Number plate issues with PSNI

[MR2 super GT]

well the final straw was put on my back last sunday when i got pulled over for my front number plate.

what i want to achieve from this thread is for people to give any information thats not available on the DVLNI website about number plates.

also to give their opinion on the legality of my number plate.


the story so far:
my number plate has 5 digits so wanting to take advantage of this i wanted to see how small i could make my plate while keeping it within the rules set out on the DVLNI web site.

having read all the measurments on the website i had my plate made up.

i was driving to belfast from antrim on sunday and drove past the PSNI who were trying to catch speeding motorists on the motorway when i drove past them on the overpass. not too suprised was i when the followed me down the sliproad and pulled me over on the motorway.

i suppose stopping me about my number plate was more important than ''saving lives/ catching speeding motorist'' cough

anyway the PSNI officer said they had seen me a few times round antrim but this was their first opportunity to pull me over about my number plates.

they informed that my front plate was illegal to which i say no, it is legal according to the DVLNI website. they then went to the police car and brought out a sheet of measurment which were completly different to the ones giving on the DVLNI and DVLA websites.


if you have managed to keep interest down to this point then thank you. but there is more

here are some questions i pose to those reading this thread is,

if a car passes MOT with the plates can the police do anything?

who decides the measurments the PSNI, DVLNI or DOE?

why is the font type on the DVLNI website different from the font on the DVLA website, surely they should be the same? does anyone know anything about that? i know that anywhere i have been and asked for MOT legal plate ANYWHERE uses the font that is shown on the DVLA website. i would take this to be more correct than whats shown on the DVLNI website

top part is DVLNI bottom is DVLA

please note how on the DVLA website they show a single 'l' for the number 1 and letter I and also use '0' for the number and the letter:

next is the list of measurments which are the same on both websites

now i dont know where else the general public are supposed to get any extra criteria about number plates but i would have thought everything they needed to know was on the above page.

so here is the number plate in question and i have used a ruler to show measurment for people to make their own minds up.

 

[MR2 super GT]

 

[pablo]

Id say youve done as much as is reasonably possible there mate.

what did the psni specs say? Do they give a measurement for the plate size also?

 

[Lyons]

How was it left with the PSNI? Did they accept you had taken measurements from the DVLNI site, or did they not believe you?

 

[m00k]

land down to the station with the measurement and pics as above along with the print offs from the dvla/ni show u've done wats humanly possible

 

[Woodcutter]

I haven't a bloody clue, but I love your reg!

 

[MR2 super GT]

she had some tatty old sheet with lots of measurments on it. i only read a couple of them as it was clear they were not the same on the DVLNI website so i couldnt really be bother listening to her. they said something like there needs to be 40mm either side. (thats not exact) i just remember it was something like an inch and a 1/4. but all the other stuff like gap between groups etc she said was wrong.

i said according to DVLNI website they are correct. she said they are just guidlines.

they said to get them changed to legal full size plate. and that on this occastion they were not going to give me a £30 fine.

i wrote a complaint to the DVLNI and they said they have contacted the PSNI and would get back to me.

 

[brendy]

stick on some bits of white paper, thatll keep them sweet for a while....til it rains.

 

[p 5ary]

just print of the dvlni info and show it to the police next time your stopped, theyre not super human and going to know it all, although they may try and appear to know it all, im sure they will understand how there is a bit of ambiguity.
i think your spot on and it shouldnt cause a problem

 

[ak89]

I thought there was no obligation to display a front numberplate, maybe i'm wrong. I also understood that anyway pulled for numberplates has 7 days' grace to change them without being fined

 

[Cooper]

I thought there was no obligation to display a front numberplate, maybe i'm wrong. I also understood that anyway pulled for numberplates has 7 days' grace to change them without being fined

Completely wrong!

Love it Nick, to the letter of the law eh! Let us know what the PSNI come back to the DVLNI with.

Andy

 

[six_impressive_hours]

The police only enforce the law, not make it, so therefore I'd guess that what is on th DVLNI website is what would stand up in court.

jamesy

 

[MR2 super GT]

i will keep you posted on what the outcome is. im going for MOT now lol. i wonder what they will say, if im honest i think they will fail the plate as it looks like im taking the pizz.

i got a reply from DVLNI saying that those forms are up to date and they are the same as the DVLA. the PSNI have not got back to them yet. and i brought up the issue with the different fonts but the DVLNI have not replied to that yet.

TBH i did feel like going to local PSNI station and complaining. i asked my friends mum who is in the PSNI to get me any info they might have at station regarding number plates to see just what they PSNI go by.

i briefly told her the details of my problem and she told me to shout harrasment the next time i get stopped lol

 

[Lyons]

i will keep you posted on what the outcome is. im going for MOT now lol. i wonder what they will say, if im honest i think they will fail the plate as it looks like im taking the pizz.

I hope you brought those guidelines to argue your case if they do fail you.

 

[MR2 super GT]

hahaha I passed
after the test they said your number plate needs to be the full width, then i showed him the sheets and he inwardly digested the information, then said
'well looks like they are ok then according to that'
he did say that him and the other inspectors were discussing among themselves as to wether it was legal or not and wether or not it needed to be the full width as it was only a 5 digit plate.

 

[kylus1986]

i seen you pulled over on sunday. thought the car looked amazin.
I was wondering about this aswell, my dads friend has YTG 6T as his reg and was askin me about cutting it down.
let me know the outcome

 

[rybo]

Yaris wrc I see absolutely no issue with your plate.

The font is correct, size, spacings, margins, heights etc are all ok. As long as its made from the right kind of reflective material it conforms with the requirements.

If anyone issues you with a ticket for that, politely ask them to take a note of the measurements, ask to see the notes & offer to sign in order to verify them.

If you still get issued with the ticket, exercise the option for a court hearing and contest it.

You have obviously done everything you could to conform to the letter (!) of the law. More than many others do.

Your plate is ok.

We are cracking down on non-standard number plates. Not to be petty - Ive explained the reasons numerous times on other threads. It is often the only way to identify (for example) one blue Ford Focus from another. We could have a dangerous sex offender in a known vehicle lurking about schools. With the number of patrols available to us & the number of incidents to deal with we can't go driving around all day every day specifically looking for it. But ANPR can constantly scan the roads for it while we're doing other tasks. If it happens to pass by, the alarm bells go.

If the plates can't be properly read, Mr Paedophile sails on by and perhaps preys on another victim. This is only one small example of how effective a tool these devices are. And that's why its so important that we ensure that plates can be read. The software has been designed around the specifications. Hope this helps.

 

[MR2 super GT]

thanks for advice. i will do what you said next time if i get pulled over. but i thought i had gotten over the issue of being pulled over when i had my plates made to such exacting standards.

also just so its clear. on my MOT Advisory notice it says that my front number plate did not comply with requirements. this was printed before the inspector and I had a chat about the plate and I showed him the DVLNI print out which showed the requirements for the side margins.

 

[Chris Mac]

is ur yaris for sale in autotrader???

 

[avo5021]

As for what Rybo says i fully agree... it seems to me that whoever it was has an issue with the spacin around the outside of the plate but to me lookin at the measurements its well inside the reg's..

Like Rybo says ive seen far worse...

 

[p 5ary]

We are cracking down on non-standard number plates. Not to be petty - Ive explained the reasons numerous times on other threads. It is often the only way to identify (for example) one blue Ford Focus from another. We could have a dangerous sex offender in a known vehicle lurking about schools. With the number of patrols available to us & the number of incidents to deal with we can't go driving around all day every day specifically looking for it. But ANPR can constantly scan the roads for it while we're doing other tasks. If it happens to pass by, the alarm bells go.

If the plates can't be properly read, Mr Paedophile sails on by and perhaps preys on another victim. This is only one small example of how effective a tool these devices are. And that's why its so important that we ensure that plates can be read. The software has been designed around the specifications. Hope this helps.

BUT....

most importantly is so as that fat ******* gordon brown can get money from speed camera when they try and recognise your plate!!!

 

[W9NGJ]

if u really want to get it right go to stand station get the measurments off them, get the CO to sign a print out for what its meant to be and make the plate

 

[Bilal]

is ur yaris for sale in autotrader???

yeh it is

 

[Eager]

Presenting the evidence above the next time should get them to shut up. It would show you knw what your talking about and probably send them around checking your rubber instead as they will realise there onto a looser

Get the "2" on the road boyo!

 

[kurgan]

BUT....

most importantly is so as that fat ******* gordon brown can get money from speed camera when they try and recognise your plate!!!

and so the computer can check if your tax is up to date - these are the two main reasons for plate requirements.