NIP for reg spacing

[bainbridge]

Well, after 15 years of driving with this plate it's happened. My plate is supposed to be in the format:

TL OCK

But I've been using a plate that goes:

T LOCK

I spotted a speed camera in a 20mph zone when visiting the in laws last week, and though I was observing the speed limit, they got me fair and square on the plate. £100 fixed penalty. Everything else such as the font, sizing etc. was correct. I've been pulled for speeding in the past and police haven't mentioned the plate, I think ANPR tech has been upgraded to flag the spacing.

If anyone else has been inventive with your spacing, you have been warned!

 

[bainbridge]

yep. but you can't say you didn't know. just get your plate spaced normally. nothing says "i'm cooler than you" than an illegally spaced plate.

edit, except well maybe the people tha put black screws in strategic places to make their numbers read something else. That's definitely cooler. i bow down to their genius

Well the black screw brigade will hopefully get their just desserts! I have a normally spaced plate in the boot for the MOT. One year I forgot and the tester simply swapped em over for me and passed it!

The NIP itself didn't even display the correct spacing, it just had: TLOCK

Btw: Those digits are not the same as my plate, it's the format of the spacing I was describing, I can't believe I'm having to explain that

 

[bainbridge]

Also to spot missing plates, I had 2x £100 fines for my 360 that didn't run a front plate, one fine on the journey away from home and the second on the way home. Did try and speak to them but the only alternative was court so I paid both and slapped a plate on. Knew it was coming and had intended to put a plate on whenever it got flagged but didn't expect twice in an afternoon I must admit. They even sent both in the same envelope

Yes, the tech has definitely advanced. My reasoning before was that some cars have a square plate with 2 rows, so maybe their systems didn't recognise spacing for that reason. They obviously do now

Twice in 1 day, that's harsh!

 

[bainbridge]

It says on the NIP that to settle the matter I need to firstly complete a section of the form admitting I'm the driver and send it off, and secondly pay the fine. I can't find anything about them asking me to take remedial action. Looks like as long as they get their money they're not bothered and will most likely just throw the book at me if I do it again. Kerchinggg for them I guess.

I have the correctly spaced plates but they have other holes in them from a previous car, which I filled with black silicone because the holes happened to be exactly below the lettering. I'll stick these on straight away to avoid more fines and get a new set made up.

 

[bainbridge]

Please provide a single documented example of any UK insurer invalidating someone’s car insurance solely due to a mis-spaced plate, better yet the ombudsman’s published judgement upholding the un-writing of the policy as it would be the talk of the motoring and likely mainstream press along with the perfect excuse for compo face.

In general terms, enforcement policy (rightly or wrongly) seemingly varies by force area, I can’t help but feel that it would be better if DVLA offered people the option to alter where the space appears and charged an administration fee for doing so, while police enforcement was standardised and the penalty system moved to tiered strike system for non compliance, say £250 first offence, £500 the second time and £1,000 for the third plus the plate being withdrawn and you having to pay to re-register the car and have it inspected prior to going back on the road. That would increase revenue, reduce offending and re-offending and result in repeat offenders actually being punished. Realistically £100 every 15 years isn’t going to strike fear into private plate owners, it’s just another cost of motoring.

Paying to shift the space seems reasonable to me, if the DVLA are so insistent on there being a space anyway.

The NIP telling me that my reg spacing was incorrect just listed my reg with no spaces at all!

 

[bainbridge]

The law is an ass.

Whatever the original reason was for putting spaces in a reg, it's become enshrined in the law and therefore you must comply. I get that. I've paid the fine and fitted compliant plates.

What I don't get is the point of actually having a space, and if there is one, why it's so vital that the space has the be in a certain place, based on how long the reg is and when it was issued.

In work we have to enter the reg with no spaces to retrieve the vehicle. The actual NIP displayed my reg without a space. As others have said, the space being in a different place didn't stop my reg being recognised and a fine being issued. The space clearly isn't some vital part or road safety, it's just there because of tradition.

 

[bainbridge]

There are limits to what any computer system can handle - it isn't like the rules and need for standardisation aren't there for an easily understandable reason or arduous to go along with.

Can you explain the reason why there needs to be a space between the letters in a certain place, and why this differs dependant on the age of the plate?