I read a snippet in the new the other day about a driver fined £120 or so for using a fake 'Personalised' plate on his car - a new Ferrari! He also had no tax...
So given that the penalty for using a fake plate is so low surely the 'criminal' element will use fake plates and so not get caught by speed cameras... And if stopped by the police he gets a relatively tiny fine....
And, given that any number plate can be created for a few quid, what's to stop you renting a car and putting fake plates copied from an identical car on it - then driving past an active speed camera 4 or 5 times, thus losing some poor chap his licence? DNA and fingerprints are used as evidence to convict people because they are almost unique - 1 in 10,000,000 or so chance of a match. But number plates can also be used to take away your freedom and livelyhood - and you can buy any plate in minutes anywhere in the country!
Piers
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Correct on most counts.
I have heard that restrictions are to be put on the supply of number plates so that e.g. the registration document has to be produced before they are made up.
However, most accessory shops sell stick-on plates and numbers for trailers and caravans. I wonder if these will also be banned?.
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I agree its so simple,If you steal a car in Mainland europe fetch it to the Uk you can legally register it on a Q plate no questions asked(you only require a Current mot issued on the vin number)you then have the car type authorised and you then get a proper plate.Result one legal stolen car.
The documentation of vehicles in the UK is abysmal hence so much vehicle crime.In the rest of Europe you need all docmentaion to replace a damaged or lost number plate plus the registration office permission .In Germany every time you retest your car the plates must go to registration office for the new stamps.The plates belong to the owner not the car.If you get stopped for any offence regarding insurance ,ownership,drink driving(no court appearance here what the police says goes (if you appeal and you fail the fine is doubled)they take the vehicle plates and you will not get them back till every mortal angle is covered.
My first impressions were of over bureaucracy but now I realise that it gives law abiding citizens so much protection
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And of course there is car cloning, first you know about it is when the ticket arrives, and there is your car, same model, colour and reg number on camera doing something it shouldn't, somewhere you shouldn't have been on a day where unless you are very lucky it will be difficult to find definite evidence to show where you actually were.
It's not only difficult explaining it to plod, what about she who must be obeyed!
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At least the plod understand the concept of "beyond reasonable doubt"...
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Hi
Years ago I remember a very wealthy local guy running a Rolls.
He could not get the personal plate he wanted so merely made up a set with his initials and a number one and put them on the Rolls.
He was insured,taxed etc legally.
Only offence he got done for was every so often was using the "wrong" plate.
Cannot remember what the fine was , not a lot ,but he used to say it was cheaper than buying the personal plate ( if it existed )
Martin
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Any offence involving a "fake plate" is dealt with as a Criminal Offence. I.e they take your dabs, your mugshot and your DNA, you also get a nice little number that follows you to the grave. See what that does to your insurance policies.
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Oh yes and your job prospects when you have a conviction for what is fraud...
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It is fraud. "Dishonesty" has an obvious meaning. Fitting italic script is one thing, false plates, ie a wrong number, is dishonest. "Dishonesty" offences carry a real criminal record. (Not just at Swansea) It's serious. You can require trial by jury. You could get sent to prison, though probably not for a first offence. Beware though, you could.
Christ. Begining to sound like a Telegraph reader. Must be my age. Saga? never heard of it.
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Let's not hear a bad word against Telegraph readers (or their column writers).
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Recently I have seen quite a few cars with no number plates at all.
Presumably the penalty for this is lower i.e. failure to display or something like that and no question of fraud or dishonesty is attributable !
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Brian,
At the risk of being accused racist, (telegraph reader - racist - never) if you see my post on No tax you will get the gist.
Brand new Range Rover, no tax, no plates, caravan on back.
Comment from police, "what can we do? Whats your name- John Smith, whats your address, caravan on the back. Unless the vehicles can be impounded its a waste of time, paper and effort"
Grrrr!
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Maybe as a motorists protest we should have a day when everybody takes their plates off. It would cut the takings from speed cameras a bit!
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