NUMBER PLATE PLINTH

[t-tony]

Agreed Niall, what I am saying is that you can take the risk of being "illegal" like several members on here do running without a front number plate and it's on your own head, just as running an illegal sized number plate is too. What I am saying is DO NOT put it on for the M.O.T. test and then p*** and moan cos the Tester failed it. I have yet to see or read about any number supplier being prosecuted for supplying and "illegal" number plate as they have to apply their postcode on them when they are made.

Tony.

ps. I would happily see the Police enforce these requirements.

 

[g8jka]

I thought the Police weren't as strict on illegal plates nowadays as you see loads driving round with misspaced, tinted and even plates with the fonts and numbers changed to look like something else. I've had mine on for around 16 years now and always had no spacing between, it should be G8 JKA, but I had it as G8JKA. I got pulled once about 13 years ago and had to take it off, the police took a photo and I had to fit conforming plates and get it ticked off at an MOT centre. I did always fit conforming plates for the MOT.

On the way back from the Silverstone Classic I got snapped by a police camera van on a bridge and had a letter through several days later. £100 fixed penalty fine for a non conforming plate. Just recently I had a letter from the DVLA saying I need to remove it and provide evidence of this and if they are made aware of this registration being displayed illegally ever again they will take it away from me.

I have no problem with the fine, it's my fault for displaying it illegally. I do have a problem with the reason why the DVLA / Police say you are not allowed to drive around with a non conforming number plate - as they cannot be read by ANPR or speed cameras etc. But I have pretty clear evidence that they can, they kindly sent me this through the post and it can be read just as well as any other number plate on any other vehicle. Was I fined on this occasion because I wasn't speeding? Was my number plate was the next best thing to fine me for? Infact the fixed penalty was the same amount as a speeding fine. I have been caught for speeding before, again with illegal number plates fitted but there was no mention at all about them when I was caught. Why, I don't know! I got pulled over for having dirty number plates and the Police never mentioned anything about the fact they were misspaced, I should have been fined there and then. When I was snapped coming back from Silverstone I was following another vehicle fitted with non conforming plates but they never received a fixed penalty. It seems there is a major inconsistency with the system and the fines that go with these offences. I could have driven past that camera without a front plate at all and I wouldn't have received any fine at all, as they wouldn't have been able to get my details (unless they got the rear). Yet I had a pretty clear plate displayed on my vehicle albeit misspaced, I would have been more happy getting a fined for speeding or even being on a mobile etc as I'd have felt like a 'proper criminal' that day. I've taken the plates off now and probably won't ever fit the misspaced ones again, after all it saves me getting fined £100 each time and keeps £100 out of their pockets each time I go past their camera, I'm the only one laughing now they've told me to remove it. I was happy taking the risk and a possible fixed penalty fine each time, if the DVLA want to threaten to take my plate away they will lose out on receiving my money from the fixed penalties

 

[Ianmc]

No sympathy i'm afraid. Also, if you really use a mobile whilst driving you are an idiot.

 

[g8jka]

No sympathy i'm afraid. Also, if you really use a mobile whilst driving you are an idiot.

I'm not after sympathy at all, like I say in my post it was my choice and I was prepared for a fine. And I never, ever use a phone whilst driving so please don't call me an idiot. My issue is the authorities and how they go about these offences. The fixed penalty fine is on par with things such as speeding and people that use mobiles when driving and that the system needs to be looked at. These are the people that should be top of the list to get a ticking off to make the roads safer. The amount of people who still use the phone whilst driving is a joke. I know people that drive like idiots and speed constantly, have no respect for others and also know people who drink drive on a regular basis. More needs to be put in place to stop this happening, these are things that cause accidents and even fatalities, not some guy who has a digit 5mm in the wrong direction on his number plate. The DVLA are perfectly happy selling cherished registration marks knowing they will get abused. It's a win-win for them, people buy them which makes them money and when they fine people for misspacing them it also makes money. If people want to do it then leave them to it, go ahead and keep fining them. The DVLA should be more concerned with uninsured drivers and ones that drive round with no tax.

 

[colb]

The reason it seems the Police don't take much notice of things like illegal plates is that there are simply not enough officers out and about these days. In my day most forces had traffic departments, all of those officers were boned up on all traffic law and construction and use regs as well as vehicle licensing regs and law. The introduction of speed cameras was one of the things that spelt the death of dedicated traffic departments leaving the bobby on the beat to cope with traffic offences which these days is rather low on their priorities. Some forces have fast response units that do some traffic duties and of course the armed response units but proactive traffic policing is not on their list of priorities for obvious reasons.
The programmes we see on the TV about the special units such as the one in Essex is not replicated in most forces, they can't afford it and do not have the officers to do it. I doubt very much the 20,000 new officers Boris has pledged will alter the state of play regarding traffic duties.

 

[t-tony]

They should make a criminal offence to produce illegal plates then they might not be available to abuse.

Tony.

 

[g8jka]

They should make a criminal offence to produce illegal plates then they might not be available to abuse.

Tony.

The DVLA asked me for details who supplied the plates, name, address etc. I didn’t give the details to them. They are not to blame, they quite clearly state they are for show use only. The individual is the one that fits them so the company cannot be to blame, only the person that decides to fit them.

Although I fully agree that if these company’s got closed down and you couldn’t get hold of these plates then there would be no issue at all.

But then if this happened the government would lose thousands of pounds in easy fines from the authorities issuing out fixed penalties for these offences.

 

[t-tony]

That's very true Dave, but my slant on this is that the Gov. and the people who sell plates are just as bad as each other. There are many people who drive without a front plate too, and in my eyes these should be fined just as much as someone with no plate. Even if they do look good in pictures

Tony.

 

[Bampz]

They should make a criminal offence to produce illegal plates then they might not be available to abuse.

Tony.

Surely it is the buyers responsible to use any product responsibility and for its intended legal use , so if g8ajk chooses to use a showplate on his car and is prepared to pay the fines if caught why blame the supplier ?

 

[the Nefyn cat]

Because it's an easy target. Saves having to go out and find some real criminals, too.Some local tw@ round here went out a while ago, stole a Transit and went on a spree of bouncing off cars all over the place, and now it seems he'll be getting away with it. Whereas taking a fine off some otherwise law abiding person is much less hassle

Well, seems I was wrong. I've just seen the case report about the tw@ that drove into my friends car (and several others) and they've locked him up, 15 months worth. Result. Probably won't learn a lesson, but at least he's behind bars for a while.