Number Plate - using a screw + cap to slightly alter?

[MOCAŠ]

Maybe it is, but is that not how Nick Freeman (Mr Fixit) makes a very good living out of defending his motoring clients?

Yes, I nearly added a comment about Nick Freeman (Mr Loophole, I think it is) when I was writing that post, but decided to err on the side of brevity.

My point would have been that not even he always gets his own way, and he rarely gets his clients off as such - he mainly just helps them avoid a ban. However, I accept that that's all his clients are generally looking for, and that they're happy to pay whatever the fine and legal costs come to in exchange.

Have to say I find this quite reprehensible from a moral viewpoint, especially with drink-driving related offences, where I think the offender should just take it on the chin. Some of the excuses they come up with are risible, and there's something rather unsavoury about seeing someone trying to wriggle out of the penalty for a crime they admit they've committed - especially if it was pre-meditated.

And yes, I know this all comes across as though I'm sitting on some sort of high horse, so I'm happy admit that I'm as fallible as the next man, but I don't go out of my way to exploit weaknesses in laws that have been introduced for good reasons.

I believe Mr Freeman recently offered to work with the authorities to help them tighten the way various Acts are drafted, and with the police to review their procedures, so that the opportunities he's been taking advantage of would no longer exist. Not sure whether they took him up on the offer, though I can see how it might have stuck in their craws to admit they needed help from a poacher-turned-gamekeeper.

 

[flango]

Yes, I nearly added a comment about Nick Freeman (Mr Loophole, I think it is) when I was writing that post, but decided to err on the side of brevity.

My point would have been that not even he always gets his own way, and he rarely gets his clients off as such - he mainly just helps them avoid a ban. However, I accept that that's all his clients are generally looking for, and that they're happy to pay whatever the fine and legal costs come to in exchange.

Have to say I find this quite reprehensible from a moral viewpoint, especially with drink-driving related offences, where I think the offender should just take it on the chin. Some of the excuses they come up with are risible, and there's something rather unsavoury about seeing someone trying to wriggle out of the penalty for a crime they admit they've committed - especially if it was pre-meditated.

And yes, I know this all comes across as though I'm sitting on some sort of high horse, so I'm happy admit that I'm as fallible as the next man, but I don't go out of my way to exploit weaknesses in laws that have been introduced for good reasons.

I believe Mr Freeman recently offered to work with the authorities to help them tighten the way various Acts are drafted, and with the police to review their procedures, so that the opportunities he's been taking advantage of would no longer exist. Not sure whether they took him up on the offer, though I can see how it might have stuck in their craws to admit they needed help from a poacher-turned-gamekeeper.

Sorry yes mr loophole (Mr Fixit is someone completely different but in a similar line of work [Planning permission appeals] )

I am in the same camp as you and drink or drug driving should be a mandatory life ban, caught a second time then 10 years min prison, that would re educate and change a few peoples perception of the offence. Its easy if you are drinking don't take the car, if you are driving don't drink.

Despite oldcro's opinion I don't think putting an extra space in the number plate is the crime of the century, to me its in the same league as doing 80 mph on a motorway yes it's wrong but an acceptable risk, bad analogy for oldcro as there are no motorways in the Shetlands (I know I once spent a month there one weekend working for BP)

 

[neilrr]

Sorry yes mr loophole (Mr Fixit is someone completely different but in a similar line of work [Planning permission appeals] )

I am in the same camp as you and drink or drug driving should be a mandatory life ban, caught a second time then 10 years min prison, that would re educate and change a few peoples perception of the offence. Its easy if you are drinking don't take the car, if you are driving don't drink.

But surely Mr Loophole's playing the same game as you!

He's using his knowledge of the law to get his clients off. You're using your knowledge of the law & police enforcement priorities to c o c k a snoop at the number plate law.

If we all did that with all the laws we found irksome the country would be ungovernable & complete anarchy would reign.

 

[LTD]

Can we just agree that plates should be displayed in accordance to the DVLA regulations and move on with our lives ?

If you need to mis-represent a vanity plate then you really ought to have bought a different one. I'd consider it a sign of failure.

 

[flango]

But surely Mr Loophole's playing the same game as you!

He's using his knowledge of the law to get his clients off. You're using your knowledge of the law & police enforcement priorities to c o c k a snoop at the number plate law.

If we all did that with all the laws we found irksome the country would be ungovernable & complete anarchy would reign.

Yes but I am being honest about it

oh and bring on the anarchy as long as they get rid of the parasites out of Buckingham Palace first, we can then become a Republic and put the GREAT back in Great Britain.

 

[flango]

Can we just agree that plates should be displayed in accordance to the DVLA regulations and move on with our lives ?

If you need to mis-represent a vanity plate then you really ought to have bought a different one. I'd consider it a sign of failure.

I agree everyones entitled to their opinion but I have NEVER failed at anything in my life and I'm not going to start now. If I can't win I don't play simples

I would have bought different plates but it is impossible to get legal ones of what I want, you try buying any plate with an i as a letter !!! hence the problem. The one on the MB is perfectly legal exactly what I wanted and was not cheap so if what I wanted was available then I would have bought it in the first place, but as licensing over here is so an*l then I couldn't

 

[LTD]

we can then become a Republic.......

There are people in Scotland that want it to become a Republic and that is a scary concept.

Headless chickens springs to mind.

 

[LTD]

I agree everyones entitled to their opinion but I have NEVER failed at anything in my life and I'm not going to start now. If I can't win I don't play simples

Ergo, you don't own the plate you pertain to display and by that dictum you fail

 

[neilrr]

But if you have to mickey mouse a number plate to make it read something it patently doesn't, then you have obviously failed to buy the right one!

It's just so Citroen Saxo, so Astra, so barry.

P.S. I think Mr Loophole would take keen exception to the implication he is doing anything dishonest.

 

[flango]

There are people in Scotland that want it to become a Republic and that is a scary concept.

Headless chickens springs to mind.

Having lived in Ayr and worked in Scotland for 5 years I can see why. Not sure about the headless chicken though at least your parliament have b*lls and would probably see it through.

When I was there all the complaints about the English were valid IMHO the media going on about English cricket, all they mention about English football is 1966 and how the fact Andy Murray has gone from being Scottish to British.

Not sure about the deep fried mars bars and pizzas though, but loved every second of being there and would return in an instant no question

 

[flango]

P.S. I think Mr Loophole would take keen exception to the implication he is doing anything dishonest.

I don't think anyone has said he was doing anything dishonest or if they did I missed it. Update I meant I was being honest and open on the forum not that Nick was doing anything dishonest

So I take it you don't approve of my pink citroen saxo with furry dice fluffy steering wheel cover big sub in the boot and tints all round?

Everyone to their own

 

[LTD]

Having lived in Ayr and worked in Scotland for 5 years I can see why. Not sure about the headless chicken though at least your parliament have b*lls and would probably see it through.

When I was there all the complaints about the English were valid IMHO the media going on about English cricket, all they mention about English football is 1966 and how the fact Andy Murray has gone from being Scottish to British.

Not sure about the deep fried mars bars and pizzas though, but loved every second of being there and would return in an instant no question

Agreed - great country but some weird people at times.

Scotland would be a rip-roaring success if it managed to embroil the national pride in itself that England has.

Too many people here would rather they were Irish instead of Scottish and that aspect is not right. Stranraer and Larne have ferry ports. They should use them.

To lead an Empire you need an Emperor. To lead a country we have Alex Salmond. Figures .........

 

[MOCAŠ]

you try buying any plate with an i as a letter

I did, and I succeeded. Twice. I take it you, er, failed?

 

[oldcro]

Shetlanders do travel South and then drive on motorways, I drove 1250 miles of motorway a couple of weeks ago.

My first time on a motorway was down the M1 from Birmingham area to London on a Norton, and that was in 1960 when speed limits did not exist.

My plan for altered VMR's was designed to eliminate all the time and money wasted on people who flout this law.

 

[MOCAŠ]

But the formats do not conform as you say, you can have one two or thee numbers, single letter at the beginning or end, and so on and so on. I personally think it is easier to remember a name or word than a series of letters and numbers. I do agree though, that the fonts should be standard.

Just spotted this post. Actually you can have up to four numbers, but there are still only a limited number of basic formats, and they always consist of two groups of characters separated by a single space*. Never more than three letters or four numbers in either group; never more than seven characters overall.

The current series (LLNN LLL) seems to cover the majority of the cars on the roads today.

The previous series are always either:
[one, two or three letters] [number between 1 and 9999]; or vice versa
[three letters] [number between 1 and 999 and a letter]; or vice versa

Anything that doesn't conform to one of the above has basically been made up.

* Diplomatic plates are the exception that prove the rule:
[three numbers] [one letter] [three numbers]

I agree that single words would be easier to remember if you could guanrantee that they were the correct plate for the car, but as they cannot be issued under the current system, any that are currently displayed will always be questionable.

 

[flango]

I did, and I succeeded. Twice. I take it you, er, failed?

To my Knowledge the letter i has never been used on English plates, I know you can get them on Irish plates though but if you have any info I would be interested as if a legal combination of what I wanted was avaialable I would acually buy it.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Sorry, I was being ever so slightly facetious.

As you've pointed out, the use of "I" as a letter has so far been reserved for use in the Irish number plate schemes, both in Northern Ireland and, until 1987, in the Republic. NI plates are readily transferrable to cars registered within Great Britain, while a handful of old-style RoI plates have also somehow ended up being registered with the DVLA.

Either way the combination IAN has never been issued, as AN was not within the Irish allocation. Antrim (and later Belfast) came close with IA, and I believe 1 AN is languishing on a Morris Minor but is non-transferrable.

If you ever decide to go legit, XXX 14N is available, and is probably about as close as you'll get under the current regime.

 

[MD5]

Back to the op (and S1MON, mentioned elsewhere), and here is an example of bad usage (anyone here?). It's difficult to tell if it's a B or a D that has been altered!

 

[J450NAK]

i am looking to buy a number plate, and there is a choice of 2, the 1st plate has H at the start, which i need it to read as an "A" would it be illegal for me to put a black screw cap t the top of the "H" to make it look like "A" ? also the second plate, there is a "11" in the middle which i need it to read as "H" so could i put a black screw cap in-between the "11" to make it look like H, i would not be altering any letters here

 

[Howard]

Yes.

The basic rule of thumb is that if you need to doctor it in *any* way , it will look terrible. Nothing looks so chavvy as a number plate with bolts and screws and god knows what all over it to try and spell something that it doesn't.