Illegal spacing
Discussion
You can be issued with a VDRS notice which gives you the choice of either getting the number plate rectified to its proper characters as it should be, or going to court for having an illegal plate.
You can be issued with a non-endorsable FPT £30 and a VDRN for the same plate for the same offence.
As Mel said, you can have your plate withdrawn by DVLA.
VDRN are a pain in the ar5e because you have to book an MOT test to get the form stamped by the MOT embossing stamp before it will be accepted as rectified by the relevant fixed penalty office. Garages charge for this service.
You have only 14 days to get the defect sorted and the form submitted duely stamped.
You can be issued with a non-endorsable FPT £30 and a VDRN for the same plate for the same offence.
As Mel said, you can have your plate withdrawn by DVLA.
VDRN are a pain in the ar5e because you have to book an MOT test to get the form stamped by the MOT embossing stamp before it will be accepted as rectified by the relevant fixed penalty office. Garages charge for this service.
You have only 14 days to get the defect sorted and the form submitted duely stamped.
Funny that someone should mention that they had an incorectly spaced reg number on for the past 18 mths that was what the guy said the other day when I issued him with an FPN for his. As I pointed out I had seen him numerous times durring that time, usually going the opposite way, be warned someone has probably clocked it, but just not got round to doing anything about it
john robson said: Funny that someone should mention that they had an incorectly spaced reg number on for the past 18 mths that was what the guy said the other day when I issued him with an FPN for his. As I pointed out I had seen him numerous times durring that time, usually going the opposite way, be warned someone has probably clocked it, but just not got round to doing anything about it
Oh well! its off the car now and on a retention certificate for my sons 18th Birthday
you will have to wait just over 15 years to nick him for it 
craigw said: what's the reality madcop? My g/f's car has a plate beginning P80 and then 3 letters, it is actually spaced P8 ****
likely to be stopped do you think ?
I cannot tel you. It would very much depend on where and when she was driving it.
The spacings should be thus A123 ABC The prefix letter is classed as a number for the grouping
A12 3ABC spacing because it spells a name etc is wrong and likely to be dealt with one way or another if seen.
So P80 ABC should be how it reads.
Generally I have found that most traffic officers will ignore minor infringements of the regs such as her one. They clamp down on those that are really messed around and made up with italic type lettering with mishaped characters such as 4 to look like A etc. Also the placing of a black screw covering in the middle of a white/yellow plate to change the appearence of a letter into a number or vice versa.
Frankly. She is committing an offence as you already know. Whether she is dealt with for it is down to luck.
Who knows when it may run out?
sod the fine or any of that DVLA can withdraw your plate and lumber you with a Q plate, which will bugger the resale value of any car.
But that's all they'll do? Quite fancy a Q-plate for my Mini (having said that it might well end up getting issued with one anyway once I've finished doing it up and tell the DVLA about all the changes)...
Fatboy said:
sod the fine or any of that DVLA can withdraw your plate and lumber you with a Q plate, which will bugger the resale value of any car.
But that's all they'll do? Quite fancy a Q-plate for my Mini (having said that it might well end up getting issued with one anyway once I've finished doing it up and tell the DVLA about all the changes)...
Thats fine if you never want to sell it on further.
Q Plates substantially de-value the vehicle.
Prospective buyers are put off.
Traders are not interested in part exchanging them.
If you can avoid it, stay away from Q plates!
Cheers for the reply Madcop, I seriously doubt I'll ever sell the Mini, it's just a cheap toy, (got it for free off my brother after it's engine blew up). It's a total mish-mash of parts, engine came from an MG Metro I bought out of AD Trader and hacked out myself, then had it scrapped - no idea what the reg plate was on the metro, rear subframe and radius arms came from another scrap mini, it's had most panels replaced at some point and the coulour has changed, so I might well end up wih the DVLA saying I have to have to have one anyway.
madcop said:
Generally I have found that most traffic officers will ignore minor infringements of the regs such as her one. They clamp down on those that are really messed around and made up with italic type lettering with mishaped characters such as 4 to look like A etc. Also the placing of a black screw covering in the middle of a white/yellow plate to change the appearence of a letter into a number or vice versa.
Who knows when it may run out?
Done the screw on a 4 to make it into an A on a few of our vehicles
i had one on my BMW and got a tug on the M25 from a traffic 
and was *advised* to put it right, one of my staff got a rollicking from local cop whem driving one of my vans about a plate with a screw to make an 'A' and was advised to get it changed ASAP. Worst thing is we always forget to change the plates over when MOT is due and they always fail on them
Aprisa said: Not really a spacing issue but..
I am bidding for a number next week to put on the kit, it will be *27 ***, is it regarded as a serious infringement to put a black screw between the 2 and 7 to make 2.7 as this is the engine size?
Nick
Yes it is.
You can have a screw cover between the 2 and the 7 but if it is on the rear plate, the screw cover must be yellow and on the front it must be white.
The only time you can have a black screw cover on the plate is if it sits in the middle of one of the characters, therefore blending in with the black colour of the character.
Aprisa said: Not really a spacing issue but..
I am bidding for a number next week to put on the kit, it will be *27 ***, is it regarded as a serious infringement to put a black screw between the 2 and 7 to make 2.7 as this is the engine size?
Nick
As Madcop says, yes it is illegal, try leaving some dirt on that part of the plate when you wash the car...
I understand that you can;t have your plate revoked if it's, er, 'fallen off'
The law on that is much softer than for fiddling with your plates, you naughty people!
Unfortunately the front plate on my Westfield has, er, 'fallen off'. I put it back on for the MOT and would you believe it... if fell right off again afterwards!!!
The law on that is much softer than for fiddling with your plates, you naughty people!
Unfortunately the front plate on my Westfield has, er, 'fallen off'. I put it back on for the MOT and would you believe it... if fell right off again afterwards!!!Hi guys, thanks for all the replies.
One thing that does make me wonder is why the DVLA issues plates that encourage illegal spacing and putting bolts in between 1's to look like H's?
Is it just so the government can make money by pulling people over for illegal numberplates? A conspiracy or money-making scheme perhaps?
One thing that does make me wonder is why the DVLA issues plates that encourage illegal spacing and putting bolts in between 1's to look like H's?
Is it just so the government can make money by pulling people over for illegal numberplates? A conspiracy or money-making scheme perhaps?
I think you will find that the Government have no care about people that are so full of their own self importance that they are willing to spend absurd amounts of money to make a personal statement about themselves to everyone else that may happen to see their personal mark attached to their mode of transport.
Those plates that coincide with names or specific words without being doctored are rare indeed and usually are purchased by people with more money that they know what to do with. They then purchase the plate to personalise their status above the rest of society.
Those people that do not have those absurd amounts of money are left scraping around the edges of registration marks that have to be butchered and doctored to try and make a somewhat sad personal statement to the rest of society.
In doing so they are either oblivious to the fact or aware but determined to make that statement regardless of the regulations governing them.
It is only a personal point of view but every time I see a registration which has been adapted by ingenious and devious additions and corruptions of characters and spacings to achieve the desired effect, I smile to myself and think I won't really bother stopping you because you can't really afford the fine!
I think the whole thing is really a bit sad, but that is just my opinion.
Those plates that coincide with names or specific words without being doctored are rare indeed and usually are purchased by people with more money that they know what to do with. They then purchase the plate to personalise their status above the rest of society.
Those people that do not have those absurd amounts of money are left scraping around the edges of registration marks that have to be butchered and doctored to try and make a somewhat sad personal statement to the rest of society.
In doing so they are either oblivious to the fact or aware but determined to make that statement regardless of the regulations governing them.
It is only a personal point of view but every time I see a registration which has been adapted by ingenious and devious additions and corruptions of characters and spacings to achieve the desired effect, I smile to myself and think I won't really bother stopping you because you can't really afford the fine!
I think the whole thing is really a bit sad, but that is just my opinion.
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