Transposing a couple of letters/nos on a plate.
Transposing a couple of letters/nos on a plate.
Author
Discussion

pdV6

16,442 posts

290 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
My mother-in-law drove around with 2 mismatched plates (made up and fitted by the supplying VW dealership) for quite a long time (a year or more) before a slight knock required a new bumper and plate to be fitted. The eagle-eyed bod at the bodyshop queried which of the 2 different numbers should be used on the new plate, which was the 1st anyone heard of the problem!

Streetcop

5,907 posts

267 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
depends on the circumstances and the copper....

regarding any 'breach of speed limits' and the photograph from a speed camera..if the plate is unknown..letters and numbers are 'twiddled with' (technical term ) by the computer to come back with possible true identity...

This in turn could lead to a more serious offence than speeding.

canam

14,001 posts

301 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Some years ago I spotted an IoM registered car which caught my eye only because the prefix letter was a few years ahead of ours. Anyway, the two ends were different as well!

Plotloss

67,280 posts

299 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
There have been a number of cases of one number plate on the front and a different one on the back with a transposition error.

When I worked in the trade this was always happening mainly because a monkey made the plates and they were all very similar registrations as they were block booked in blocks of 1000 cars.

Nothing serious ever happened as far as I remember but this was getting on for 10 years ago before cameras were everywhere.

And lets be honest the law only give a shit about plates these days because of the cameras...

david_s

7,960 posts

273 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Some years ago I had a neighbour who was a traffic policeman, his informal off the record and un-attributable advice was to make exactly this 'mistake'. ie transpose two letters in your rear numberplate by accident and look shocked if ever caught.

hot wheels

155 posts

299 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
been there did that and got a pull, the plate in question was on my old ducati and yes i did it for the obvious reason. Got pulled for sppeding but had,nt been clocked it was on the A580 in worsley then they did a p&c and found the plate i feigned ignorance and although all parties concerned were aware this was bull i wouldnt budge. The coipper who turned out to be one of those odd ones with an intact sense of humour bollocked me and sent me home to change the plate back recorded the incident and gave me a producer, no action ofany sort was taken apart from that

DeltaFox

3,839 posts

261 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Just leave the plates off. £30 non endorsable. Sorted.

Stu 9-5

382 posts

263 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
My sister's got mismatched plates on her new Focus. I told her and she's told the leasing company.

Apparently they're sending some new plates out to her to have fitted, That was 8 weeks ago!

She makes it to all of her appointments bang on time, can't think why?

zcacogp

11,239 posts

273 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
... it would be very easy to do.

My aging Golf is G577***. I think.

Although to be completely honest, it may be G557***. I genuinely and honestly cannot remember. Last time I went to a dealer, he needed the reg plate to identify the vehicle. And I had to walk over to the window to get it right.

You idea is an interesting one ... thanks!


Oli.

P.S. Anyone know where to get a plate without having to show a V5?

busta

4,504 posts

262 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
www.fancyplates.com as mentioned in several other topics.

Bernie

tw99

4,877 posts

263 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Streetcop said:


regarding any 'breach of speed limits' and the photograph from a speed camera..if the plate is unknown..letters and numbers are 'twiddled with' (technical term ) by the computer to come back with possible true identity...



Interesting, as the ACPO guidelines posted on pepipoo state:

"Where the zoom facility and/or adjusting the contrast/brightness, or reversing
the films polarity cannot identify a vehicle registration mark, the reading will
be disregarded. PNC will not be used to establish identity by a search of a
range of numbers/letters and clarifying by make/colour."

So do your lot just ignore the guidelines ?

bobbins

26,934 posts

274 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
I certainly know of 2 people who've done similar things, one on purpose and the other the car came new with the wrong plates on it, but no one noticed until they got a parking ticket.

These days (especially if you had a fairly recent car) it would look odd if the original supplying dealers name (or the leasing company etc) wasn't on the plates. If FancyPlates put their name on then I imagine it would stick out to a 'proper' traffic bib and you could be looking at very serious charges (like deception, PCJ etc).

Dwight VanDriver

6,583 posts

273 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
I think you will find that if it is GENUINE mistake then little or no action action will be taken i.e. fail to display Reg Plate.

But, as SC states, if it is established done for a nefarious reason then charge will be fraudulent use of a registration mark (S44 Veh Excise and Reg Act 1994)
- 5000 pound fine, 2 years imprisonment or both.

IIRC recordable offence so you will also pick up a CRO number which doesn't look nice on a C.V..

DVD

Mr E

23,059 posts

288 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Streetcop said:

regarding any 'breach of speed limits' and the photograph from a speed camera..if the plate is unknown..letters and numbers are 'twiddled with' (technical term ) by the computer to come back with possible true identity...


Sorry, the plate doesn't match the car so the computer transposes the digits until it finds one that does......

Streetcop

5,907 posts

267 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Mr E said:

Streetcop said:

regarding any 'breach of speed limits' and the photograph from a speed camera..if the plate is unknown..letters and numbers are 'twiddled with' (technical term ) by the computer to come back with possible true identity...



Sorry, the plate doesn't match the car so the computer transposes the digits until it finds one that does......



Yeah..about that...
Then you get a visit from the police...who do things like check the location of number plate rivets (if any), garage stickers, exact location of tax disc holder..etc

'King Deadly

196 posts

266 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Streetcop said:

regarding any 'breach of speed limits' and the photograph from a speed camera..if the plate is unknown..letters and numbers are 'twiddled with' (technical term ) by the computer to come back with possible true identity...


So silver Mondeo ABC123 is caught on camera.

Your PNC shows the reg as unknown, but ABC132 and ABC213 both come up as silver Mondeos.

D'you just pick one of them at random to prosecute, or what?

Streetcop

5,907 posts

267 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
'King Deadly said:

D'you just pick one of them at random to prosecute, or what?


It's usually determined by tossing a coin....

'King Deadly

196 posts

266 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Streetcop said:

'King Deadly said:

D'you just pick one of them at random to prosecute, or what?



It's usually determined by tossing a coin....


As Homer Simpson said...

...It's funny because it's true

Streetcop

5,907 posts

267 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
KD

Have a look at my post on the other page mate...about what happens when a plate is 'iffy'.

'King Deadly

196 posts

266 months

Tuesday 1st February 2005
quotequote all
Streetcop said:
KD

Have a look at my post on the other page mate...about what happens when a plate is 'iffy'.


Oh, I did.

Did you read TW99's?