Wife stopped for illegal number plate...

[Pothole]

RichTBiscuit said:

I honestly can't believe the amount of absolute bellers on this thread. ....... so what?

Suck it up and try and have a little respect for people who dont share your EXACT opinion of life.

EFA.

Really.

[Sa Calobra]

Why the tiny number plate? It looks terrible on the rear.

[zygalski]

Such a cool looking plate. One can only stand back and admire.
How much and wtf does it mean?

[mickmcpaddy]

rainmakerraw said:

The vernier caliper the OP used states an accuracy plus or minus 0.02mm but an operating range of 5 degrees celcius to 40 degrees celcius. Was it over 5oC when you measured OP? At this time of year and at night I'd doubt it. Did you definitely measure correctly? Maybe try again during the day when it's well over 5oC tomorrow (touch wood).

De minimis - I thought the law didn't concern itself with trifles, or is that just a one way street if you are arguing over the thickness of a yellow line.

[silverfoxcc]

Why does everyone on here gets really really really upset that someone has their intitals on a plate?


It is a number plate at the end of the day showing the car is legally ( apart from the cloned ones) on the road

It is also the choice of the owner of the car as well, irrespective of what the collective think

And Yes my old wreck has my initials and 1 ( unfortunately it also has a suffix.... but i am happy with it and it sits well on the firms van)

However if one of two other plates ever come up i would have them like a shot and neither are my intitials and even say the name of the firm ( ok if you are a chemist!!)

However the misplaced/wrong font ones are illegal and boil my urine!!!

And poor old BV, had some respect for him as he has a Dolly, and Dolly owners are not idiots.. however rules are there to be broken!! ;-)

Edited by silverfoxcc on Monday 15th January 08:36

[CRA1G]

zygalski said:

wtf does it mean?

let me think... could it be ... Initials...!!!!

[a.lex]

hutchst said:

At the risk of being trumped by an amendment that I'm not aware of, the so-called tolerances that supposedly don't exist can be found clearly at section 12(2)(b) of the 2001 Regulations [Statutory Instrument 2001/561]. For stroke width the appropriate tolerance is +/- 0.5mm so the legal requirement is between 13.5 and 14.5mm. Based on your caliper measurements your plates are illegal, and your tape measure photo is by no means conclusive either way.

Given how dodgy your case is, and that it will cost you more if you win, my advice would be to pay up and then send the plates back to the supplier to get them fixed ready for next time SWMBO gets her collar felt.

Interesting combination of the absolutely correct and the laughably wrong. Yes, the tolerances that "supposedly don't exist" are in fact located right in the Regulations nobody else bothered to read, but no, a few dodgy photos (featuring a pair of digital calipers placed somewhere in the vicinity of the "offending" plates) are not reliable evidence of the plates' actual measurements. The dodginess of the OP's case depends entirely on the actual measurements of the plates, which have not been determined by anyone (apart from one police sargeant, apparently). From a pure cost-benefit perspective, however, if the police do not withdraw the ticket, it may not make financial sense to fight this in court.

[Fastpedeller]

a.lex said:

hutchst said:

At the risk of being trumped by an amendment that I'm not aware of, the so-called tolerances that supposedly don't exist can be found clearly at section 12(2)(b) of the 2001 Regulations [Statutory Instrument 2001/561]. For stroke width the appropriate tolerance is +/- 0.5mm so the legal requirement is between 13.5 and 14.5mm. Based on your caliper measurements your plates are illegal, and your tape measure photo is by no means conclusive either way.

Given how dodgy your case is, and that it will cost you more if you win, my advice would be to pay up and then send the plates back to the supplier to get them fixed ready for next time SWMBO gets her collar felt.

Interesting combination of the absolutely correct and the laughably wrong. Yes, the tolerances that "supposedly don't exist" are in fact located right in the Regulations nobody else bothered to read, but no, a few dodgy photos (featuring a pair of digital calipers placed somewhere in the vicinity of the "offending" plates) are not reliable evidence of the plates' actual measurements. The dodginess of the OP's case depends entirely on the actual measurements of the plates, which have not been determined by anyone (apart from one police sargeant, apparently). From a pure cost-benefit perspective, however, if the police do not withdraw the ticket, it may not make financial sense to fight this in court.

I used the link provided by an earlier poster, and the tolerances weren't quoted - It appeared to an official site.

[RA500]

It's not initials.

It is one of the first registration marks ever registered in Manchester. My dad grew up on a council estate in Stretford and used to see a RR go past with the plate on as a child. with a lot of hard work, he did well for himself in the motor trade and the car came up for sale and he bought it and kept the reg.

[TooMany2cvs]

RA500 said:

It is one of the first registration marks ever registered in Manchester.

No, it isn't. Three-letter regs didn't start to be issued until the 30s.

[BugLebowski]

Regardless of the legality whenever I see a car with cut down plates in a normal sized recess, I always imagine the driver looks something like this...

[RA500]

TooMany2cvs said:

No, it isn't. Three-letter regs didn't start to be issued until the 30s.

if you made a list of ones registered NA or NF before the plate and a list of the ones registered after, it would be nearer the bottom of the list

[TooMany2cvs]

RA500 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

No, it isn't. Three-letter regs didn't start to be issued until the 30s.

if you made a list of ones registered NA or NF before the plate and a list of the ones registered after, it would be nearer the bottom of the list

ABC1-999 started in the 30s, when the two-letter combos were running out, which took over when the one-letter combos ran out. The first Manc plates would have been N1-9999, then N(A-F)1-9999. ANA1 would probably have been the first Manc three letter plate, but I don't know if they were truly sequential in the letters - they probably were, which'd put it fairly late in the series - so 1950s, given that plates started to be turned around to 1-999ABC from 1953, when letter-digits started to run out.

[Charlie Croker mk2]

YNF 1 was issued in Manchester in April 1961 and I think it look fantastic and with that heritage that it was the OP's Dad's plate as well makes it beyond value but if you want to sell just let me know LOL

[55palfers]

Blimey what a thread!

If folk are vexed at the digit on the plate being a fraction of a mm out therefore "illegal", perhaps we all should start measuring yellow lines and contest tickets?


http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/023113ba.gif

[Bigyoke]

55palfers said:

Blimey what a thread!

If folk are vexed at the digit on the plate being a fraction of a mm out therefore "illegal", perhaps we all should start measuring yellow lines and contest tickets?


http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/023113ba.gif

I thought some already did, and signage etc. etc.

[Tony 1234]

Not sure why BV et al dislike personal plates so much, I've had one for 52 years (Issued 1947) and I think they look great with no date letter and initials first/numbers second

So good on you OP

[Red 4]

Tony 1234 said:

Not sure why BV et al dislike personal plates so much, I've had one for 52 years (Issued 1947) and I think they look great with no date letter and initials first/numbers second

So good on you OP

Breadvan appears to be the self-appointed number plate style sheriff.

I think the plate is good - sentimental reasons for the op and non-dating plate on an older car.

Nothing wrong with that in my book.

And I've got a private plate - currently on retention. It's worth an awful lot more than I paid for it.

Edited by Red 4 on Monday 15th January 11:43

[julianc]

Breadvan72 said:

Which is why the World is broken.

I wonder if "owning a Porsche Cayenne" could be added to the rap sheet. This OP's wife is quite the perp. In mitigation, at least it isn't a Panamera.

Well said, that man!

[mickmcpaddy]

Bigyoke said:

55palfers said:

Blimey what a thread!

If folk are vexed at the digit on the plate being a fraction of a mm out therefore "illegal", perhaps we all should start measuring yellow lines and contest tickets?


http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/023113ba.gif

I thought some already did, and signage etc. etc.

As I said earlier, if you go into court or a tribunal expecting to get off a ticket showing pictures of a yellow line that's only 73mm wide instead of 75mm (or whatever the thickness should be) you will get a good old dressing down whilst the judge shouts "this court does not concern itself with trifles - GUILTY"

So what would happen if an overzealous copper presented evidence of a plate a couple of mm too small? Would he also get a WTF from the judge, I'm guessing not.