**offence code a700 - stopped and fined!**

[MOCAŠ]

Yes they do ill dig out the info in a tick.

www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/forms/~/media/pdf/leaflets/V796.ashx

There's only one mistake in that document that I'm aware of - it refers to a date of construction rather than registration.

 

[flango]

There is a world of difference between the 'book' and the reality and immediacy of a real life situation such as this. In reality, officers regularly indicate to drivers the proximity of where to stop and in reality they wouldn't take kindly to someone not doing so whether they acknowledge their presence or not.

While some know-it-all perfectionists might like to think I'm talking out of my backside, and while I'm not and never have been a traffic officer, I do have some close connections In any event and yet again, you only have to watch one of the many traffic cop programmes to see the reality of this over and over again.

As I said to the OP, and on topic, I firmly believe he cannot be subsequently prosecuted by anyone for stopping under the instructions of the police.

Regards,

As an Ex Police Driver Trainer / Examiner I can tell you exactly what what happens and despite what you think you may have seen on TV no traffic police officer will ever direct you where to stop if they pull you over, with one exception and I'll come on to that in a minute.

If they stop you from behind or the side they will often point for you to pull over this does not mean straight away it is quite acceptable to acknowledge them and drive to a place of safety, petrol station supermarket car park etc.. they are used to this and it is preferred on safety grounds, however if it is safe to stop at the roadside you should do so at the earliest opportunity.

The exception to this is when you are stopped from the front, the cop will have already deemed it too dangerous for a roadside stop in the location so will overtake and then switch on the "Follow Me" message on his matrix to follow him to a place of safety.

As regards stopping on a red route zig zags etc I can 100% confirm the driver is responsible for any offences he occurs during a police stop as the onus ison him to stop safely and legally.

As regards number plates having to be made from Acrylic there is a bit of a conflict there. In all the DVLA documentation it just mentions reflective but the number plate must conform to BS AU 145d In order to conform to this standard the number plate MUST be made of Acrylic as laid down by The British Number Plate Manufacturers Asscociation, so as all government documents very ambiguous to say the least.

 

[renault12ts]

As an Ex Police Driver Trainer / Examiner I can tell you exactly what what happens and despite what you think you may have seen on TV no traffic police officer will ever direct you where to stop if they pull you over, with one exception and I'll come on to that in a minute.

If they stop you from behind or the side they will often point for you to pull over this does not mean straight away it is quite acceptable to acknowledge them and drive to a place of safety, petrol station supermarket car park etc.. they are used to this and it is preferred on safety grounds, however if it is safe to stop at the roadside you should do so at the earliest opportunity.

The exception to this is when you are stopped from the front, the cop will have already deemed it too dangerous for a roadside stop in the location so will overtake and then switch on the "Follow Me" message on his matrix to follow him to a place of safety.

As regards stopping on a red route zig zags etc I can 100% confirm the driver is responsible for any offences he occurs during a police stop as the onus ison him to stop safely and legally.

As regards number plates having to be made from Acrylic there is a bit of a conflict there. In all the DVLA documentation it just mentions reflective but the number plate must conform to BS AU 145d In order to conform to this standard the number plate MUST be made of Acrylic as laid down by The British Number Plate Manufacturers Asscociation, so as all government documents very ambiguous to say the least.

I don't in any way doubt your knowledge...but you must admit there are times when the public will not have the same knowledge and therefore will stop when directed by a police officer, no matter where that may be.

 

[flango]

I don't in any way doubt your knowledge...but you must admit there are times when the public will not have the same knowledge and therefore will stop when directed by a police officer, no matter where that may be.

Yes I totally agree you cannot legislate for the behaviour of the General Public and it is all about training. Who has ever been told or trained how to react to a police stop ?? Very few I bet. It should be made part of the driving test instead of being cursary glossed over as most instructors do. Then there is no excuse for stopping unsafely or illegally.

 

[flango]

It was a safe place to stop in that its a large main road with double-lanes for other drivers to pass, but I rememberd on the way back that it was probably a double-red!

No being funny but a large main road with double lanes and you thought that was a safe place to stop? Maybe it's just my idea of safe is diffferent to yours

 

[BTB 500]

The point about 'non-standard' (i.e. not road-legal) numberplates is that typically no checks are made by the maker/seller ... if you wanted to, you could give them a false registration.

You won't get a legal plate (displaying maker's details etc.) without producing evidence of (a) your entitlement to the registration and (b) your identity.

 

[Burger]

As an Ex Police Driver Trainer / Examiner I can tell you exactly what what happens and despite what you think you may have seen on TV no traffic police officer will ever direct you where to stop if they pull you over, with one exception and I'll come on to that in a minute.

If they stop you from behind or the side they will often point for you to pull over this does not mean straight away it is quite acceptable to acknowledge them and drive to a place of safety, petrol station supermarket car park etc.. they are used to this and it is preferred on safety grounds, however if it is safe to stop at the roadside you should do so at the earliest opportunity.

The exception to this is when you are stopped from the front, the cop will have already deemed it too dangerous for a roadside stop in the location so will overtake and then switch on the "Follow Me" message on his matrix to follow him to a place of safety.

As regards stopping on a red route zig zags etc I can 100% confirm the driver is responsible for any offences he occurs during a police stop as the onus ison him to stop safely and legally.

As regards number plates having to be made from Acrylic there is a bit of a conflict there. In all the DVLA documentation it just mentions reflective but the number plate must conform to BS AU 145d In order to conform to this standard the number plate MUST be made of Acrylic as laid down by The British Number Plate Manufacturers Asscociation, so as all government documents very ambiguous to say the least.

Clearly you should have a great deal of knowledge and expertise on this subject and I don't question it for one second on how a stop *should* be performed and how a member of the public being stopped *should* react but it seems training and understanding must have fallen down somewhere as demonstrated numerous times on TV by traffic officers supposedly being filmed doing their jobs.

"Pull over on the other side of this junction" being a prime example of instructions given to motorists or better still "Pull over immediately" which I've also heard many times. I'm sure under your guidelines and training that what's really meant is "Pull over in a safe and legal place"... but that's not what "Pull over immediately" means in anyones book.

I still believe that if the OP stopped on a red route under the perceived instructions of the police that he cannot be subsequently prosecuted for the offence. I believe there are a number of laws that would now prohibit this. I agree the police at the time could have charged him with the offence but as they didn't, no one else can subsequently.

Regards,

 

[Will]

Ignoring the issues surrounding stopping on a red route etc, I can't help but feel that without wanting to sound cruel - the OP made a rod for his own back when he decided to fit illegal plates.

Had he been driving on regular UK road-legal plates, he wouldn't have drawn unnecessary attention to himself and probably wouldn't have been stopped. Fortunately the outcome doesn't seem too bad, but maybe useful to consider that if you're going to make yourself stand out from he majority then ensure that everything else is 100% in order.

I'm not pretending to be holier than thou, but IMHO there's so much to watch out for these days that the idea of drawing unwanted attention to myself for something as unimportant as a different style (...illegal) numberplate doesn't seem a worthwhile idea

Will

 

[prprandall51]

When I was younger and more reckless I was observed undertaking another car on a dual carriageway by a member of Surrey's finest. Not surprisingly, it was only a short while later that I was treated to a display of blue lights from behind.

I duly gave a wave to indicate that I had seen the Police car and then continued on the road to find a safe place to stop. This took about three miles.

When I got out the car, the Policeman was furious, demanding to know why I hadn't stopped immediately to which I replied that I had deemed it unsafe and, as it was a dual carriageway, we were both committed to heading in that direction until the next junction, anyway.

"Yes" he replied "but in that three miles you've crossed over into Kent and I can't be a**ed with the extra paperwork now **** off and don't do it again.

Therefore, my unfaltering recommendation is always to stop in the next county wherever possible.

 

[Shude]

I'm not pretending to be holier than thou, but IMHO there's so much to watch out for these days that the idea of drawing unwanted attention to myself for something as unimportant as a different style (...illegal) numberplate doesn't seem a worthwhile idea

you only have to watch one of those roadwars-type shows to see that not wearing your seatbelt or having a dodgy plate makes you instantly stand-out as a potential criminal. I saw one last night when a bloke in an X5 was tugged for a dodgy plate (second warning) and he was previously disqualified from driving and had no valid license! Oops! If he'd had the plates fixed he'd have sailed by uninterrupted...

 

[Will]

Exactly - without being personal in this instance, there's probably a correlation between one obvious offence and others. Hence, a dodgy plate will raise suspicion amongst those who will likely be on the lookout.

I'd rather save my risk of being stopped for other (less avoidable) instances.

 

[Pappilo]

The Police never direct you to stop anywhere, the onus is entirely on you the driver to stop somewhere safely and legally. Therefore if you are caught on camera stopping on a red route you will be liable for any asscociated fine or prosecution. I know instances where drivers have pulled over parked on crossing Zig Zags and the officer carrying out the stop added that to the offences committed.

Absolute rubbish IMO. If the police flashed their lights for me to pull over on the motorway and the next exit is not for 15 miles, do I continue to drive on or do I pull over on the hard shoulder even though we all know that is for emergencies only?

I bet we all know what the outcome will be if I continued to drive for 15 miles after the police flash their lights for me to stop

Robert Whatley's 'car window smashed and OAP dragged out by police officers' | Mail Online

 

[neilrr]

1) It turns out that my number-plate is apparently not in the correct UK format (not reflective & is embossed - it’s a German style plate).

Apparently?

Are you seriously trying to tell us that you thought a German style number plate (Shudder. My pet hate, IMHO the absolute height of motoring bad taste & a very strong indicator of sadness & chavdom (so apols in advance if this post offends)) was in the correct UK format?

Might as well have "Oi Pig, stop me!!" sign-written on the side of your car! It's an open invitation to be stopped & checked.

 

[SHAKTER]

Apparently?

Are you seriously trying to tell us that you thought a German style number plate (Shudder. My pet hate, IMHO the absolute height of motoring bad taste & a very strong indicator of sadness & chavdom (so apols in advance if this post offends)) was in the correct UK format?

Might as well have "Oi Pig, stop me!!" sign-written on the side of your car! It's an open invitation to be stopped & checked.

No offence taken buddy. Each to their own. It's not the 'dodgy' plate that a lot of ppl think it is (think Italic font with blue neon lights swirling around). I personally think personalised number plates are utter nonsense and a waste of time and a total sign of bad taste. But mine was on there when i bought the car and its actually grown on me with the embossed german type. Much like my taste in cars - I think w210 Mercs were probably the worst Mercs made in a while, but then again I've got a 2.6 V6 w210 version which looks rather fetching when cleaned! No offence to anyone with a w210...

But like I said, each to their own. I never thought I'd keep a car with personalised plates, but for some reason I did in this case!

To be honest, i've had the car a short while and the plates were on there when i bought the car. Clearly I should've changed them earlier.

Anyway we all learn from our mistakes

 

[SHAKTER]

No being funny but a large main road with double lanes and you thought that was a safe place to stop? Maybe it's just my idea of safe is diffferent to yours

Probably is. Depends how far we like to push the boundaries and think outside the box buddy

In my opinion it was completely safe. When I say busy main road, its not like a dual carriageway. Just a standard 'high street' but with two lanes at the point I was stopped. So plenty of room for other motorists to pass, caused no traffic whatsoever, etc, etc. The world carried on totally as usual around us.

We'll see what happens...

 

[SHAKTER]

Are pressed metal plates allowed as long as they house all the pertinent info required under regulation?

 

[SHAKTER]

These supposedly comply....

Dubmeister UK Legal Pressed Metal Number Plates

 

[Blackman]

Just go to Halfords and get regular or 3D pressed plates. You can also specify whether you want GB logo or not. That costs a bit more though.

Job done - end of story.

 

[Colin_b]

Based on this thread I feel like a real criminal. One of my number plates are illegal.

A few years ago, it was perfectly legal. Now it isn''t. Only because they don't have the manufacturers postcode on it. Otherwise totally legal.

I'm too mean to spend time and money replacing one set of plates with another, where the only difference is 7x3mm white characters on a yellow background.

Oddly, I'm happy to be a lawbreaker, in that respect.

I do have a life to get on with, I'm planning on selling peaked caps

 

[flango]

Absolute rubbish IMO. If the police flashed their lights for me to pull over on the motorway and the next exit is not for 15 miles, do I continue to drive on or do I pull over on the hard shoulder even though we all know that is for emergencies only?

I bet we all know what the outcome will be if I continued to drive for 15 miles after the police flash their lights for me to stop

Robert Whatley's 'car window smashed and OAP dragged out by police officers' | Mail Online

No the correct procedure is to pull on the hard shoulder the cop will then park his car at an angle to protect both of you and the stop should last no longer than 10 minutes without being moved to safety.

Quoting 15 miles is just stupid and argumentative no sensible person would drive that distance before stopping and if you care to read the quote correctly instead of misquoting you will find that is not what I said. If you acknowledge them they will not have a problem continuing to a place of safety

You also need to do some more Googling about Whatley instead of quoting the one sided article from that well known rag who puts down authority at every opportunity then you would see what he was really liked and why they did what they did, but never let the facts get in the way of a good story