Upsidedown Number Plate

bigadaj

stator wrote: »

It basically says the number plate has to be easily readable from within a certain area around the car. I'm not able to easily read an upside down numberplate and neither are most people, so it is against the law to use one.

The English legal system is not like the American version where you can argue about wording and loopholes and get away with crimes because they forgot to say the number plate must be easily readable to somone standing up straight. If the law says it should be easily readable all judges would interpret that to mean easily readable to someone who is standing in the normal fashion and not doing a hand stand.

The legal system here is just as full of loopholes as in the states, that's why we have so many lawyers.

Car_54

bigadaj wrote: »

The legal system here is just as full of loopholes as in the states, that's why we have so many lawyers.

Possibly, but I don't think this is one of them.

Fat_Walt

[quote=[Deleted User];71301659]Possibly, but I don't think this is one of them.[/QUOTE]

It's not about what you think, unless of course you're an appeal court judge.

Car_54

Fat_Walt wrote: »

It's not about what you think, unless of course you're an appeal court judge.

True, at least not now I've retired.

Can you identify a loophole in this particular case?

Mercdriver

I don't think an upside down number plate will be any salvation to the driver concerned. All they have to do is turn the photo upside down. Probably something that the numbskull has been told down the local pub.

stator

Mercdriver wrote: »

I don't think an upside down number plate will be any salvation to the driver concerned. All they have to do is turn the photo upside down. Probably something that the numbskull has been told down the local pub.

Hah, certainly true for GATSO photo cameras!
But for ANPR they can probably be defeated by being upside down. If he's hoping to avoid getting done for no tax or no insurance then it might work for a while.

It's such a stupid thing to do though, you're obviously going to get pulled over for it.

droopsnoot

I'd be quite surprised if an ANPR camera, after this many years development, would be fooled by the plate being upside down. OCR doesn't stop working because you put the page in your scanner the wrong way around, so I doubt that ANPRs version would.


ETA - I found a post on safespeed.org.uk that says ANPR can read upside-down plates, other posters talking about various automation systems that have to read identification panels in various different orientations. No idea how much either poster actually knows, but it was dated 2006. I can't imagine ANPR accuracy and capability has got worse in the last ten years.

TonyMMM

ANPR (at least the current systems) can read upside down plates

Iceweasel

TonyMMM wrote: »

ANPR (at least the current systems) can read upside down plates

So can most school teachers who are everyday looking at pupils/students work from the 'other' side of the desk.

After a while upside down is just as easy as the right way up.

stator

droopsnoot wrote: »

I'd be quite surprised if an ANPR camera, after this many years development, would be fooled by the plate being upside down. OCR doesn't stop working because you put the page in your scanner the wrong way around, so I doubt that ANPRs version would.


ETA - I found a post on safespeed.org.uk that says ANPR can read upside-down plates, other posters talking about various automation systems that have to read identification panels in various different orientations. No idea how much either poster actually knows, but it was dated 2006. I can't imagine ANPR accuracy and capability has got worse in the last ten years.

You'd be surprised at the crap software out there.
Remember the motorway average speed cameras that can be defeated by changing lanes?

It's obviously possible they could read the plates upside down, but whether the crappy software actually does it is quite another matter.