Small Front plate on QP, will Plod stop me?

[crostonian]

Been thinking of getting an Italian sized front number plate for my recently acquired Quattroporte as the UK one looks ridiculous sat on the small plinth.

I realise it's illegal but does plod really care these days or am I just asking to get pulled?

I suppose the alternative would be to buy a 4 or 5 digit personal plate and have legal sized lettering on a chopped down plate.

[132]

You will get pulled.

[Mosi]

I had a small bike sized plate on a previous car, never got one pull in 3 years with that car.

[Ice27]

Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate. It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act.

Having said that, if you are stopped for a moving traffic offence or by VOSA, you are likely to be done for it (or advised to change it) and you will need to change it for the MOT.

[thehappyotter]

Ice27 said:

Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate. It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act.

Having said that, if you are stopped for a moving traffic offence or by VOSA, you are likely to be done for it (or advised to change it) and you will need to change it for the MOT.

As a policeman, I'd like to say don't pay much (any!) attention to this post!

I could go highlighting the many inaccurate statements but I won't, we're not in SP&TL where being anal matters. I'll just go as far as saying you can get stopped and get a ticket. If you will or not's a different matter.

I've always gone my the rule if I can read it from 5 or 6 car lengths it's fine, if I can't it's not. This has so far only ruled out the bloody silly chavvy italic type ones and not smaller and, some would say slightly classier, plates.

That said, I'm not a traffic cop and some of them would give a ticket to their own mother!

[mybrainhurts]

thehappyotter said:

Ice27 said:

Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate. It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act.

Having said that, if you are stopped for a moving traffic offence or by VOSA, you are likely to be done for it (or advised to change it) and you will need to change it for the MOT.

As a policeman, I'd like to say don't pay much (any!) attention to this post!

I could go highlighting the many inaccurate statements but I won't, we're not in SP&TL where being anal matters. I'll just go as far as saying you can get stopped and get a ticket. If you will or not's a different matter.

I've always gone my the rule if I can read it from 5 or 6 car lengths it's fine, if I can't it's not. This has so far only ruled out the bloody silly chavvy italic type ones and not smaller and, some would say slightly classier, plates.

That said, I'm not a traffic cop and some of them would give a ticket to their own mother!

I trust you're aware that bike sized plates are allowed on imported cars..?

[Ice27]

thehappyotter said:

As a policeman, I'd like to say don't pay much (any!) attention to this post!

I could go highlighting the many inaccurate statements but I won't, we're not in SP&TL where being anal matters. I'll just go as far as saying you can get stopped and get a ticket. If you will or not's a different matter.

I've always gone my the rule if I can read it from 5 or 6 car lengths it's fine, if I can't it's not. This has so far only ruled out the bloody silly chavvy italic type ones and not smaller and, some would say slightly classier, plates.

That said, I'm not a traffic cop and some of them would give a ticket to their own mother!

Best check your powers then!
There is no power to stop a vehicle under the Vehicle Registration Act
Ask a Traffic Officer!

[thehappyotter]

mybrainhurts said:

I trust you're aware that bike sized plates are allowed on imported cars..?

Aye, full sized bike sized plates. The lettering and spacing still needs to comply. That wasn't the question though.

[thehappyotter]

Ice27 said:

Best check your powers then!
There is no power to stop a vehicle under the Vehicle Registration Act
Ask a Traffic Officer!

Any vehicle can be caused to stop at any time merely to check the documents of the driver and vehicle are in order. Once stopped any offences disclosed may be dealt with.

I'm not going to start researching and quoting as to why you're wrong, but you are.

It's covered by construction and use regs.

And, as I said, personally as long as it's readable it's fine to me. But then I'm not everyone else!

Edited by thehappyotter on Sunday 8th May 14:07

[Pesty]

Ice27 said:

Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate. It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act.

.

tell the policeman who stopped me for that then proceded to measue the letters with a rule and tell me they were 1mm too small

[simonspider]

Looks like I'm knackered then I'll just hope they are too busy looking at the lovely curves

[thehappyotter]

simonspider said:

Looks like I'm knackered then I'll just hope they are too busy looking at the lovely curves

Like I said, not by all of us you're not. And that's got nothing to do with the type of car just, and I'm sure the bosses would love to see it banned, common sense god forbid!!

(Although the car is bloody gorgeous! I was drooling over a blue one at Graypaul Nottingham the other day)

[Ice27]

As I said originally, you can be stopped for other reasons and having done so, an obviously illegal plate is likely to be dealt with, especially if you've been stopped by a Traffic Officer!

[crostonian]

I suppose all it does is give them another excuse to pull you, check tyres, breathalyse, check docs etc so probably not worth the aggro.

[thehappyotter]

Ice27 said:

As I said originally, you can be stopped for other reasons and having done so, an obviously illegal plate is likely to be dealt with, especially if you've been stopped by a Traffic Officer!

You can be stopped for having a small plate too. I know I said I wouldn't kick the arse out of it but I feel I'm gonna have to offer you a little clarification now...

"Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate" Yes they are. It's an offence under the Contruction and Use regulations and you can be stopped and be dealt with.

"It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act" Of course it's not. Moving traffic offences are just that, one committed by the fact you're moving. Speeding, careless driving, crossing a double white line etc... etc... That is of no relevance though. Certain procedures, particularly breath tests in the absence of any other suspicion, are limited to moving traffic offences. Stopping a vehicle simply isn't.

"as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act." I've never heard of the Vehicle Registration Act. You may be thinking of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act of 1994 which deals with the issuing of numbers and the transfer of them etc. This isn't legislation the police work with on a day to day basis, if at all.

"Having said that, if you are stopped for a moving traffic offence or by VOSA, you are likely to be done for it (or advised to change it) and you will need to change it for the MOT." You do not need to have committed a moving traffic offence to be stopped. Like I said earlier, simply to check documents are in order if perfectly legal. In fact, if we are looking at things to the letter, it's an offence not to produce your documents immediately on being stopped. Producers are (technically) only given as grace, that's a different story altogether..

I know this wasn't necessary given the simple question in the OP, but I hope it clears things up for you.

[simonspider]

Now thats what I call clarification! Spot on that man

[thehappyotter]

Cheers Simon, sometimes it's just gotta be said I guess..

It boils down to the simple fact that 90% if us couldn't care less as long as it's readable. 10% will do you.

You makes your choice's you takes your chance... If you win, great, if you loose, st happens.

[Ice27]

simonspider said:

Now thats what I call clarification! Spot on that man

Yeah, pity it's not accurate!!
However, I will leave it there, I'm sure this is a better discussion for the SP&TL forum. We're getting into the nitty gritty detail of the law and generally speaking, the only Officers who will know or care too much will be the Traffic Officers.

I agree that unless you're really taking the Michael, you probably won't have any problems. Just look around and see how many plates with illegal spacings, flags, screw covers etc there are!

Edited by Ice27 on Sunday 8th May 15:28

[Durzel]

Ice27 said:

Police are not allowed to stop a vehicle for having an illegal number plate. It is not a moving traffic offence under the Road Traffic Act as plate regulations are covered under the vehicle registration act.

You shouldn't post statements of fact like this if you're not in a position to make authoritative statements, especially when a serving cop tells you you're mistaken.

As said already number plate offences are Construction & Use offences, not Road Traffic Act, and the Police can pull over people for any reason if they have a reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed.

I got pulled over and given a VDRS for "numberplates not confirming to regs", I was not pulled over for any other reason or asked to provide other documents (I presume ANPR took care of the rest of the usual suspicions)

edit: And you're still doing it. Posting the equivalent of "nah you're wrong" isn't refuting anything.

To the OP: In practical terms you would be committing an offence, in real terms you would need to come across a traffic cop who a) is in a position to turn around after passing you (assuming your rear plate is compliant) and b) is minded to do so. It's the sort of thing that seems to vary considerably by region - the Met probably have better things to do, your local rural county cops, or anyone who has had a bad day or whatever, you might not be so lucky. Strictly speaking though it's an offence and if I recall correctly the offence is the same whether you display a numberplate that doesn't conform to regs or none at all, though you'd have less chance of a "it came like this!" defence on the first bounce

Edited by Durzel on Sunday 8th May 15:29

[thehappyotter]

Durzel said:

I got pulled over and given a VDRS for "numberplates not confirming to regs", I was not pulled over for any other reason or asked to provide other documents (I presume ANPR took care of the rest of the usual suspicions)

That's the policy round here if followed to the letter. We are issued with a little orange book which lists each traffic offence and has the 'suggested' approach listed next to it.

Non conforming plate is a VDRS if the book is followed.

And I've given up explaining, I can back up my points with many years of experience and training. I'll wait for a reasoned and well constructed argument before I add any more...