Discussion of UK car registration plates

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Profile Bernie Vine
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Message 1881145 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 10:02:50 UTC
Last modified: 30 Jul 2017, 10:10:33 UTC

As I wished to answer Chris on this issued and I did not want it in the caring thread I have decided to start a new thread just for a quick explanation as to my comment.

The UK uses a "year identifier on it's car number plates so currently the plates are in the format, XX17 XXX, where the first two letters identify the area the was registered so LA to LY is London (I Q and Z are not used as location identifiers )and the last 3 letters are random starting AAA and going to ZZZ

However the registrations change twice a year, this was due to lobbying by the motor industry that wanted to sell more cars so convinced the government to change the registrations in March and September, historically difficult months to sell cars.

So 66 ran from September 2016 to Feb 2017. 17 runs from March 2017 to August 2017 and 67 Runs from September 2017 to Feb 2018.

And the reason is to sell more cars.

Logically if it really was a "year identifier" it would run from January and if it needed to have two per year the second one would start in July.

Hence my reason for stating the motor industry controls when the registrations change.
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Message 1881149 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 11:13:21 UTC - in response to Message 1881145.  

I bought a new car earlier this year, in anticipation of my full pension becoming payable (which it was, starting this week. Yay!)

So I have a YG17 (for Yorkshire) plate. Before the car arrived at the local garage for prepping, I gave written instructions (by email) that the plates should carry the EU country marking - as shown on the Wiki page that Chris got his information from - so I could take the car touring (though probably no further than the Republic of Ireland, which is a lovely place to drive in).

They refused ("We don't do those plates"), and supplied the car with plain plates. I had to go back and get them changed, at extra cost.

So is the motor industry - in this case a private franchised garage, selling French and Italian cars - making subtle points about Brexit too?
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Message 1881154 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 11:27:38 UTC

why waste my money on a new car?


As I have paid monthly for my car since 2010 it is not too much of a problem, and as I have reduced the cost substantially with this one it makes sense as 3 years servicing is also included.

To me it is trouble free motoring, with Nissan Rescue included for free.

In my present situation I do not want to have to worry about servicing or MOT's I just want a car that will start whenever I need it and get me from A to B.
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Message 1881156 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 11:45:30 UTC - in response to Message 1881155.  

. I'd love to go to court with the national press there and name and shame him :-)))


Let us know when it happens coz p.m.s.l when the " beeks" hand you down a £200 fine Chris ;-) hehe ( guarentee that's what would happen , I've been to court far more than you ;-) )
Life is what you make of it :-)

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Message 1881157 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 11:49:26 UTC - in response to Message 1881150.  

why waste money on a new car?
In my case, I'm not yet ready to give up the diesel engines I've driven for the past 25 years - but with the new car, I've gone up from Euro 4 to Euro 6 emission standards, which is nice for my neighbours and passers-by.

The fact that I'm also getting more power, better fuel consumption, reversing sensors, a fitted SatNav, and a digital radio (to name just a few) is a lucky coincidence which happens to fit my plans to spend more of my retirement travelling.
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Message 1881159 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 11:55:55 UTC - in response to Message 1881158.  

The law say that you can have an England sticker on your number plates provided the vehicle is not driven outside the UK. If it is then you have to have an EU one with GB on it.

Number plate regs
You'll have to peel your stickers off at Hadrian's Wall, then ;-)
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Message 1881165 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 13:12:50 UTC - in response to Message 1881155.  

A good second hand 3 year old vehicle with a known servicing history would likely do that for you. But if you are willing and able to pay what it costs to lease a brand new car, that is your personal choice.
Something you forgot, someone bought that new.
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Message 1881167 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 13:24:27 UTC
Last modified: 30 Jul 2017, 13:24:44 UTC

A good second hand 3 year old vehicle with a known servicing history would likely do that for you. But if you are willing and able to pay what it costs to lease a brand new car, that is your personal choice.


No cannot possible fulfil my stated intention of not having to worry about an MOT .
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Message 1881239 - Posted: 30 Jul 2017, 20:24:00 UTC - in response to Message 1881209.  

For me a little fun car for the summer and a cheap runabout for other times is fine with me.
It's all very nice for some people to be able to afford new cars and brag about them
Not much difference then between their bragging & yours. What others do with their money should be of no concern to anyone, especially if nothing illegal is done with it.
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Message 1881573 - Posted: 2 Aug 2017, 2:02:55 UTC - in response to Message 1881298.  
Last modified: 2 Aug 2017, 2:30:46 UTC

Plates in the USA also have the State and other info on them which the UK doesn't i.e. for us Counties.

In the US, the federal government only issues plates to vehicles it owns and those owned by foreign diplomatic missions. Other than that, they are issued by the states, which of course have varying ideas about what information is necessary.

For example, Iowa prints the owner's county of residence below the number. Indiana (I believe) has a county code in the plate number. Illinois doesn't bother with counties. Illinois issues plates for both the front and the rear of the car, while many states (Indiana and Michigan I know off the top of my head) only do a rear.

In Illinois, a standard passenger vehicle plate has a minimum of 3 or 4 characters and a maximum of 7, with letters first and numbers after (i.e., lll nnn or l nnnnnn or llllll n, but not mixed such as ll nn ll). The registration fee is $101/year. They are designed to last several years, with annual stickers issued when you renew. A personalized plate follows the same pattern, but you are allowed to request whatever you want (not offensive) within that pattern, for an extra $47 when issued and $7/year. A vanity plate can be numbers-only (up to three) or letters-only (up to seven), whatever you want, for an extra $94 when issued and $13/year. Then we have a whole slew of specialty plates with various extra fees. See the Illinois Secretary of State's license plate guide. I have ham radio plates, for which I paid an extra $4 when they were issued, but the annual renewal is the standard $101.

They started this year to replace very old (2000-01) plates when they come up for renewal, just because they lose reflectivity and generally look bad when they age. This is being done at no extra cost.

Bear in mind, though, that this all is just for one state. The other 49, plus DC and each territory, have their own ways of doing things, and the only thing they have in common is the size and shape of the plate.
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Message 1881788 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 10:28:44 UTC - in response to Message 1881786.  

But having a country wide system we can go online and find out whether any vehicle number is taxed. insured, Mot'd and when they run out.


Since when have you got your OWN A.N.P.R camara system ???? Last i heard they are only used by the Police ain't a " public " system as your quote seams to read like it is
Life is what you make of it :-)

When i'm good i'm very good , but when i'm bad i'm shi#eloads better ;-) In't I " buttercups " p.m.s.l at authoritie !!;-)
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Message 1881791 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 11:11:55 UTC - in response to Message 1881786.  

A U.S. state is one of the states of the United States of America. Four states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky) are officially named a "Commonwealth" rather than a "State." How you jot away with that one defies description. There is only one Commonwealth of Nations and that is the British one.

Well there is also New England:)
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont..
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Message 1881802 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 11:50:40 UTC - in response to Message 1881788.  

Well, if you go to the DVLA site, you can check on the VED and MOT status of a vehicle just by entering the registration number and make of the vehicle. That capability has been available for a few years now and you can also use the site to report vehicles that are not 'legal'. As I did with two cars that were parked opposite where I live, which were subsequently removed. Checking on the insurance status can be done, but should only be done by the policyholder. So, all the 'legal status' information on your next door neighbour's car, is available to you (with one grey area) for you to peruse at your leisure.....no ANPR camera needed!
Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive!
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Message 1881816 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 12:58:20 UTC - in response to Message 1881786.  

The UK is so small an area compared to the USA that we can sensibly have one lar and rule for all the country. I suppose that sensibly you can't. But it is yet another example, and a good one I might say of the USA NOT being United at all. Just a collection of effectively 50 different countries with local Presidents and their own laws. Commit murder in one State you get executed, do it in another you just go to prison.

But I suppose the attractiveness of your plates does beat ours as were are so regulated with what we can do. But having a country wide system we can go online and find out whether any vehicle number is taxed. insured, Mot'd and when they run out. Do you have that?

When our system was designed, travel and communication from one place to another took days to weeks, so a certain amount of decentralization was necessary. There was also, at the time, fear of letting the federal government be too strong; we had, after all, just thrown off an oppressive monarchy and didn't want to establish one of our own. With that in mind, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." With modern travel (NY to LA in a few hours) and near-instant communications (especially data), some functions would now make more sense at the federal level, but there would be a lot of protests against any effort to shift them there at this point. Congress does pass regulations that encourage the states to get together and standardize their practices to the degree necessary to cooperate with each other. There is also a clause saying every state has to respect the laws and court rulings of every other state (which got a lot of discussion in the build-up of same-sex marriage).

Who a particular plate is issued to and whether it's taxed, insured, etc. are considered to be private information. In fact, the states don't know if you have insurance. If you get stopped for a traffic offense, you have to show proof of insurance, but it's not something that's in their computers.
David
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Message 1881818 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 13:06:07 UTC

Also places like fuel stations and car parks often have links into the ANPR system to catch those who would like to bunk off without paying for the goods or services received.
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Message 1881822 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 13:21:01 UTC - in response to Message 1881818.  

Also places like fuel stations and car parks often have links into the ANPR system to catch those who would like to bunk off without paying for the goods or services received.
My local Sainsburys has taken to displaying your own car registration number back to you, with an 'exit by' time, as if to say "We've got you".
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Message 1881831 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 13:54:41 UTC - in response to Message 1881802.  

Well, if you go to the DVLA site, you can check on the VED and MOT status of a vehicle just by entering the registration number and make of the vehicle. That capability has been available for a few years now and you can also use the site to report vehicles that are not 'legal'. As I did with two cars that were parked opposite where I live, which were subsequently removed. Checking on the insurance status can be done, but should only be done by the policyholder. So, all the 'legal status' information on your next door neighbour's car, is available to you (with one grey area) for you to peruse at your leisure.....no ANPR camera needed!


Really ?? Don't agree with that at all fair enough the police having acces and using that info ( I've been pulled plenty of times on my bike and the law knows who i am , and i'm insured , M.O.T ed etc and what points are on my licence ( even why i spent some time at her mages pleasure but that's a different system P.N.C ) .
but the general public being able to get vehicle info that's completly out of order
Life is what you make of it :-)

When i'm good i'm very good , but when i'm bad i'm shi#eloads better ;-) In't I " buttercups " p.m.s.l at authoritie !!;-)
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Message 1881839 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 14:33:25 UTC - in response to Message 1881831.  

the general public being able to get vehicle info that's completly out of order
Wouldn't you want to know whether a second-hand car had a genuine MOT, before you buy it?
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Message 1881840 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 14:40:39 UTC - in response to Message 1881839.  

Wouldn't you want to know whether a second-hand car had a genuine MOT, before you buy it?


MOT's are only really vallied at the time the test was taken ,
but still don't think that info should be avalable for everyone just whenaever they want to look
Life is what you make of it :-)

When i'm good i'm very good , but when i'm bad i'm shi#eloads better ;-) In't I " buttercups " p.m.s.l at authoritie !!;-)
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Message 1881847 - Posted: 3 Aug 2017, 14:50:10 UTC - in response to Message 1881816.  

The UK is so small an area compared to the USA that we can sensibly have one lar and rule for all the country. I suppose that sensibly you can't. But it is yet another example, and a good one I might say of the USA NOT being United at all. Just a collection of effectively 50 different countries with local Presidents and their own laws. Commit murder in one State you get executed, do it in another you just go to prison.

But I suppose the attractiveness of your plates does beat ours as were are so regulated with what we can do. But having a country wide system we can go online and find out whether any vehicle number is taxed. insured, Mot'd and when they run out. Do you have that?

When our system was designed, travel and communication from one place to another took days to weeks, so a certain amount of decentralization was necessary. There was also, at the time, fear of letting the federal government be too strong; we had, after all, just thrown off an oppressive monarchy and didn't want to establish one of our own. With that in mind, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." With modern travel (NY to LA in a few hours) and near-instant communications (especially data), some functions would now make more sense at the federal level, but there would be a lot of protests against any effort to shift them there at this point. Congress does pass regulations that encourage the states to get together and standardize their practices to the degree necessary to cooperate with each other. There is also a clause saying every state has to respect the laws and court rulings of every other state (which got a lot of discussion in the build-up of same-sex marriage).

Who a particular plate is issued to and whether it's taxed, insured, etc. are considered to be private information. In fact, the states don't know if you have insurance. If you get stopped for a traffic offense, you have to show proof of insurance, but it's not something that's in their computers.


In California Auto Insurance is a required thing to have by State Law, it's not optional, this year I also have to pay to prove My car meets smog regulations, and yes it passes, in some areas cars are tested on what amounts to a treadmill, here that treadmill is not required, just a wand up the tail pipe and a visual inspection like in the rest of the state, and like in Illinois, counties don't matter on the plate, which can be White w/Blue lettering, or the newly reintroduced Black w/Yellow lettering, so far the Blue plate special w/Yellow lettering is still a rarity, since I don't think that was reintroduced, also the older Yellow plate w/Black lettering has so far not made an appearance.
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