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buy a LHD car and put some real german plates on (there's a site that sells pairs of plates ripped from german scrapyards so they're all properly formatted and tagged).
if you get pulled, speak english with a really bad accent.
does nobody remember about 2 years ago there was a 'crackdown' on dodgy plate spacing? it lasted a couple of months then the police got sick and tired of enforcing it. i can understand the reasons - even support them - for ANPR purposes as round here it pulls a lot of untaxed cars off the road and that's a good thing AND funny. for more hardcore road pricing use i don't believe they'll use ANPR anyway, it'll be down to GPS or some kind of readable chip as it'll be too easy to use some kind of bond-style rotating numberplate to avoid paying road tax.
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Never trust a man Who names himself Trevor. Or one day you might find He's not a real drug dealer.
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dp
Posted a lot
DP Race Tech
Posts: 1,044
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pillock in da house: if you get pulled, speak english with a really bad accent.
Have done just that for years, I have a California (as well as Swedish) drivers license and own California plate bikes, I use them every now and then and when pulled over I don't speak a word of Swedish and most Cops here are not higher educated and speak only marginal English so for them to explain why I can't drive my XR750 without front brakes and lights here in Sweden when in California it's OK usually ends up with You gets a varning for breaking Swedish laous...
Re plates. Here in Sweden we have a long tradition of importing and driving American cars and when new standardized plates was introduced in the late 60's they were available in 2 sizes, one square (to fit rear of a beetle) and one long to fit all other cars, bikes got the big square plate. Everybody with bikes started to whine about these plates and started to make decent sized plates and after a couple of years a smaller size "bike plate" was introduced, at the same time US Car drivers also complained that none of the plates fitted their cars and for a while you could get a "bike plate" for your Yank Tank. A couple of years ago we also got Euored (not the currency but other standards) and the Swedish license plates were done reflective, with 3 letters & 3 digits embossed in the alu plate. The plates are available in "bike size" and regular long with and without the blue field with an S in and then there's also a USA size plate, almost exactly the same size as in the US, on a car you are free to choose wich plate you use but they all have to be ordered through Vägverket and NO other plates are legal, well kind of.... The "bike plate" is a bit to large for modern bikes so the cops (but NOT Bilprovningen our MOT) will not fine a plate that's large enough to be legible but that's about it, one more exception is Porsche Sweden that has been given a special plate that's a slightly smaller long plate, reflective but it's a stick-on and can only be used on the front and must be fitted by Porsche Sweden....
Funny story: I had a Brabus Smart as a company hack for a while, beeing a bit of an Italiophile I had an Italian front plate on the car and a "Porsche Regs" stick-on plate under it, parked the car and came out and found a parking ticket on the car, looking closer at the ticket it was written on the Italian plate.....
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Last Edit: Nov 29, 2005 9:48:01 GMT by dp
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Nov 29, 2005 11:03:57 GMT
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Of course it's all to do with congestion charging and speed cameras etc, it's the British government we're talking about, all they want is your cash! As the transport minister pointed out yesterday the income from speed cameras is pretty minimal in government terms. Congestion charging I'm not so sure about, but I have to say having lived in London for 25 years and then moved away before congestion charging came in I am always pleasently suprised by how easy it is to get around during the day .... of course it's done nothing for the air quality as most of that is diesel particles... Be that as it may, as one part of a multi-pronged money-making effort, they're doing quite well. If they were to put all of their eggs in one basket and do all their money-grubbing the one way, then it would be too obviously a money-making scheme masquerading as road safety. What we have at the moment is a number of different excuses to take your cash all working together, speed cameras, congestion charging (bear in mind that they're thinking of expanding the scheme to other populated areas, i.e. Birmingham, Glasgow etc, so there's definate room for expansion on the naked profiteering front there), outrageous fuel tax that's vastly out of proportion to the money they're paying for oil and the prices paid elsewhere, and all this black box distance recorder nonsense that the government would like to see in our cars soon. Add it all up and they're definately going to be rolling in it in the next few years, they are already but give it a few years and they'll be more so. Besides that, I'm not sure I trust our government to tell us just how much money they're making, bearing in mind that they've proven that they're not above lying through their teeth and making up statistics and 'facts' in order to get their own way. It's petty I know, but I still have trouble trusting a government who assured us that war with Iraq was the only way to stop a nuclear attack on ourselves, despite the UN's inspectors telling them this was false, then turning round a while later and admitting that it had all been a lie. If they can lie about such an important topic as whether or not we send troops into a country, then they can lie about something like whether or not they get much money out of speed cameras.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Nov 29, 2005 11:06:22 GMT
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dp, I hope for your sake that no Swedish traffic authorities are reading this thread! ;D ;D ;D You would be supprised who does look/scan across the web. BIG BROTHER IS (ALWAYS) WATCHING YOU!
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Nov 29, 2005 11:15:27 GMT
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...so when darren wakes up in the night and finds a chap dressed in black bending his plate back into a more readable position, he'll be able to blame big brother for the record, my beetle front plate was bent so far back the only person with a chance of reading it was someone in the process of being run over. a slightly subtler approach is to loosen off the brackets, or attatch it with cable ties, so at speed it blows back out of view
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Never trust a man Who names himself Trevor. Or one day you might find He's not a real drug dealer.
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Nov 29, 2005 11:21:43 GMT
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Be that as it may, as one part of a multi-pronged money-making effort, they're doing quite well. If they were to put all of their eggs in one basket and do all their money-grubbing the one way, then it would be too obviously a money-making scheme masquerading as road safety. I want the government to get more money,.. then they can pay me more money and afford the tools I need to make the world a better place...
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Nov 29, 2005 11:25:11 GMT
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I reckon I'll be fine with my German plates - they're spaced correctly without any '-' or anything........but I tell ya, if I get pulled by the 'boyz-in-blue' and get told to remove them + £60 fine............. ....I still can't understand why this is a terrorist threat??...... The last time we were attacked by the German's (or anyother 'European' country) was during the 2nd world war.....?
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Last Edit: Nov 29, 2005 11:26:22 GMT by iRocco
I like long walks, especially when they're taken by people I don't like.
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Nov 29, 2005 12:20:14 GMT
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basically they're investing heavily in ANPR to track car movements.... Meadowhall shopping centre up near me has got ANPR on every entrance to the carpark and the local police use it to trap cars with no tax, or to catch people with warrants against them if the car is in their name. i suppose they could also cross-reference it to a database of terror suspects, since meadowhall at this time of year would be - dare i say it - a pretty spectacular place for an explosion.
i'm assuming they're taking the line of 'if you're disguising your reg plate, you've something to hide' which is fair enough, i'd prefer to be forced to have standard UK plates if it means less people get away with no tax/insurance/mot - i agree the terrorist link is a bit tenuous but in theory it could work.
i don't know what kind of records are kept but it could be that if they knew car reg AB51ABC was used for a terrorist attack, or armed robbery or similar, they could trace back through the ANPR records and see what route it took and where it came from.
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Never trust a man Who names himself Trevor. Or one day you might find He's not a real drug dealer.
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Speaking as somebody who has had to stand out in the rain at night checking no. plates, having them in a recognisable (sp?) pattern is helpful. You may only get a glance and if they are not in a standard order they are not easy to get. People often complain that the police should be out catching real criminals but things like having the wrong plates tie them up as instead of just checking your MOT, tax and insurance as you drive by they have to decipher the plate and then book you, issue you with a producer and then all the paperwork that follows. If you are old enough and responsible enough to have a licence then you should understand that if you break the rules you have to pay the fine. Well, my after night shift rant is over, I'm off to bed. By the way I'm not a policeman!
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Nov 30, 2005 10:11:20 GMT
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I don't have a problem with the government using appropriate amounts of money to pay its staff fairly and provide us with public services, I'm just not keen on additional money, besides the taxes they get etc, being squeezed out of us for purposes that don't seem to affect anyone but those at the top of our government, it seems to me that for all the money the government gets from motorists, more should probably be done about the shambling state of some of our roads and our shameful public transport system, and I don't mean forcing us all out of our cars and into public transport, that helps nobody if our public transport system isn't able to cope with it, and at the moment I'm not sure it can cope with the number of customers it already has.
And I shouldn't even get started on the shocking state of our education system and NHS, both of which are practically being closed down in the area where I live in order to save money, meaning that the schools being left in Inverclyde will consist of a school for the West End well-off, and another for the 'undesirables' and 'lower classes', and that within the next few years all ambulances will be directed to Paisley instead of Greenock when the local hospital shuts, which from my perspective as a member of St Andrews Ambulance, means that a vast number of otherwise saveable people are going to die in the back of ambulances, because what was a ten minute trip might now be an hour and a half when the traffic on the M8 is bad. In short, thanks to the idiotic desicions of those with more power than they should have been given, the country's going to hell in a bloody handbasket.
Please don't take my critisism of 'the government' to be an attack on people who happen to work for them, I'm quite aware there are plenty of you out there in the public sector who work for the state but are also being taxed to death and having to put up with the same lying b*stard of a prime minister , and other powerful people with too much authority and not enough intelligance, as the rest of us.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Nov 30, 2005 10:42:42 GMT
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I'm with you, except I'm DAMN sure it can't cope! Misses Daz used to get the bus to work. I would estimate that 75% of the time, the bus would either not turn up at all, it would turn up seriously late or it broke down before it reached it's destination. This is a major route that travels through most of the City and into the next City! Now, I have to take her to work making two round trips each day, forcing me to use the car when I wouldn't necessarily have to. Then I have to endure the pot holed dual carriageway, which was recently resurfaced (by travellers presumably) to incorporate more pot holes and undulations!! The only improvement made was to make the road more black! Jobs are thin on the ground where I live so people have to travel to find employment. The local public transport is unreliable, over priced and run by inept morons! Dawn has now got to learn to drive, meaning an extra car on our roads. Put simply; public transport doesn't work and our roads are wibblepoo! Everyone know that the government is ripping off motorists. We all have a good moan about it but at the end of the day it will never change, until such time as we have returned to the 'good old days' where only the rich can afford to be motorists and the rest of us are priced off the road. Then the government will find some other way to tax the rest of us low income individuals into oblivion. Coronation Street watchers tax, or something. Getting back to the issue of the number plates. I don't see that there will be much of a change. People already know that they are breaking the law by using non standard plates but they are prepared to take the risk. The government is merely capitalising on this to make more money. People will continue to use illegal plates, it's just that they may become harder to purchase. As far as Police not having time to deal with real criminals when they are busy booking motorists for petty minor 'offences', well surely that's just a case of prioritising. I suspect that they know very well what they are doing. Police funding (I'm lead to believe) is based on crime statistics. Motorists are easy targets, meaning better 'crime solved' statistics and hence more cash.
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ImpManiac
Part of things
Imps... Imps... Imps...
Posts: 868
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Nov 30, 2005 11:08:45 GMT
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Try ploughing through this: www.opsi.gov.uk/cgi-bin/htm_hl.pl?DB=opsi&STEMMER=en&WORDS=number+plate+&COLOUR=Red&STYLE=s&URL=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20010561.htm#muscat_highlighter_first_matchOr go here and search on "number plate:" www.opsi.gov.ukLook for Stautory Instrument (SI) 561: 2001. The reasoning behind the legislation is simple: criminals and terrorists use cars and can be tracked using ANPR. Opinion is that if you are lacking tax, insurance or an MOT then the chances are that you are a dodgy sort. If not, well you can still be fined anyway. It often seems to me that terrorism is too easy to give as motivation for what can appear to be a money-making exercise. I am also fairly sure that this is motivated by both. I cannot understand how or why they propose to prevent people at shows or on their own property from fitting German or any other type of plates, as long as they are not caught on the road. But what do we know. We just vote these people in. Or out. I'm
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Last Edit: Nov 30, 2005 11:10:53 GMT by ImpManiac
1966 Singer Chamois sprint/hillclimb car in white over blue two tone 1975 Triumph Stag long term project (over 20 years so far) in colour TBA 2003 Vauxhall Vectra GSi 3.2 in black sapphire
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Nov 30, 2005 12:02:23 GMT
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Absolutely true, nothing looks better in the statistics than the fact that the police are catching millions of criminals, and they've found the best way to do this is to leave harder to catch criminals more or less to it and chase up speeding motorists and people with non-standard numberplates instead, seeing as by treating the motorist as an evil criminal who must be stamped out immediately, they look as if they've managed to stop a significant amount of crime. You actually have to send officers out on the streets to catch burglars, muggers, rapists and bank-robbers after all, you can't just plonk a few thousand cameras down in random places and wait for them to get caught, whearas that's exactly what they can do to motorists who in many cases didn't realise they were breaking the law. I don't think it even does discourage speeding to put up cameras like they say. If you're intent on speeding to wherever you're going, and you see a camera, you'll simply slow down to the limit until you're out of the camera's sight, then floor it again. If you didn't realise you were speeding and get done, you simply get frustrated and resentful when the envelope hits the doormat, probably question whether or not that extra couple of miles and hour you were doing on an empty-ish motorway were really that dangerous, then the next time you're back in the car, you probably have learned nothing and will continue as before, except you now resent the police a little more. Now, consider what would happen if you had been pulled over by a policeman/policewoman, a real, human one I mean, not a bloody camera, and given a stern talking to, a good warning, and told if they catch you at that again you're done. You then pull away again, point duly noted, realising that it was a bit silly to be not watching your speed, and drive on a little more carefully. You don't get that kind of explanation of what you've done with a GATSO, you simply drive on, a little poorer and a little angrier.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Nov 30, 2005 13:39:53 GMT
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Or do what I just did and buy a Road Angel
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Nov 30, 2005 14:12:36 GMT
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Are they any good?
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Nov 30, 2005 14:21:25 GMT
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Absolutely true, nothing looks better in the statistics than the fact that the police are catching millions of criminals, and they've found the best way to do this is to leave harder to catch criminals more or less to it and chase up speeding motorists and people with non-standard numberplates instead, seeing as by treating the motorist as an evil criminal who must be stamped out immediately, they look as if they've managed to stop a significant amount of crime. You actually have to send officers out on the streets to catch burglars, muggers, rapists and bank-robbers after all, you can't just plonk a few thousand cameras down in random places and wait for them to get caught, whearas that's exactly what they can do to motorists who in many cases didn't realise they were breaking the law. I don't think it even does discourage speeding to put up cameras like they say. If you're intent on speeding to wherever you're going, and you see a camera, you'll simply slow down to the limit until you're out of the camera's sight, then floor it again. If you didn't realise you were speeding and get done, you simply get frustrated and resentful when the envelope hits the doormat, probably question whether or not that extra couple of miles and hour you were doing on an empty-ish motorway were really that dangerous, then the next time you're back in the car, you probably have learned nothing and will continue as before, except you now resent the police a little more. Now, consider what would happen if you had been pulled over by a policeman/policewoman, a real, human one I mean, not a bloody camera, and given a stern talking to, a good warning, and told if they catch you at that again you're done. You then pull away again, point duly noted, realising that it was a bit silly to be not watching your speed, and drive on a little more carefully. You don't get that kind of explanation of what you've done with a GATSO, you simply drive on, a little poorer and a little angrier. Absolutely bloody spot-on - Rev you are a legend! I don't see people driving more carefully/safely since the introduction of speed cameras and so-called traffic calming methods - just more resentfull of the authorities
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Nov 30, 2005 15:24:24 GMT
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Seems ok, only had it for a week or so and it`s saved me twice already Even the wife who was against the idea quite likes it now
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Nov 30, 2005 16:50:45 GMT
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Rev : you do learn something after you've been flashed.... ...where the camera is for next time!
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was looking at stuff and cam across this on dubmeisters site (quote)We had some contact from DVLA regarding pressed alloy German plates, and were asked to make sure all were aware they are illegal for road use, and to sell strictly for off road use..no problem and we have posted this on the Show plate page. Then info came in that their was a section in the Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 561 The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 saying otherwise... And we quote: 1PART 1 VEHICLES REGISTERED AND NEW REGISTRATION PLATES FITTED ON OR AFTER 1ST SEPTEMBER 2001 (MANDATORY SPECIFICATION) 1. The plate must be made of retroreflecting material which, as regards its construction, colour and other qualities, complies with the requirements of - (a) the British Standard specification for retroreflecting number plates published on 15 January 1998 under number BS AU 145d[13], or (b) any other relevant standard or specification recognised for use in an EEA State and which, when in use, offers a performance equivalent to that offered by a plate complying with the British Standard specification, and which, in either case, is marked with the number (or such other information as is necessary to permit identification) of that standard or specification. 2. Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background. 3. Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background. PART 2 VEHICLES REGISTERED ON OR AFTER 1ST JANUARY 1973 AND BEFORE 1ST SEPTEMBER 2001 (OPTIONAL SPECIFICATION) 1. The plate must be made of reflex-reflecting material which, as regards its construction, colour and other qualities, complies with the requirements of - (a) the British Standard Specification for reflex-reflecting number plates, published on 11 September 1972 under the number BS AU 145a[14], or (b) any other relevant standard or specification recognised for use in an EEA State and which, when in use, offers a performance equivalent to that offered by a plate complying with the British Standard specification, and which, in either case, is marked with the number (or such other information as is necessary to permit identification) of that standard or specification. 2. Where the registration mark is displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a white background. 3. Where the registration mark is displayed on the back of the vehicle, it must have black characters on a yellow background. © CROWN Copyright 2001 Section from page: www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20010561.htm#sch2Note (b) in each section! We are seeking definate clarification... Quote from email received direct today from DVLA Swansea. "I can confirm that your assumption is mostly correct and European number plates may be used legally on vehicles manufactured between these dates (1973 and 2001). Schedule 2 Part 1 also extends the 'European' facility to number plates fitted on vehicles manufactured after September 2001. However, the equivalence test would be carried out against the latest issued British Standard" Our plates are German DIN standard marked...so should be UK legal in themselves...We have more work to do, but will be doing this with some urgency. Watch this space!!!
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2001 HONDA CT110 (NOT RCV)
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Excellent work, I love it on the rare occasions that the law gets twisted back on the govenment pen pushers ;D ;D
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