Personalised number plate spacing.
- Thread starter Simmz
- Start date
And it passed the MOT? Was yours pre 51 reg?
I frequently see personalised plates with incorrect spacing, i don't think its going to stop until they start issuing points for the offence 
Usually a warning, followed by a fine if they see it again, sometimes they'll let you go away and put the original plates back on, others will make you go to an MOT station to verify you have re-fitted the correct plates.
Usually a warning, followed by a fine if they see it again, sometimes they'll let you go away and put the original plates back on, others will make you go to an MOT station to verify you have re-fitted the correct plates.
I frequently see personalised plates with incorrect spacing, i don't think its going to stop until they start issuing points for the offence
Usually a warning, followed by a fine if they see it again, sometimes they'll let you go away and put the original plates back on, others will make you go to an MOT station to verify you have re-fitted the correct plates.
I was under the impression altered plates carry the posobility of 3 points and a fine and then the stupidity of not actually having a plate equals just a fine? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
My mother got caught with her highly illegal plate in January. Instead of the usual 11mm gap between letters, she had 19mm gap 
The police thought that the additional 8mm was far worse than drug dealers and rapists and fined her, put her name in the local paper and she also had to report where she'd bought the plate from so they could go after them too.
The police thought that the additional 8mm was far worse than drug dealers and rapists and fined her, put her name in the local paper and she also had to report where she'd bought the plate from so they could go after them too.
Quite possibly, i've never had illegal plates so not 100% on the facts/laws on them, suppose if you do have illegal plates, your more likely to be clued up on the 'punishments'
Officer discression tbh, ignorance is no excuse
I got pulled in my old BMW, the rear plate (stuck on) had fallen off completely, I pleaded ignorance (I hadn't noticed!
) and got off with it. 
I got pulled in my old BMW, the rear plate (stuck on) had fallen off completely, I pleaded ignorance (I hadn't noticed!
It was more ignorance of the law, but yes I suppose a copper has heard 'I had no idea' many times before
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2006
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- 8,152
- Location
- Surrey
Number plates don't have to be legal to pass an MOT anymore, they just have to be clearly legible - makes no sense given the government crackdown but there you go.
As far as points etc are concerned, at the moment most people are getting either a warning or £30 fine the first time they're caught, with the possibility of your car going on 'Q' plates after the 3rd offence. Don't know of anyone getting points so far.
I personally think that as long as a plate is in the correct font and doesnt have cleverly placed screws then theres nothing wrong with it, but I dont make the laws
As far as points etc are concerned, at the moment most people are getting either a warning or £30 fine the first time they're caught, with the possibility of your car going on 'Q' plates after the 3rd offence. Don't know of anyone getting points so far.
I personally think that as long as a plate is in the correct font and doesnt have cleverly placed screws then theres nothing wrong with it, but I dont make the laws
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 3,108
- Location
- Swindon, UK
Incorrect spacing on number plates is an irritant. You think you're above the law?!
Who really cares what your name is, why does it need to be on the outside of your car and why have you mis spaced your plate to look 'personalised'. Why don't you just scrap the numbers and my 'Simmz' on the plate?
The worst one I've seen recently is on an Audi TT. The plate was 'T4 ETT' ('The TT'). The 4 wasn't even in the correct styling and was meant to look like a 'h'.
(rant over..)
Who really cares what your name is, why does it need to be on the outside of your car and why have you mis spaced your plate to look 'personalised'. Why don't you just scrap the numbers and my 'Simmz' on the plate?
The worst one I've seen recently is on an Audi TT. The plate was 'T4 ETT' ('The TT'). The 4 wasn't even in the correct styling and was meant to look like a 'h'.
(rant over..)
Correct, but it makes sense. If you have an illegally spaced number plate, then that is something you have clearly done deliberately. If you have no plate at all, then there is the possibility that it has been stolen/knocked off etc. rather than deliberately removed.
The law states that,
l You must not alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers
l Characters must not be moved from one group to the other (e.g. A242 ABC must not bedisplayed as A242A BC).Offences may result in any or all of the following:
l A fine of up to £1,000
l The registration mark may be WITHDRAWN
l The vehicle may FAIL the MOT test
Full details of the requirements are included in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks)Regulations 2001
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/displayofnumberplates.pdf
l You must not alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers
l Characters must not be moved from one group to the other (e.g. A242 ABC must not bedisplayed as A242A BC).Offences may result in any or all of the following:
l A fine of up to £1,000
l The registration mark may be WITHDRAWN
l The vehicle may FAIL the MOT test
Full details of the requirements are included in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks)Regulations 2001
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/displayofnumberplates.pdf
My GF private plate is slightly miss spaced. in 2 years we've received 1 fine, most coppers I find couldn't give a monkeys as long as you can clearly read the plate and don't actually mess around with the font.
Talking of MOTs I used to run a beetle without a front plate at all for about 2-3 years and it didn't fail the MOT once because of it which I found odd. That and at that period of time, I must have been pulled over by the police 1-2 times a month for spot checks and not once did they comment on the lack of a front number plate. This was 9 years ago mind.
Talking of MOTs I used to run a beetle without a front plate at all for about 2-3 years and it didn't fail the MOT once because of it which I found odd. That and at that period of time, I must have been pulled over by the police 1-2 times a month for spot checks and not once did they comment on the lack of a front number plate. This was 9 years ago mind.
Round here you'd think numberplate font was their number one priority. I had a perfectly spaced and legible plate, but with a slightly different font (Block letters, no script or crap like that) and I got nothing but grief for it. One knobhead even did a U-turn over traffic lights to chase me because of my plate. Tool.