pictures of vehicles online - should the number plates be blanked out?

[Giles]

I think you will find you are somewhat ill informed. The DVLA covers all of the UK.

The DVLA does, but the specific act that made such an issue of supply of the physical piece of plastic that is a number plate does apparently only apply to England and Wales.

This is why several of the companies selling plates online are actually in Scotland or Northern Ireland. "They" will eventually stop this, I am sure, but then they are goin g to have to deal with people outside of the UK, which won't be easy to achieve.

This was one of those ill-thought-out, and bound-to-fail pieces of legislation that serve to inconvenience the average person, while totally failing to stop anyone serious about vehicle theft etc. The law doesn't stop someone from actually acquiring the kit to make your own plates. This stuff is not that expensive in the context of the money to be made nicking cars. It's a waste of time.

Typical Blair government response. Don't think of the consequences or implications, just make a new law, so you can stand there and say "woohoo we've solved this problem" and then walk off. Meanwhile, the people you are actually trying to deal with carry on regardless, while the rest of us have to deal with an increasing amount of pointless bureaucracy to achieve everyday things. See: immigration, asylum seekers, dangerous dogs, ID fraud, and a hundred other examples.

Fuck the lot of them.

I'm glad I have enough money and independence to generally do what the fuck I want.

Giles..

p.s. sorry for ranting on, this is just one of them things that I can see is silly and is so typical of, well, everything at the moment.

 

[tobyjug]

The law doesn't stop someone from actually acquiring the kit to make your own plates. .

Have you tried buying the kit recently?

 

[Giles]

Have you tried buying the kit recently?

No. But the current legislation does not in any way restrict the sale of the kit needed to make plates, it just requires all those who offer to sell plates to the general public to register and check car docs etc at the time of purchase.

It would be quite a step to forbid the actual ownership of stuff that could just as easily be used to make reflective signs of all kinds. I'm sure that this day will come, as the powers that be get more incensed that people keep side-stepping their increasingly draconian rules, and that you will be happy when it does. I will not, but by that time, I'll have enough dosh to do pretty much whatever I want, so I'm not too bothered really.

Giles..

 

[tobyjug]

as the powers that be get more incensed that people keep side-stepping their increasingly draconian rules,

I do not see any legislation with reguard to number plates as draconian.
The more difficult it is to get number plates you are not entitled to the better.
If you use one garage on a regular basis it is no problem for honest citizens to get a number plate for trailor or a new set of plates anyway.

 

[detective-boy]

You will roll your eyes if you get caught. The fines are somewhat higher than £200.

You got some examples of such draconian sentences then? Dates / Courts / Defendants names / Media cuttings? Would love to see them ...

 

[tobyjug]

You got some examples of such draconian sentences then? Dates / Courts / Defendants names / Media cuttings? Would love to see them ...

The information comes with reminders from the DVLA.

 

[Giles]

The information comes with reminders from the DVLA.

But these are the MAXIMUM possible sentences for a particular crime, which bear no relation to what actually happens.

So, I order a new number plate off a web site - perfectly legally spaced out, standard letters, coliurs, etc.

I don't think I am doing anything wrong, and on the basis that I have been driving around with said plates fitted to my cars for years, neither does anybody else.

Judging by the number of cars I see fitted with utterly non-standard fonts, and bizarre and illegal spacing to try to make their cheapo plates spell their names etc, every day, the police don't seem to regard this as a major problem.

Giles..

 

[Dhimmi]

What I was saying is that the argument for blanking out car plates in pictures on the net, on the grounds that criminals might "clone" those plates to attach to a stolen or otherwise "dodgy" vehicle is a false one.
Because someone with this criminal intent could obtain a suitable number plate of a similar car just by observing one in a public place.

I'm not so convinced its false. Taking numbers from the street gives just a number, with a danger of the number belonging to an offical fleet, etc, or even being a clone or stolen. Cloning numbers from the web almost guarantees a privately & legitimately owned vehicle, with the possibility of collecting more handy info such as owners name, location, etc, with little additional effort. Cars for sale with photos including plates are the best source for this.

 

[tobyjug]

the police don't seem to regard this as a major problem.

Giles..

Until you get stopped for something. Ask any motorcyclist who has been stopped and been found to have a non standard plate.

 

[detective-boy]

Until you get stopped for something. Ask any motorcyclist who has been stopped and been found to have a non standard plate.

And the outcomes? What ACTUALLY was the sentence. I know what the "maximums allowable by law" are (i.e. lots)

My educated guess is for a first offence (IF actually reported) it would probably be a maximum of fifty-hundred quid, usually more like thirty or forty. Look forward to learning more ...

 

[Dhimmi]

And the outcomes? What ACTUALLY was the sentence. I know what the "maximums allowable by law" are (i.e. lots)

IME it's a bit of a ticking off and a tag on the vehicle record noting you've been asked to change it...

 

[laptop]

[makes something up about the law]

When I was the law...

* Deckchair, red wine... *

 

[detective-boy]

* Deckchair, red wine... *

You have a quote of "When I was the law...". I would be grateful if you could point out which post that quote is taken from as I cannot find it and would wish to correct it. I don´t recall making it, and it is not something I would say but it may be that I missed out a comma or you have taken it out of context.

I would never claim to have been "the law". It is not a phrase I use. I was a police officer. I am a consultant investigator. I have a law degree and I keep myself up to date with changes in the criminal law.

If I can assist people with an understanding of what the law actually is, or is not, then I consider that to be useful. If people don´t agree I´ll fuck off.

 

[bigbry]

There's cars all over the Autotrader web site (& in the magazine) with number plates clearly on display.

Also a lot of garage web sites have nice pictures of cars with number plates clearly visible.

 

[JWH]

Oh, come on, detective boy, it's obviously a gag or judge dredd reference for the geeks. Lighten up!

 

[detective-boy]

Oh, come on, detective boy, it's obviously a gag or judge dredd reference for the geeks. Lighten up!

Just didn´t want something inaccurate "which was in the public domain" to remain uncorrected ... Sir Ian take note ...

 

[Dhimmi]

There's cars all over the Autotrader web site (& in the magazine) with number plates clearly on display.

Also a lot of garage web sites have nice pictures of cars with number plates clearly visible.

Yes, and if we stole cars we'd find it very useful.

 

[hash tag]

There's cars all over the Autotrader web site (& in the magazine) with number plates clearly on display.

Also a lot of garage web sites have nice pictures of cars with number plates clearly visible.

Exactly. If you look on the web, you will find pics of one of my cars at shows with plates on display. The only way to stop this would be to remove or obscure the plates at shows. Saying that I have seen pics of it on line whilst parked in the street.

 

[dessiato]

That's some bump! 17 and a bit years.

 

[hash tag]

That's some bump! 17 and a bit years.

Indeed, but you will have noticed why. To expand even further, I think there are vids of her on line from brooklands last year.

 

[rubbershoes]

Indeed, but you will have noticed why. To expand even further, I think there are vids of her on line from brooklands last year.

Years ago, my dad's car was in the I-Spy book of car numbers. The publishers had made no effort at all to blank out his plate

 

[hash tag]

I've remembered, one of my registrations can be seen on here

 

[T & P]

On this general theme, given this country’s concern about privacy and whatnot, I’ve always found it interesting that anyone can look up a number plate in the UK government website, and be told whether the vehicle in question is fully paid up with road tax (and yes, I know it’s not called that).

I mean, on the one hand I can imagine many people agreeing with such resource being made available for Joe Public to check on any non-compliant vehicles, so they can report any rule breakers. But at the same time, if the government launched a similar website so people can check whether a given household has paid for a TV licence, I reckon the outrage would be of epic proportions- including a great many who might agree about the vehicle checking online tool.

 

[kalmatthew]

On this general theme, given this country’s concern about privacy and whatnot, I’ve always found it interesting that anyone can look up a number plate in the UK government website, and be told whether the vehicle in question is fully paid up with road tax (and yes, I know it’s not called that).

I mean, on the one hand I can imagine many people agreeing with such resource being made available for Joe Public to check on any non-compliant vehicles, so they can report any rule breakers. But at the same time, if the government launched a similar website so people can check whether a given household has paid for a TV licence, I reckon the outrage would be of epic proportions- including a great many who might agree about the vehicle checking online tool.

Before you could do this if course we all had to display tax disks which served a similar purpose. Ownership of a car immediately makes clear the need for a tax diak/equivalent. Ownership of a TV which you could veneer /never look up let alone a house never needs a TV licence so I think this a false equivalent

 

[moose]

Exactly. If you look on the web, you will find pics of one of my cars at shows with plates on display. The only way to stop this would be to remove or obscure the plates at shows. Saying that I have seen pics of it on line whilst parked in the street.

I am infuriated when our two fairly unusual and stealable cars appear in estate agent pics on Right Move for other houses on our street I don't know why I get so angry, as obviously anyone walking down our road could see them with their own eyes, but still...

 

[hash tag]

I am infuriated when our two fairly unusual and stealable cars

Can't help but be curious.

 

[fucthest8]

Can't help but be curious.

Late model Trabant 601 and a Maserati A6

 

[hash tag]

Late model Trabant 601 and a Maserati A6

Wow, that's a contrast. Is the trabant original or has it had a range of upgrades?

 

[fucthest8]

Wow, that's a contrast. Is the trabant original or has it had a range of upgrades?

It's up on bricks tbf, not sure it's had any upgrades








You know I'm kidding, right?

 

[moose]

You're not too big to be put over my knee, fucthest8

Type 2 camper and Mk1 Golf GTI, hash tag
Although my old neighbour had a Trabant, so here's German reunification on my street. No numbers, obvs