how do people get away with altering appearances of number plates?

UKSBD

I've always thought it was illegal to change spacings on number plates, so how do people get away altering spaces and making numbers look lie letters?

[Deleted User]

Lack of police numbers on the road.

Norman_Castle

Do cameras spot poorly spaced plates? If it cannot be read by the camera is the image read by a human to work out the reg number?

gettingtheresometime

Well you wouldn't pass an mot with the spacing altered

Do the police even care if the spacing is wrong but the characters are what they're supposed to be? I would have thought they'd have a bigger issue with people trying to change the appearance of characters with a black fixture for example trying to make a c into an e

AdrianC

UKSBD wrote: »

I've always thought it was illegal to change spacings on number plates

It is.

so how do people get away altering spaces and making numbers look lie letters?

They haven't been caught. Yet.

AndyMc.....

treboeth wrote: »

Lack of police numbers on the road.

Lack of interest.

PasturesNew

It is illegal. Years ago I knew a lad who had a very prized number plate and it stood out a mile ... but it was 2-3 years of him racing round town, getting into trouble with the police, etc, before one of them even bothered to mention it to him - because the time/paperwork and cost/time for them to take him to court for something "trivial" wasn't worth it.

A police officer would have had to have been off the streets for 1+ hours filling in the paperwork, doing an interview, maybe another 2 hours of subsequent time discussing the case, etc etc .... and if it got to court, then a magistrate and bench and a court room and all the staff and the police officer would have needed to be available for 1 hour for the hearing, plus the police officer's additional hour to get to court/wait ... and 1 hour back at the station to get there and to file/update the records with the result.

Illegal, yes.
Worth it when they could be "chasing criminals" no.

Maybe if it were added to the "list of things you can be handed an instant fine for" it'd be easier for them to just dole out a ticket and be on their way.

AdrianC

PasturesNew wrote: »

Maybe if it were added to the "list of things you can be handed an instant fine for" it'd be easier for them to just dole out a ticket and be on their way.

It is, and long has been.

Herzlos

It's usually something that'll get added to a list of offenses if you're stopped for anything else, but not really worth their time stopping you just for that unless it's a slow day.

caprikid1

Seems to be less and less of it these days in my area, lots of plates clearly bought to be spaced / changed but no longer being displayed that way.


Never offer an excuse to stop you IMHO.

AndyMc.....

PasturesNew wrote: »

It is illegal. Years ago I knew a lad who had a very prized number plate and it stood out a mile ... but it was 2-3 years of him racing round town, getting into trouble with the police, etc, before one of them even bothered to mention it to him - because the time/paperwork and cost/time for them to take him to court for something "trivial" wasn't worth it.

A police officer would have had to have been off the streets for 1+ hours filling in the paperwork, doing an interview, maybe another 2 hours of subsequent time discussing the case, etc etc .... and if it got to court, then a magistrate and bench and a court room and all the staff and the police officer would have needed to be available for 1 hour for the hearing, plus the police officer's additional hour to get to court/wait ... and 1 hour back at the station to get there and to file/update the records with the result.

Illegal, yes.
Worth it when they could be "chasing criminals" no.

Maybe if it were added to the "list of things you can be handed an instant fine for" it'd be easier for them to just dole out a ticket and be on their way.

Absolute rubbish, five minutes to stop him do some dicument checks and write a ticket.