ajm

If you think the officer was out of order you should raise an official complaint.

It does seem a strange thing for them to do - as someone said, it can't be good practise to remove someones plates and send them off completely plateless! What if you had been stopped a mile downthe road this time for failing to display any plates!?

stu200

iTrader: (1)

Show them the producer or NIP you've just been given ???

what would scooby do

I've just had a lock fitted to my dishwasher - no way the cops are gonna take my plates away

Seriously, I was just about to fit a standard plate to the front of my car but have it hinged at the top so it swings flat at speed - I guess they ain't gonna like this either [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

DavidBrown

They probably needed to increase their offence clearup rate.

You were easy pickings.

jbryant

Interesting discussion...

I spent a couple of months selling plates as temp work for the DVLA many moons ago. When I did this my employers were VERY heavy on avoiding misrepresentation of any characters or letters. All calls were recorded and I was actually called up on one occasion and given a dressing down by the phone monitors for suggesting to a customer that an 8 'looked a bit like a B.' This was, like our road system, heavily policed!!!

Anyone who has bought a plate with the intention of misrepresenting it and expecting to get away with it for all eternity has been somewhat foolish, and may soon be left with a cheap looking personal plate that means little unless misinterpreted.

As for whether the police should be chasing down cars for this is another matter entirely. I find it hard to believe that number plate recognition cameras cannot recognise badly spaced plates. If this was my system and I was a money grabbing government then I'd simply have all 'unrecognisable plates' detected from my cameras (whether that's roadside speed cameras, SPECS, congestions, whatever) electronically transferred to be given 'the human touch' and all of the owners of those plates can then be sent from the apropriate nasty letters and revenue request forms.

As for italic plates/alternative fonts and the like, well I think pretty much everyone on here probably agrees that they generally look awful and the sheds they tend to adorn be scrapped .

Nyuk Nyuk
Joolz

what would scooby do

damned true

ajm

...that probably just says illegally spaced letters and doesn't mention that they confiscated the plates!

pslewis

How did someone find out that my plate was PEN 1 S?????????

I want to know NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pete

Pete Croney

The mad thing is if you had a set of false plates on the car, they never would have noticed you. Amazing that they made a blue light run to catch you though.

I would have been tempted to tear through a camera site on the way home afterwards. They could never prove it was you

The fine for this has recently gone up from £25 to £1000. Probably nothing to do with simplifying revenue generation though

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

LOL @ Pete:

Seriously though, guys, the government are having gheir cake and eating it on this one.[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
No matter WHAT they say about illegally spacing etc, the fact remains that they sell these things with a view to making money, All the rest is cover your **** syndrome!
I mean, look at the new plates: Why the age identifier? we're the only country in Europe to make it as obvious as that, and IIRC, it was done after a MASSIVE lobbying from the car makers......I wonder why? And twice a year?? WHY??????????????
And again: those two numbers.........01, I can see as the first half of 2001, but 51 as the second half??? FFS, there are 12 months in a year, so 61 surely??????, Oh but I forgot, a 6 doesn't look like any letter I know of, so would be no good for "personalised" plates..............or am I getting very cynical in my dotage?:
Alcazar

Freak

Doesnt sound very legal to me taking your plate- they can photo it, give you a pink slip fine you etc- but as for physically removing it....hmmmm

any babylon care to give a link to legislation stating where it is legal to cpmfiscate someones plate- because i cant find it.?

Mine is misspaced on the front- they can try and take it off the car- they wont get it unless they can show me writtenproff they can do that and let me drive off with no plates.

If they do i will just pull the plates off the traffic car.

ajm

lol! I know someone who was arrested for stealing the aerial off a patrol car...... while the driver was still in it!

[Edited by ajm - 6/19/2003 12:37:48 PM]

Dracoro

Hmm, it's illegal to drive with no plates, so if they take the plates off your car do you just leave it there until you can find a local halfords to make new ones up? (car is gonna be there a long time if they're confiscated at 6pm on a saturday and halfords doesn't open 'til monday am). Then they'll 'do' you for illegal parking too Where does it all end?

Leslie

The whole point is that the number plate regulations are clearly defined. If you want a personalised one you still don't have the right to mis-space the figures. They can perfectly well insist that the plates are legal. No amount of complaining will change that.

I am amazed that the police can remove your plates while your car is on the road,mis-spaced figures or not. I think that is out of order and it might be worth checking out their rights in that situation.

Les

Spoon

Scooby Dooby Blue- Steve Parrish the ex-motorcycle/truck racer still owns PEN 1S afaik.

ajm- No complaint at all, their dis-respectful manner would have earned them a chin had they been in civvies but in uniform you haven't a chance.

They told me to show the nip if I got stopped with no plates but it didn't mentioned that they had confiscated them.

Pete Croney- I did think about it but then thought better of it.

After all said and done I never got a fine!!

ajm

you did though, because you will have to pay to get new ones made!

rik1471

Dont mispace your numberplates.

simple.

FULL STOP - THREAD CLOSED.

Spoon

ajm- Friend has a garage, he made them up weeks ago foc, he even stamped my Hort yesterday as an mot station proprietor, so it's now winging it's way to Birmingham's central ticket office.

eclipse

It a load of bo*lox i got pulled for my plate on my old car

it should have read

***1 LUV

But I had it as

*** 1 LUV

What the fc*king difference, if you ask me the second one is easier to recognise and clear but thay claimed if my car was stolen then people would read the plate as "I LUV" not "1(one) LUV", news flash for the police there are no "I" in number plates.

Nick_TypeUK

typical nanny state control of people and bully boy tactics of the police

theres no reason to take the plates its just typical police intimidation, they could have easily have just issued the ticket. Like when they where forcing people to hand over there radar detectors by quoting some 100 year old law, which was proved to be illegal.

theres only 1 reason they get the hump about incorrect number plates and thats the computers that scan for speeding and tax discs cant read them, a police office admited this to me as he cautioned me for my plates.

some people want to customise there cars and they want to customise there number plates, in the US and many other countrys you can simply buy any combination of numbers and letters you want as long as its not offensive (and in the us in some states you can even buy little icons like hearts and spades) and theres no moral technical or legal reason why the same cant be done in the UK, so why is it not so, after all the goverment gets increased revenue.

People should have the right to choise

chiark

I like your car. I choose to nick it. Should I go scot free?

FFS, laws are laws. They're there for a reason. You may choose to break them, but if you do be prepared for the consequences. I might occasionally flex my right foot, but I know that I may be caught and if caught it will have an impact in my license and I'll be fined.

The DVLA quite clearly tells you that its an offense to mis-space when you buy your plates from 'em, and tells you that they run a "3 strikes and your out" policy. About time they started doing this IMHO, as there's some horrendous ones out there.

What if the chap sweeping up the bits from the RTA had just heard that the person who caused the accident had an illegible numberplate? TBH, if I'd picked guts off a floor at any time, I'd want to take it out on someone You were unlucky, but you can't claim you didn't know that you were in the wrong.

And people with misspaced or misrepresented plates - they're coming for ya

Enough high horses. There's been a cavalcade of 'em already

Cheers,
Nick.

Nick_TypeUK

im not talking about the right to steal

im saying theres no reason why people cant buy any combination of letters and numbers they want as long as its not offensive, racists etc etc, therefore no need to illegal spacings, chars, fonts solves this issue in one go and no law breaking. theres no reason why those that want to buy such things cant do so.

Just because something is the law doesnt automatically make it right.

pbee

Hey as you need new plates if you can wait 2 days delivery this place sells plates with the euro/gb picture and legal spacing with or without border for £15 inc delivery.

http://www.uknumberplates.com/uk2shop-1.htm

used them twice now, excellent service.

cheers


Peter

pbee

just read you got them for free, which is even cheaper than £15, but if anyone lese needs plates this is the cheapest place I found.

Spoon

Chiark- If some of your post was directed at me then may I suggest you read the whole thing as it was bollócks if it was.

[Edited by Spoon - 19/06/2003 15:58:21]

Freak

lol

Yes i know if i speed i run the risk of a fine and points (and how many people moan about this all the time)
I also know that by running my mis spaced front plate (touch wood been fine for 8 months now) i am running the risk of a pink slip and fine.
Doesnt mean i have to agree with it tho.

The reason for the crack down=easy money. Nothing to do with the plates being illegible- the cameras cannot read square plates- but mis spaced ones are cleary readable by them.
Its all a big cash cow for th

They threaten to remove your plate, its never happened so far.
If they fine you/pink slip- no problem.
If they take a photo- then it happens again you might get a warning through the post.

Last time i was pulled i offered to pay the fine there and then- very calmly (i had about £900 cash on me at the time)-simply to cut the hassle of having to get it stamped etc and was accused of attempting to bribe a policeman.

Steve vRS

I was pulled for my front plate being a bit on the small side on Sunday after the NBO. Fair cop, I'd got away with it for 6 months but the fed's comment made me laugh "We are sick of Impreza owners having illegal plates."

Steve

PS. Chasing you dangerously (IMHO) on blues and twos seemed a bit of overkill, never mind removing the plates

[Edited by Steve Sherwen - 19/06/2003 22:05:33]

pslewis

I really don't understand this??

We are mainly quite intelligent on here aren't we??

We all know that its ILLEGAL to mess about with your plate!!

You see a plate for £5:99 that would look REALLY cool if I move that letter there, make the 8 into a B, put the screwhead cover (Black) here to make a K and a screwhead cover there to make a N - and what have you got?? **** !!!!! well cool!!

I know the DVLA sell plates that 'MIGHT' look like something if illegally made - BUT they are preying on the simple-minded ego of some.

Pete

Spoon

Steve- did he say it with 2 z's too