New number plate :-)

[kris1]

is this true....if you write off the car (god forbid) you lose the private plate? i.e it cannot be transferred off?

not necessarily. You just need to work with your insurance company and the DVLA to have the plate removed prior to your insurance company writing the car off through the system.

I dont mind private number plates, I actually quite like some of them (that Beemer one is good.) Each to their own. I certainly dont have the time or energy to "detest" anything like this. Theres more important things in life to worry about

[JD52]

Got lucky with the plate on my petrol VRS: Keep Up 59 F****ing Fast Transport Silly I know, but there you go

[RainbowFire]

So is mine. I have Velcro sticky pads I attach to it, and my 'MOT' plates have Velcro pads on the back too. Not sure it's quite what the MOT regs mean by 'securely attached' but I like to think it gives the tester a giggle and its always passed so far......,

That's ok until you discover that someone's had your rear plate off.......probably within 90 seconds of being stopped by Her Majesty's finest. However, there are number-plate holders available from Briskoda...........

[Metblackrat]

Misrepresenting plates with screws and mis-placed letters just looks very chav and cheap. I'd be embarrassed to drive it around.

If you can't afford the proper plate just the leave the one you have alone!

It's also an offence under the new Fraud Act, something which many employers will frown upon should you receive a police caution for.

[silver1011]

[Mondo]

However the rules and law are quite clear. "Not having an issue" doesn't somehow make them legal - even if the plate can still be read.

Anything which uses illegal fonts, is spaced incorrectly or the one I absolutely detest use bolts to change appearance should be an MOT failure and would be subject to a £30 pull with the possibility of repeat offenders getting their plates taken away from them.

Doesn't of course stop people doing it. Personally I feel that the only good personal plates are those that require none of the above - the true "personal plates".

It's now a £60 fine for this type of misrepresentation.

[zeffania]

This is still my favourite, a Beemer driver that knows who he is

[Crazydave69]

Guess which team I support?! Someone has to be...

Even my dog seems impressed!

[zeffania]

Poor you

[Crazydave69]

Poor you

I'm guessing that as you're from Hampshire you support the "other" team up the road...

[FUBAR]

Guess which team I support?! Someone has to be...

Even my dog seems impressed!

How much do you have to spend annually for repairing the damage after people key your car?

[zeffania]

I'm guessing that as you're from Hampshire you support the "other" team up the road...

God no. For my sins I'm a Balckburn fan (originally a northerner) so I can sympathise

[Crazydave69]

How much do you have to spend annually for repairing the damage after people key your car?

Never happened! I tend to avoid scumhampton, for obvious reasons...

[Crazydave69]

God no. For my sins I'm a Balckburn fan (originally a northerner) so I can sympathise

Thank god. At least you wear the right colours!

[mr_awol]

However the rules and law are quite clear. "Not having an issue" doesn't somehow make them legal - even if the plate can still be read.

Anything which uses illegal fonts, is spaced incorrectly or the one I absolutely detest use bolts to change appearance should be an MOT failure and would be subject to a £30 pull with the possibility of repeat offenders getting their plates taken away from them.

Doesn't of course stop people doing it. Personally I feel that the only good personal plates are those that require none of the above - the true "personal plates".

It is illegal and is an MOT fail - which I said it was. I suppose that I see moving the groups as the most minor offence, perhaps on the same level as replacing the GB logo with a Skoda badge, or doing 80 on the M25.......

TBH I'm not a fan of the 'why don't you go catch some real criminals' line but any copper who takes issue with moving letters between groups seriously has too much time on their hands.....

Would be interesting to see what a 'true' personal plate is lol

That's ok until you discover that someone's had your rear plate off.......probably within 90 seconds of being stopped by Her Majesty's finest. However, there are number-plate holders available from Briskoda...........

My mis-spaced plates of held on with number plate sticky tabs. General procedure is to turn up round corner from MoT place, put Velcro stickers on top of illegal plates, hook MOT friendly plates on, drive in. Pick car up later, drive round corner, put MOT friendly plates in boot, peel off Velcro stickers and drive merrily on my way.

If I had drilled holes my plates I'd have just unscrewed them and put the legal ones on properly - it's only because they're stuck on and I really can't be doing with spending ages getting them off, cleaning off all the residue etc then putting them back on afterwards......

[zacherynuk]

It seems a little childish to me; not the plates, put playing with the rules and regs with sticky and velcro (which in themselves I am surprised is legal).

It's like people who pretend not to be on the phone, or who park on school yellows - or don't have their side lights on when parked within 10 meters of a junction after dusk. 'ankers. Simple illegal twazocks. Just grow up.

If I was a law enforcement officer as several of my friends are, I would be right on your case. Not because I didn't have better things to do, but because 'real criminals' use cars; and not being able to readily and easily ID a car by it's 'plate hinders and slows down investigation and prosecution. Plate doctoring was also very widely used by (let off the scum football player) solicitors for years, hence the stricter controls. Now come on; all you have to do is have a legit plate: it's ever so easy & it helps everybody.

However; when I had a cracked 'plate from somebody reversing into me, I told the fella I'll get new plates show him the receipt and he could give me the cash - I was aghast when Halfords wouldn't put the new plates on my car until I drove home and fetched my documents! What more proof do you 'king need!? Here is a car with a broken plate put a new identical plate on it! FFS.

I wasn't gonna ask the knuckle-dragging Mitsibishi L200 driver to fork out for an extra hour and 5 miles of my time :( (as I'm puny and weak)

[mr_awol]

I dont mind private number plates, I actually quite like some of them (that Beemer one is good.) Each to their own. I certainly dont have the time or energy to "detest" anything like this. Theres more important things in life to worry about

Agreed, why do people have to be so bitter about stuff that other people do when it doesn't affect them? I remember a forum on which some bit racer type put up a picture of his riddiculous body kit and loads of people slated him but he came back and pointed out that he hasn't altered handling or performance and wasn't hurting anyone or selling drugs - so why was everyone so upset by it all? I have to say he had a point ( even if the car did look awful)

It's also an offence under the new Fraud Act, something which many employers will frown upon should you receive a police caution for.

Again, what copper in his right mind is going to try to pot someone for this? Fortunately we don't have to worry in any case because just driving around with a mis-spaced, misrepresneted inappropriately fonted (ithats not a word but i should be) number plate isn't an offence under the fraud act. In fact, arguably* the fraud act would even apply to a car running stolen plates until such point as they filled up with fuel without paying or committed some other crime against property.

* I say arguably because I'm not sure if the fairly obvious intent to defraud would be enough under the fraud act, having not read the whole thing.

[mr_awol]

The issue certainly is not a jobsworths copper who hasn't got better to do with his time. Vehicles are used by "real"criminals in "real" crimes (crimes that you suggest the police would be better following). Vehicle registration plates are of a set font and spacing (in other words of properly sized and spaced characters conforming to British Standard) so they can be picked up by ANPR and other cameras. If a camera can't pick up a particular car's number plate, it might not just be a minor motoring offence that cannot be detected. It could be something far more serious that is dealt with purely and simply because a particular vehicle can be detected.

So correctly spaced number plates ARE important and DO warrant some form of remedial action.

Mike

I think you've missed the point mike - I said I'm NOT a fan of telling officers they should be doing proper police work, so not sure how you turn that into me saying they should be following 'real' criminals. In fact the last serving officer i had the discussion with said that any cop who took action on the type of spacing i was talking about (and this is almost word for word) 'wants their head tested'.

I suppose the reason i disagree with a lot of the melodrama is because im talking about a very specific type of misrepresentation - moving letters between groups. If you are telling me that will confise an ANPR camera when all other factors are legal then I'm afraid that isn't the case. ANPR isn't that sensitive (just as well otherwise it wouldn't be able to handle:

A1 ABC

A12 ABC

A123 ABC

ABC 1A

ABC 12A

ABC 123A

AB12 CDE

A1

Etc (that's not a plate by the way )

Number plate pins, funny fonts, squashing numbers together, etc - I can see your points on those. That said I don't agree that 'criminals' use these tactics to evade police - it would be far easier and more reliable for them to simply steal the plate off another vehicle or, even better, clone it by having false plates made. This is why although I said to xpower early on that it sometimes frustrates me a little that people doing what he's done causes the need for laws stopping people doing what I do, I didn't get all silly and suggest that I 'detest' what he's done or say people should buy 'trie' or 'proper' plates like others did. At the end of the day good luck to him.

I also am not planning on trying to worm my way out of a fine etc if any local police officer is bored enough to ticket my plate (which as it happens hasn't been on sice June when I changed cars coz I haven't got around to it). If I get a fine I'll take it on the chin - alhough obviously I hope I don't and I WOULD feel that I'd been a bit unlucky to have come across someone that pedantic.

Certainly I wouldn't want it to be like Ireland where you can do almost what you like. I also see a car locally with very thin italic lettering which I do agree is worthy of a tug as even sat right behind it in traffic I struggle to see what the hell it is!

Edited 7 March, 2013 by mr_awol

[Maverick vRS]

Would be interesting to see what a 'true' personal plate is lol

All plates are personal, and unique. That's the whole idea...

[mr_awol]

no offence (offence?) meant.

Mike

and none taken

I think it boils down to something i said in my first (?) post in this thread - and that is that we all draw the line somewhere slightly different and most of us would believe that what we are doing isn't too bad whereas people who go further are the ones who actually deserve to get caught .

The main issue I see with what I do isn't the act itself, but the method. The reason you need a V5 etc to get plates made is to stop car cloning, etc and a by product of that is that illegal fonts etc are prevented. The fact that I can get my plates shipped in from Ireland (cheaper and as good I not better quality than many legitimate retailers) means that even though i not (in my eyes) doing anything too bad, others with more sinister intentions could. For people that use cheap illegal suppliers in te UK, the plates they buy may be as good quality, but may not have the required retro-reflective qualities that a Legal UK plate should have. I am quite careful to ensure that the font, reflective material and most other legal requirements are properly met but some might not.

[Chappers.]

Number plate pins, funny fonts, squashing numbers together, etc - I can see your points on those. That said I don't agree that 'criminals' use these tactics to evade police - it would be far easier and more reliable for them to simply steal the plate off another vehicle or, even better, clone it by having false plates made.

I have to disagree. Altering the appearance of the figures/digits on a registration plate is a well known method employed by criminals to avoid detection.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[M12MKD]

Yes to private plate. As per my user name, had it now for 14 years.

Fiat has RE12 SCX with a screw in the middle of the C (dealer not me) so you could if you're dirty minded make it sex, possibly at a stretch re sex?

[FUBAR]

Anyways, enjoy the new plates Phil

[mr_awol]

I have to disagree. Altering the appearance of the figures/digits on a registration plate is a well known method employed by criminals to avoid detection.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

They may have doctored the '6' to look like an 'o' but you can still spot them on the way to a R688 ERY To be fair I think you're overestimating the average scumbag out for a free tank of fuel who wouldnt spend £35 to delay detection when they could just unscrew the plates from a car in the nearest long term car park etc for free You may also be UNDERestimating the more serious criminals who would just (for example) look for a car of the same make/colour/model on autotrader and get the plates made up accordingly safe in the knowledge that as long as the plate they cloned wasn't B1 GGS or RKR 4Y, they are more likely to get an 'honest' reg than one which will get them pulled on the way to a jewel heist.

Seriously though I'm not saying that 'false' plates aren't used in crime - that's a given. I just don't agree that mis-spaced plates or even funny fonts/screw placements are a tool of the average, hardened or opportunist criminal, but rather think its a convenient 'reason' for DVLA etc to put on their leaflets when sending you the paperwork abou the plate that they sold you at their own auction and which they may even advertised specifically due to the comedy value of a butcher having SAU549E on their van.........

Yes to private plate. As per my user name, had it now for 14 years.

Fiat has RE12 SCX with a screw in the middle of the C (dealer not me) so you could if you're dirty minded make it sex, possibly at a stretch re sex?

Shame you aren't in the states. It's a bit of a leap but almost 'red sox'?

Edited 8 March, 2013 by mr_awol

[jerbear]

I have just recently bought another private plate for my Octy from the DVLA. My wife was stopped with her car by a policeman because of her private plate several years ago. I bought it her for her birthday, and admit that I bought the plates of the Internet and taken 1 space out. My wife was very upset at the time and afterwards due to his attitude. He even said that if she drove the car away and was stopped again, they would take the registration of us. We received a ticket which we paid and accepted. I found out later that the policeman involved played golf at the club I work at and I approached him and let him know my views, none to politely. He told me about the ANPR machine unable to read the plate. I asked do the police stop every car with illegal plates. He said they do, which I know is absolute rubbish because there are still vehicles driving around with illegal plates , italics etc, and have done so for years. We were unlucky that day that PC Jobsworth was on duty that day.

Although I accept that a crime was committed, although very trivial, and because of his attitude ( which even his colleagues admit he is always like ) I find myself angry over the whole affair. I hate to think how many vehicles are being driven illegally one way or another, but IMOA with the DVLA raising millions through the sales and transfers of private registrations, does a little "poetic licence" really mater?