Numberplate Questions
Discussion
I'm a Yank with no knowledge of how UK personalized plates work, and I was hoping some of you might be able to answer a few questions:
1: In the UK, are you responsible for making your own plates? I've seen posts about plates in illegal fonts, and this only makes sense if you folks are manufacturing your own plates. Am I right on this? Does the government give you a number, and then it's up to you to acquire the plate yourself?
2: Do people in the UK really buy and sell personalized number plates for tens of thousands of pounds?
3: Are overt words in numberplates illegal in the UK? If not, then why are UK personalized plates usually an indecipherable mix of letters and numbers, as opposed to just letters spelling out a word?
Thanks
Kai
>>> Edited by KaiPL on Friday 8th October 20:59
1: In the UK, are you responsible for making your own plates? I've seen posts about plates in illegal fonts, and this only makes sense if you folks are manufacturing your own plates. Am I right on this? Does the government give you a number, and then it's up to you to acquire the plate yourself?
2: Do people in the UK really buy and sell personalized number plates for tens of thousands of pounds?
3: Are overt words in numberplates illegal in the UK? If not, then why are UK personalized plates usually an indecipherable mix of letters and numbers, as opposed to just letters spelling out a word?
Thanks
Kai
>>> Edited by KaiPL on Friday 8th October 20:59
KaiPL said:
I'm a Yank with no knowledge of how UK personalized plates work, and I was hoping some of you might be able to answer a few questions:
1: In the UK, are you responsible for making your own plates? I've seen posts about plates in illegal fonts, and this only makes sense if you folks are manufacturing your own plates. Am I right on this? Does the government give you a number, and then it's up to you to acquire the plate yourself?
2: Do people in the UK really buy and sell personalized number plates for tens of thousands of pounds?
3: Are overt words in numberplates illegal in the UK? If not, then why are UK personalized plates usually an indecipherable mix of letters and numbers, as opposed to just letters spelling out a word?
Normally you get a garage or accessory shop to make them up for you......
Yes, crazy but true, sometimes 20,000 pounds or more...
You can have letters and numbers spelling out a word, but usually this is illegal, because the owners have misplaced the letters/numbers, which can leave them liable to prosecution........
This is a can of worms.
UK registration numbers are issued by the licencing authority. They are nominated by geographical area of licence issuing office {local vehicle licencing office) and on the age of the car.
Some registration numbers will spell out certain words if they are tampered with. The general configuration is that it should be 7 or less characters of which the firts or last group are numbers.
e.g.
ABC 123A The last group in this config are all numbers, even the A.
When the year suffix in the number group ran out (A issued on 1st August in a particular year on 1st August the next year, ABC 123A the number on a new vehicle would be ABC 123B and so on for 21 years until new cars would be ABC 123Y. (I,O,U,Q,Z were not used as they looked too much like numbers in some cases and Q was used for a different purpose.
When the 21 years had passed, the system was reversed and started again
new cars began registrations as A123 ABC until the amount of registrations issued became saturated and there were not many possiblities left.
The system was changed a few of years ago so that new registrations were issued on a 6 monthly basis rather than yearly (to help spread the business across the motor industry year) The system then changed again
It is now AB02 ABC.
The 0 in the number section indicates a March registration for a new car until September when the ) changes to a 5, hence AB52 ABC. The actual numbers indicate the months of registration and the year. The first 2 letters in the number config indicate the area the car was registered (local vehicle licence area) LX52 ABC or LG52 ABC would indicate a London registered car.
The registration number stays with the car for its life and not with the owner unless the owner buys his own plate from a dealer or the registration authorites to personalise his mark.
Some older registration numbers can be bought to spell names or things for instance
JUL 1E
FAN 70M (spaced and Italicised the 7 to read FANTOM)
The doctoring of numbers is illegal although the authorities sell numbers which actually encourage it.
Some numbers such as TRE 110R are doctored by angling the two 1's inwards at the bottom to read TREVOR.
Numbers like JULIE and TREVOR sell for £10's 000's.
I hope that is confusing enough for you.
Basically a car is registered when new for its whole life. Selling the car to someone else sees the number it was registered with first staying with it unless someone decides to apply to the licencing authorities for what is called a 'Cherished transfer'. This means they can buy a number plate from those registrations which are held in reserve by the licencing authority which are attractive for personal reasons. They make big money out of it!
>> Edited by Gone on Friday 8th October 21:57
UK registration numbers are issued by the licencing authority. They are nominated by geographical area of licence issuing office {local vehicle licencing office) and on the age of the car.
Some registration numbers will spell out certain words if they are tampered with. The general configuration is that it should be 7 or less characters of which the firts or last group are numbers.
e.g.
ABC 123A The last group in this config are all numbers, even the A.
When the year suffix in the number group ran out (A issued on 1st August in a particular year on 1st August the next year, ABC 123A the number on a new vehicle would be ABC 123B and so on for 21 years until new cars would be ABC 123Y. (I,O,U,Q,Z were not used as they looked too much like numbers in some cases and Q was used for a different purpose.
When the 21 years had passed, the system was reversed and started again
new cars began registrations as A123 ABC until the amount of registrations issued became saturated and there were not many possiblities left.
The system was changed a few of years ago so that new registrations were issued on a 6 monthly basis rather than yearly (to help spread the business across the motor industry year) The system then changed again
It is now AB02 ABC.
The 0 in the number section indicates a March registration for a new car until September when the ) changes to a 5, hence AB52 ABC. The actual numbers indicate the months of registration and the year. The first 2 letters in the number config indicate the area the car was registered (local vehicle licence area) LX52 ABC or LG52 ABC would indicate a London registered car.
The registration number stays with the car for its life and not with the owner unless the owner buys his own plate from a dealer or the registration authorites to personalise his mark.
Some older registration numbers can be bought to spell names or things for instance
JUL 1E
FAN 70M (spaced and Italicised the 7 to read FANTOM)
The doctoring of numbers is illegal although the authorities sell numbers which actually encourage it.
Some numbers such as TRE 110R are doctored by angling the two 1's inwards at the bottom to read TREVOR.
Numbers like JULIE and TREVOR sell for £10's 000's.
I hope that is confusing enough for you.
Basically a car is registered when new for its whole life. Selling the car to someone else sees the number it was registered with first staying with it unless someone decides to apply to the licencing authorities for what is called a 'Cherished transfer'. This means they can buy a number plate from those registrations which are held in reserve by the licencing authority which are attractive for personal reasons. They make big money out of it!
>> Edited by Gone on Friday 8th October 21:57
Stopped a car the other day who's keeper had moved a couple of letters together to spell his surname...
Despite both me and my colleague explaining the law to him, the legislation being shown to him, the number plate being video recorded and measure...he still whined and whinged and couldn't see a problem...despite the registration looking totally different than it should...
After his...."murderers are walking the streets all around here" bollox...he suggested that the police should advertise on the television and radio the laws concerning things like numberplates..!
Street
Despite both me and my colleague explaining the law to him, the legislation being shown to him, the number plate being video recorded and measure...he still whined and whinged and couldn't see a problem...despite the registration looking totally different than it should...
After his...."murderers are walking the streets all around here" bollox...he suggested that the police should advertise on the television and radio the laws concerning things like numberplates..!
Street
The problem is that DVLA encourages people to buy personalised plates, which only show the name etc if the spacing is tampered with, or if fixing screws are used inappopriately. They then threaten to take the plate off you if you tamper with the spacing or adjust them in any way!
Hypocricy!!!
Hypocricy!!!
welsh blackbird said:
The problem is that DVLA encourages people to buy personalised plates, which only show the name etc if the spacing is tampered with, or if fixing screws are used inappopriately. They then threaten to take the plate off you if you tamper with the spacing or adjust them in any way!
Hypocricy!!!
Absolutely...but one must have the common sense to either see this or have the money to buy a proper plate and not try to alter a cheaper one..
Street
KaiPL said:
I'm a Yank with no knowledge of how UK personalized plates work
Its all here: www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/regmarks/reg_marks.htm
mcflurry said:
I personally think there is a world of difference between someone adding half a dozen bolts turning "X123BWS" into "Garys car" to someone changing "G4 RYS" into "G4RYS" by removing the spacing between the numbers and letters...
Both illegal.....
At one time we wouldn't have bothered...but so many started to alter them....that the decision has been made to treat all with the same brush and enforce the law to the letter....(no pun intended)
Streetcop said:
I personally think there is a world of difference between someone adding half a dozen bolts turning "X123BWS" into "Garys car" to someone changing "G4 RYS" into "G4RYS" by removing the spacing between the numbers and letters...
Both illegal.....
At one time we wouldn't have bothered...but so many started to alter them....that the decision has been made to treat all with the same brush and enforce the law to the letter....(no pun intended)
[translation]ANPR isn't too clever with non standard plates. So we'll come down like a ton of bricks[/translation]
einion yrth said:
mcflurry said:
I personally think there is a world of difference between someone adding half a dozen bolts turning "X123BWS" into "Garys car" to someone changing "G4 RYS" into "G4RYS" by removing the spacing between the numbers and letters...
Both illegal.....
At one time we wouldn't have bothered...but so many started to alter them....that the decision has been made to treat all with the same brush and enforce the law to the letter....(no pun intended)
[translation]ANPR isn't too clever with non standard plates. So we'll come down like a ton of bricks[/translation]
To be honest ANPR is quite good at mis-spaced numbers..italics cause is some probs occasionally though...
The main point...as you've mentioned ANPR. WHY OH WHY would you have a problem with a system that catches wanted criminals and stolen cars? It's not a speed camera...no kerching, but a valuable tool........tool.
Street
Streetcop said:
Stopped a car the other day who's keeper had moved a couple of letters together to spell his surname...
...despite the registration looking totally different than it should...
Street
did you stop him because he moved a couple of letters or because he altered a couple of letters
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