were deemed illegal. I didn't drive through a 30 mph zone at 70 yet the outcome of my meeting with said officer led me to feel as if I was a criminal. It also left me resentful as hell when it didn't need to. I didn't shrug my shoulders and say "whatever" to the officer - I offered to fix the problem IMMEDIATELY yet she chose not to take the opportunity to promote her constabulary in a good light by letting me do so and leaving with a ticking off and a vehicle rectification notice instead of a £60 fine! THAT is my point!

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by wardth

German font? Illegal surely - and you were handed the appropriate action (fine)

Perfectly legal to use within the EU as long as they have a TUV logo on them

Wrong.

The style of characters is prescribed by a statutory instrument from 2001, which sets a particular typeface which must be used on all plates affixed to a vehicle on or after Septmeber 1st 2001.

And that ain't it.

And, while I'm being technical, the display of the "EU" mark is illegal too. The same regulations make it an offence to display "anything other than the registration mark, except for the international distinguishing sign of the United Kingdom".

As for whether you should or should not have got stopped... We all know that numberplates should be presented in a particular way, and you chose to make yours lok different for your own personal reasons of aesthetics. Fine, I have no issue with that. But nor should you have any issue with the police enforcing a rule that, deep down, you always knew.

It's comparable to complaining if you get stopped for doing 45mph in a 40mph zone. It's not a massive offence, but you knew you were doing it (or even if you didn't know, you should have) and you took the risk and got caught. Them's the rules.

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by soapywalrus

Wrong.

The style of characters is prescribed by a statutory instrument from 2001, which sets a particular typeface which must be used on all plates affixed to a vehicle on or after Septmeber 1st 2001.

And that ain't it.

And, while I'm being technical, the display of the "EU" mark is illegal too. The same regulations make it an offence to display "anything other than the registration mark, except for the international distinguishing sign of the United Kingdom".

As for whether you should or should not have got stopped... We all know that numberplates should be presented in a particular way, and you chose to make yours lok different for your own personal reasons of aesthetics. Fine, I have no issue with that. But nor should you have any issue with the police enforcing a rule that, deep down, you always knew.

It's comparable to complaining if you get stopped for doing 45mph in a 40mph zone. It's not a massive offence, but you knew you were doing it (or even if you didn't know, you should have) and you took the risk and got caught. Them's the rules.

Hey I stand corrected over the EU mark - thats a new one on me and probably many others here. I didn't buy them for aesthetics although I do think the metal plates look better but thats IMHO. I didn't "take a risk" as I didn't realise they were illegal. Had I done so I would not have fitted them in the first place and there is no "deep down you always knew" in it!

FriendlyFire - don't **** about man - get to the point why don't you but you might want to turn down the volume a tad mate! Jesus - did i offend you in a previous life?!

I'm not after sympathy merely suggesting the officer didn't handle things particularly well. I didn't buy them as "german plates" I bought them as metal plates. I'f I'd have bought them as german plates they would have said GDR on the side and had funny little stickers on them and probably the odd hyphen or two so climb down off the high horse! If you look at the picture I posted you'll see i wasn't trying to make the plates look like anything other than a standard item otherwise I would have at least had some stupid message such as "yes that was a Skoda that just burned your ass" or something equally as banal!

If you actually read my previous posts you'd see I'm not saying there should be one rule for one and one for another but it does seem that in this instance and others, the benefit of the doubt should be used. It would result in less bad feeling among "the public at large".

I mistakenly fitted a set of plates that were deemed illegal. I didn't drive through a 30 mph zone at 70 yet the outcome of my meeting with said officer led me to feel as if I was a criminal. It also left me resentful as hell when it didn't need to. I didn't shrug my shoulders and say "whatever" to the officer - I offered to fix the problem IMMEDIATELY yet she chose not to take the chance to promote her constabulary in a good light by letting me do so and leaving with a ticking off and a vehicle rectification notice instead of a £60 fine! THAT is my point!

Hi

you invited us to discuss the matter not sympathise with you - although that is obviously and option.

In your original post you say they are listed on the website as "German" but now you are saying you didn't buy them as such? Okay.

You clearly invited us to draw a distinction between young types and yourself going so far as to tell us the type of clothing you were wearing. I took this as saying "one rule for me and another for some others". You ment something different?

The plates weren't "deemed illegal" they just were.

I do get your point about discretion but you are assuming the officer was allowed some. If her standing orders in the matter are to prosecute then what you actually required (in practice) was for her to neglect her duty.

As for my high horse, well the view is great, but if you had read my post and the last sentance you might have seen some irony there.

As it is, my opinion - for what little it is worth - is: Crime, Caught, Fined.

You don't like it, I certainly wouldn't, but picking and choosing which law to obey, or respect leads to [irony]anarchy![\Irony}

The legal font is "Charles Wright 2001", anything else is illegal, certainly on a car of this age anyway.

A slap on the wrists would have sufficed - they aren't legal, so take it on the chin mate.

Perfectly legal to use within the EU as long as they have a TUV logo on them

Almost Babs.

It's actually a DIN logo (if German manufactured plates) they need to have to be legal in the UK. The font has to be the prescribed font from BS AU 145d, but the rest of the plate doesn't have to be BS AU 145d, i.e. you CAN have pressed metal plates, with the BS AU 145d font but without the silly text at the bottom of the plate. The critical thing is, the plate and the registration mark are treated separately. Schedule 2, Part 1 (page 12) of the plate bible.

I'd love to get some more metal plates made up like I described above (had some on my last car), get busted by an ignorant officer and make them take me to court. Then represent myself and own them.

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by fatty5000
removed reported remark

Wrong.

The style of characters is prescribed by a statutory instrument from 2001, which sets a particular typeface which must be used on all plates affixed to a vehicle on or after Septmeber 1st 2001.

And that ain't it.

There's also provision for plates being "of equivalent European standard" to be shown legally in the UK. It's a pretty slim loophole, but a loophole nontheless

I have the utmost respect for our traffic police and I also have the utmost respect for the law in general

I'm afraid I don't, in general traffic police are now photographers, and the law is, and always as been an ass.

I disagree, the police regularly turn a blind eye and do not apply the law in an even handed way. Why do they not stop people who go around with fog lights on in all conditions of visibility?

The number of illegally spaced number plates on the road is huge and most are never questioned. A £60 fine and not aplying discretion is shocking and it DOES alienate the public from the Police.

My point exactly - on reflection the plates are really not that different from the guy parked next to me at the office. They are not script, the spacing is the same as the ones I took off as opposed to the numerous plates you see where numbers and letters are moved around to make somebodys cats name or something. Seriously i could understand if they were quite clearly out of order but you can quite clearly see I wasn't out to make a statement with them!

As for the fact that displaying EU is illegal - how many of you realised that little nugget?

Had the plates been obviously illegal (and I still don't think they are compared to many others out there) and I'd been out to make the car look as if it came from Schittgablerstrasse or somewhere quite clearly a long way away from Brighton I'd understand, in fact I'd say "fair cop guv" and not be complaining. Had I not offered to rectify the issue immediately or been rude or anything less than polite and helpful to the office I could understand but IN MY OPINION I think she missed a golden opportunity not to **** off somebody who quite clearly didn't make a habit of breaking the law on purpose.

Now I know here all the police in Brighton are on a saturday night when Johnny saggy jeans is doing 80mph by Preston Park in his Clio - they are genning up their 2001 statutory instruments with regard to the fonts types, spacing and reflectivity of numberplates!

We NEED the Police to excercise judgement and use some common sense, unfortunately they seem incapable of finding the middle ground and go too far in each direction.

I'm afraid I don't, in general traffic police are now photographers, and the law is, and always as been an ass.

The original poster said he got them off an auction site. You cannot get plates of such sites lawfully. To get plates made up you have to go to a licensed number plate supplier with V5 and identification documentation. The auction site said they were illegal. Number plates are put on a vehicle as an identification not as a fashion statement. There are far too many people running around with plates that do not comply with the regulations . And there are far to many sites selling plates illegally so criminals can get some and clone your number.The government is currently trying to close a lot of these sites down. I was at a show recently where a trader was making plates up while you wait- no identification needed. I could have got as may pairs as I wanted!!

And police take photos now because it is good evidence. Offenders cannot then go to court and call the officer a liar as many do!

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by morganic

There's also provision for plates being "of equivalent European standard" to be shown legally in the UK. It's a pretty slim loophole, but a loophole nontheless

See my previous post. The plate and the registration mark are treated separately in the SI document.

Edited 25 March, 201016 yr by wega3k