More than one number plate displayed

[sim72]

I'm pretty sure the answer to this is going to be "No", but it intrigued me anyway ...

Passed a 4x4 on the A19 today towing a trailer. On the trailer were two number plates. One of the plates matched the towing vehicle. Obviously the owner regularly uses two towing vehicles.

So ... legal?

[48k]

Yes perfectly legal (on the basis one of the plates matched the towing vehicle).

[sim72]

48k said:

Yes perfectly legal (on the basis one of the plates matched the towing vehicle).

Really? That surprises me (I was thinking mostly of rear-facing speed cameras placed at such an angle that the towing vehicle's numberplate might be obscured).

[Derek Smith]

sim72 said:

Really? That surprises me (I was thinking mostly of rear-facing speed cameras placed at such an angle that the towing vehicle's numberplate might be obscured).

To have the correct number plate on the towed vehicle obscured, or rather not displayed correctly, would be an offence.

[Second Best]

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but if you were simply driving past a police car completely legally, except with two or more plates on your trailer, then you might get a friendly tug to remind you to just display a single UK plate to prevent confusion?

In the same way that if you'd just committed a major crime (fatal RTA, bank job, 33 in a 30 etc) then the Police may decide to stick you with PCOJ because one could argue a member of public would not be able to identify the correct plate for the vehicle?

Just a discussion point.

[48k]

Second Best said:

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but if you were simply driving past a police car completely legally, except with two or more plates on your trailer,.

There's no "except" about it. If the trailer is correctly displaying the correct, unobscured, legal plate for the tow vehicle then it's legal regardless of how many other plates it is also displaying.

[mad4amanda]

each plate would need a light to illuminate it?

[48k]

mad4amanda said:

each plate would need a light to illuminate it?

The only number plate on the trailer that needs to comply with the law is the one for the vehicle which is towing it at the time.
I think people are making this harder than it needs to be.

[shovelheadrob]

I must admit I did once wonder what would happen if you completely covered the rear of a vehicle (trailer or back of lorry) with random lettering in the correct size, font & spacing on a reflective background whether the anpr cameras would go into meltdown!
AFAIK there's no legislation prohibiting it, although I'd guess that if used to evade speeding conviction, it could be an offence of some kind.

[Biker 1]

How would the ANPR at my local Sainsburys car park react? If it zapped the towing vehicle's front plate on the way in, then got the incorrect plate on the way out, would the towing vehicle have overstayed, thus incurring a charge??

[mad4amanda]

48k said:

mad4amanda said:

each plate would need a light to illuminate it?

The only number plate on the trailer that needs to comply with the law is the one for the vehicle which is towing it at the time.
I think people are making this harder than it needs to be.

Of course it would but I was actually asking as this would help me at work as we have 3 vans all used for the same trailer but as you say you would still need to swap the plates to the light so no benefit at all

[2Btoo]

shovelheadrob said:

I must admit I did once wonder what would happen if you completely covered the rear of a vehicle (trailer or back of lorry) with random lettering in the correct size, font & spacing on a reflective background whether the anpr cameras would go into meltdown!
AFAIK there's no legislation prohibiting it, although I'd guess that if used to evade speeding conviction, it could be an offence of some kind.

I've wondered the same thing. If this thread is to be believed then as long as the correct numberplate features somewhere in that random jumble then it would be legal, or have I misunderstood something?

And why would it need to be a trailer or the back of a lorry? What about the back of a car?

(Another Q - what if you have you numberplate upside-down. Is that legal?)

[V8RX7]

I have regularly seen multiple plates on the back of HGV trailers.

Does a plate have to be illuminated if it's not dark ? I've owned several cars that had MOT and did not have lights.

If you covered the back of your car with number plates or similar I suspect a PCOJ would follow - should you ever encounter a Police Officer

I regularly tow a trailer with multiple vehicles all of which are registered to me - am I being optimistic that as long as the plate on the trailer is registered to me as is the tow vehicle I'm unlikely to be in trouble - otherwise fitting 3 plates to it would suit me.

[shovelheadrob]

I know that farm trailers are allowed to have a different plate on the trailer as long as it is registered to the same farm, one of my customers has a fleet of over 20 trailers that all have the same plate.
My earlier comment referencing the back of a van or truck was because it provides a large flat area & the correct plate can de pretty much anywhere rather than the provided aperture on a car.

[anonymous-user]

shovelheadrob said:

I must admit I did once wonder what would happen if you completely covered the rear of a vehicle (trailer or back of lorry) with random lettering in the correct size, font & spacing on a reflective background whether the anpr cameras would go into meltdown!

A few years ago I was passed on the motorway by a yellow VW Transporter van which was completely covered in fake number plates on the rear door.

This photo I found is clearly a mock-up, but it was very similar.

All the fake registrations were exactly the correct font and spacing etc.

[Haltamer]

Lord Marylebone said:

A few years ago I was passed on the motorway by a yellow VW Transporter van which was completely covered in fake number plates on the rear door.

This photo I found is clearly a mock-up, but it was very similar.

All the fake registrations were exactly the correct font and spacing etc.

I've seen a BMW Down my street with similar - Lots of registrations, even a large spoiler covered in numberplates - Perhaps some kind of denial of service attack for ANPR?

[anonymous-user]

Haltamer said:

I've seen a BMW Down my street with similar - Lots of registrations, even a large spoiler covered in numberplates - Perhaps some kind of denial of service attack for ANPR?

I know we are joking about it, but maybe it's possible?

I wonder what happens when 50 different plates flash up on a digital speed/anpr camera on one vehicle at the same time?

Does it check them all? Does it just have a meltdown and check none of them?

I imagine that 'analogue' cameras still have an administrator who will briefly look at each photo taken to obtain the correct details, but many cameras now (such as average speed cameras) are fully automatic and simply read the registration numbers via ANPR software and office a ticket.

I think these are the ones that are easily defeated by a vehicle rear full of letters and numbers.

[V8RX7]

We have had people who work with the ANPR system comment in the past.

IIRC misreads are flashed up but there are thousands a day so only a fraction are looked at

[gareth_r]

shovelheadrob said:

I know that farm trailers are allowed to have a different plate on the trailer as long as it is registered to the same farm, one of my customers has a fleet of over 20 trailers that all have the same plate...

This reminded me that a traffic policeman mate told me, many years ago, that it was OK to have different registration maks on vehicle and trailer if they had the same keeper.

That was long before ARPANET became the internet, let alone the World Wide Web, so I never actually checked it out.


EDIT:
Apparently, the World Wide Web does now exist..

Looks like that's for agricultural vehicles only, as you said >>>>>>>> http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/561/made

"Where the towing vehicle is an agricultural machine, a plate fixed on the trailer may, instead of displaying the registration mark of the towing vehicle, display the mark of any other agricultural machine kept by the keeper of the towing vehicle."


Either bike cop buddy (Norton Commandos in those days) was wrong, or I mis-remembered.

Edited by gareth_r on Sunday 2nd September 11:33

[ghe13rte]

Haltamer said:

I've seen a BMW Down my street with similar - Lots of registrations, even a large spoiler covered in numberplates - Perhaps some kind of denial of service attack for ANPR?

Is this him?