Archive for illegal number plates
November 7, 2008 at 1:23 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates, number plate flags, number plate history, number plate market
Flags on number platesThe government have finally scrapped the antiquated rules regarding national flags on car number plates.
Despite massive opposition the laws were passed in 2001 banning
the Cross of St George, the Scottish saltire and Welsh dragon along with symbols such as CYM for Cymru or SCO for Scotland
from car number plates - any number plate sporting such images would be against the law and subject to a £60 fine.
“Drivers should have the right to put British flags on their number plate if they want to,”
Theresa Villiers, Tory party spokesperson
Now the 7 year old rules have been abolished many motorists will find themselves within the confines of the law – it’s just a shame the government dithered for so long.
Permalink
August 11, 2008 at 10:31 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates ·Tagged cloning, illegal, law, number, plates, police, private, reg, sell
Permalink
July 13, 2008 at 9:58 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, buy number plates, illegal number plates, sell number plates ·Tagged illegal, number, sell, personalised, plates, buy, regstrations, spotting, german
It seems that as the epidemic of illegal number plates rolls on a new way to break the rules and potentially fox the police and other motorists has appeared.
There are a number of UK registered vehicles on the roads as I’m typing this which do not sport UK number plates – in fact they have foreign, non-reflective number plates made of metal.
The most common format is a German number plate on a German vehicle such as a VW.
The picture below has been doctored to conceal the vehcile’s identity but this is an illegal German number plate on a UK registered vehicle.
It’s worrying that there are some number plate suppliers out there who are willing to manufacture numberplates knowing that they will be used in this fashion.
It seems that in the world of illegal number plates the possibilities and options for those willing to bend the rules are endless.
As the police and the DVLA don’t seem to be doing all in their power to crack down on number plate crime; a group of “vigilante” motorists have established a website for illegal number plate spotters – if they REALLY annoy you- now you can “shop” them!
Illegal number plates
Illegal numberplates
number plate regulations
Permalink
July 9, 2008 at 6:14 am
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates ·Tagged cherished, illegal, number, personalised, plate, plates
If you have just purchased a vehicle with a personalised registration or indeed have had the same plate for many years then you may wonder is your own numberplate meets the DVLA guidelines or not.
How to spot an illegal number plate
There are some maint points- firstly the font- all reg plates in the UK should now use the Charles Wright font- each character must be of the same size and shape with the prescribed distance between each character.
Mis-spacing a registration number is the most common way to distort it’s appearance – the number plate market in the UK is flooded with such examples.
Aside from fonts and spacing- the use of extra fixing bolts or obstructions is a common ploy to change the appearance of an illegal number plate.
Ultimately you need to be able to read a numberplate in a split second and know what it says; if you have to think about this or “squint” at all then we would suggest your numberplate may not meet the regulations and it’s worth checking befor the police find you!
Illegal number plates – do they spoil a car?
illegal number plates – the revolt
illegal numberplates
Permalink
July 8, 2008 at 9:04 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates ·Tagged cherished, illegal, number, Numberplates, personalise, plates
Illegal number plates
All number plates aren’t created equal and a growing number of plates with illegal fonts bolts and spacing have evolved. James Newell looks into the effect of this on the plate market as a whole and implications such as number plate recognition.
ANPR
ANPR or Automatic Number plate Recognition is one of the driving forces in the clampdown on illegal number plates.
The DVLA specify particular number plate fonts and styles as a means of regulating and standardising number plates- amongst other reasons this takes place to make number plate recognition possible for enforcing the law.
As ever more motorists appear to have tampered with their registration numbers it raises the concern that these vehicles may not be identified correctly using ANPR and as such the DVLA and police recognise that something needs to be done.
Illegal number plate values
Clearly if the value of your number plate is based on it’s illegal spacing then as the DVLA and police begin to tighten the rules so the value of your number plate may fall.
Who will buy a number plate which requires illegal spacing when illegally spacing the number plate can land them in hot water with the DVLA and the police?
What makes a number plate illegal?
Any deviation from the DVLA’s specifications about the size, shape and font used in your number plate.
Using a non-standard font, having a very small number plate, changing the spacing of characters and adding bolts and fixtures to manipulate the appearance of a number plate – these are all parts of what makes a number plate illegal.
The illegal number plate backlash
A growing number of motorists have taken issue with the display of illegal number plates and have retaliated with an online community to name and shame offenders.
Websites such as chavplate.org.uk make valid points about identifying vehicles at the scene of an accident etc.
The best way to identify the registration number of any vehicle is to check the tax disc- this is usually printed or written clearly.
Related articles
Illegal number plate spotting
Related links
ChavPlate
number plate spacing
numberplate theft
Permalink
June 29, 2008 at 4:22 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates ·Tagged bad, driving, illegal, number, plate
www.betterdrivingplease.com- the brainchild of Andrew McGavin- allows users to enter “reports” to shop bad drivers in their local area for any number of motoring offences from speeding to dangerous driving.
Interestingly this website has received over 13,000 reports since it’s launch in 2006 all reports are searchable by number plates and the nature of the report.
The roads are a dangerous place and to even recognise a numberplate and read it correctly can be no mean feat with illegal numberplates on so many vehicles.
In a similar way that bad motorists can be shopped via this website- so too can badly spaced and illegal numberplates be shopped at http://www.chavplate.org.uk – this site itself has over 400 pictures of number plates and some very bad examples of number plates being mis-spaced.
Some of these number plates have actually been found on Ebay surely advertising a number plate for sale in it’s illegal guise is condoning the mis-spacing of the plate and even profiting from it?
Surely such “vigilante” motorists if they want to do good, could report these incidents to the police to take some concrete action; by using number plate data to find offenders the police could caution or investigate offenders as appropriate.
So the next time a car speeds past and cuts you up - with a barely legible numberplate- there’s now a place to vent your anger!
see also
number plate spacing
Permalink
June 26, 2008 at 7:30 pm
· Filed under Numberplates, illegal number plates ·Tagged illegal, number, plate, space
Personalised number plates began as a way to personalise your vehicle, have a bit of fun and maybe as a future investment. There are many thousands of great numberplate combinations ranging from short dateless number plate combinations such as Y1 to great name numberplates such as J4MES or LEW1S.
As the number of people interested in private number plates increases and the number of available reg combinations dwindles some numberplate owners have found unique ways to get their plate in shape.
As the Police and the DVLA continue to crack down on illegal numberplates it becomes ever riskier to indulge- nonetheless there are still many thousands of numberplates for sale which place their value on their appearance when illegally spaced or displayed.
Not only is tampering with numberplates an offence- it can also have repercussions for crime solving and prevention as well as identifying vehicles at the scene of an accident.
When selling a numberplate beware that if it needs to be displayed illegally then this can affect its value.
Here are the main tricks and tweaks used to make numberplates appear to be what they’re not.
Bolt ons
Is that an O or a C? well it depends if there’s a bolt strategically placed(!) Characters such as O C E and F are often mis-represented with the addition of a coloured numberplate fixing bolt. This is one of the most common and blatant ways to make a number plate appear differently.
Shape shifters
The size and shape of number plates are regulated by the DVLA; this doesnt stop motorcyclists and some car owners from displaying number plates of questionable proportions. Some motor
Numberplate Font
The legitimate font for reg plates is the Charles Wright font- characters must be of a specific size and proportion as numberplate recognition equipment is programmed to deal mainly with legally displayed reg plates.
It seems that the days of illegal number plates are numbered but with so many of them on the roads it’s possible that dodgy numberplates will be around for a little time yet.
Related links
numberplate spacing
illegal numberplates
http://www2.stopillegalnumberplates.co.uk/
http://www.chavplate.org.uk
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/v796.pdf
Permalink
