Was out for a blast tonight and saw the dreaded flashing blues[1] in the mirror, at first I didn't think they were wanting me but once they'd blasted me with the siren I pulled over.

Not Trafpol, local bobbys, they couldn't have been nicer, they informed me that the main 6 lane dual carriageway out of the city is now a 30 limit, I must've been doing around 70 And I'd gone through a red light (leaving dual-carriageway on slip road), I'm pretty sure I didn't, but won't swear to it. They told me that they'd give me the benefit of the doubt over it, cos one of the lights was out.

Also, they'd not do me for the speeding ! One of 'em was on about building "a car like that" now he has a garage and asked a fair few questions, one of 'em being "Why hasn't it got a front licence plate" (he had to get out of the car and walk behind mine to check the reg. no.)

I told him that vehicles under 650kgs only need a rear and he nodded as if this was the correct answer. Blagged.
Doubt it'd work on a hardened trafpol though

Only thing is, I've now got a producer for insurance and MOT, will they hassle me for an MOT or will they realise that it was registered as a new vehicle after SVA in September ?

[1] Had to happen sooner or later

They should not hassle you for an MOT - if in doubt, take the log book with you as proof of age, they cant say anything if you can prove date of registration.

Also, as far as I am aware, a front number plate is not required on vehicles. Take a look at the multitude of machines around you that dont have them - tractors, plant machinary, ferrari Enzo, etc, etc.....

You do need the rear though

i got a puller for no front number plate the other day, but that was in a normal road car with a smashed up bumper, they seemed more concerned about sharp edges! As for the mot, dont worry about it. Argue your case, and even if they dont believe you there is no penalty.

If it needed MOT you would not have been able to tax it. Tell them to take that up with DVLA if they argue. I'd get a front number plate as they are not all going to fall for that and it will cost you more than a number plate in the long run if you get nicked for it.

[Edited on 26/7/05 by Peteff]

My next door neighbour's son got pulled in his Punto turbo for an 'itallicised' (?) front plate. There was a vehicle check point with police and VOSA officials. They not only did him for the plate, they wouldn't let him drive the car away. He had to have it taken to a garage for the car to 'be made safe'. He had to pay the fine, a towing in fee, and buy a plate and have it fitted at the garage. Then he had to take the bill to the local cop shop with his producer.
I think they were miffed that they couldn't find anything else wrong. Turbo waste gates not exactly Q car material.

When I taxed my Locost for the first time I had to produce an MOT at the LVLO, because the car was given an age related plate since I hadn't used all new parts. (only one major item, such as the motor is allowed to be reconditioned to be awarded a 'new' reg)

Mark

i thought all cars had to have a front number plate ? how comes you can get away with it with a kit car ?

you cant really but im not going to have a front number plate, it'll get snapped off and put in the passanger foot well! for the cameras...

I'm going to go the same route on my road car I think.

Snap your old front numberplate in two, and scrape it about on the road a bit and smear some old meat over it so it looks like a fox or something hit it, then put it in the boot/passenger footwell.

Keep a new front plate with you as well, but hidden under the carpet, use this one when driving locally to keep local plod happy.

If you get stopped with no plate, show the damaged one, say that you hit a rabbit/fox etc not 5 minutes previously and you can't fit a new one yet, because.............of course..................DVLA now require you to take your V5 in to get new plates made, and that's in the drawer at home!!

Don't see how they can do you for that one, what are you supposed to do, abandon the car!!!

absolutely, its a faultless plan! I managed to avoid getting a vehicle defect notice because the dear old gal had run out of forms! I suspect that she would've waived the fee anyway (usually its £30 and no points for failure to display front plates). But with a good excuse and a friendly attitude, im sure it would be avoided

Did you have a front number plate on when you went through the SVA test ?

How can you put a number plate on for your SVA? It isn't allocated until you get your MAC. And, of course, it is illegal to drive with an invalid plate on the car (eg, the donor's plate), so you drive to/from SVA without a plate, or tax, quite legally.

Not having plates fitted means less external projections to worry about.

And it's great laughing at those other drivers who toot their horns, flash and shout "Where's yer plates mate?".

Got pulled on way home from SVA , cop was friendly and interested in car ,had taken my licence ,insurance etc just in case though.

quote:

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Originally posted by brunocrossley
They not only did him for the plate, they wouldn't let him drive the car away. He had to have it taken to a garage for the car to 'be made safe'. He had to pay the fine, a towing in fee, and buy a plate and have it fitted at the garage. Then he had to take the bill to the local cop shop with his producer.
Mark

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has anyone thought of mounting the front number plate on a hinge - so when you hit speed bumps it doesn't break off..... except when you get above cough miles per hour it sort of .... you know ...... wind resistance etc ???

you've got it, its there when they look....... etc

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Bradbury
How can you put a number plate on for your SVA? It isn't allocated until you get your MAC.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Russ-Turner

quote:

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Originally posted by brunocrossley
They not only did him for the plate, they wouldn't let him drive the car away. He had to have it taken to a garage for the car to 'be made safe'. He had to pay the fine, a towing in fee, and buy a plate and have it fitted at the garage. Then he had to take the bill to the local cop shop with his producer.
Mark

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This might very well have been red mist time for me. How f******g rediculous!

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quote:

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Originally posted by NS Dev

I think it may have been for me too! What an effing joke. I think for what my Sierra is worth, I would have been tempted to torch the *ucker in front of them and see what they thought of that.

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i can sort of see the point the police are making.

The cat is technically illegal, if something happened from the front no one would know who you are and it means they know the problem has been fixed without you doing another 1000 miles.....

of course the car is perfectly drivable and motorbikes don't have a front number plate so its bit of an arsey approach by them.

Whats the law on reflective number plates? I'd be tempted to leave the car where it is - in the middle of the testing area with a bit of cardboard for a front number plate and a large sign saying,
"number plate broken, gone to get another" and walk off.

If you're not illegally parked what can they do? Ooooh, i wish i was a millionaire so i could challenge things like this in court.

quote:

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Originally posted by silex

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Bradbury
How can you put a number plate on for your SVA? It isn't allocated until you get your MAC.

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Erm, you fit a blank one, or as some else on here did, have one made up that says SVA TEST to go to and from the test with - thats how.

Because if the sva guys thought that you intended to fit a front number plate on one of these things, he would want to see it, because unless its a sticker across the nose cone its gunna cause one hell of a hazard in the wrong place.

[Edited on 27/7/05 by silex]

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Bradbury

Umm. Yes, the point is you don't have to. otherwise mine would have failed (at Southampton, where they train Vosa inspectors, about six weeks ago.

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Carry on then, see how long you go without getting stopped.
http://www.personallyyours.co.uk/number-plates-numberplates.htm

isn't it law that the rear number plate has to be lit up - therefore the SVA inspector is looking for the light. When a car is driving towards you it would be impossible to see the lit up number plate due to the headlights.

quote:

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Originally posted by Peteff
Carry on then, see how long you go without getting stopped.
http://www.personallyyours.co.uk/number-plates-numberplates.htm

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i don't want to discourage you cause i hope your right but ........

this is a car made in the uk, then it must be made to uk law and i'm sure uk law says "you must have a front number plate". If you import a european car then fair enough.

Keep hunting and keep us informed (otherwise its back to the springy number plate idea - to protect it from speed humps)

Find out what the exceptions are and you might be on the right track, until then it's all surmise. If it's registered as a car it needs two plates, bikes, trikes and some road registered machinery, fork lifts, dump trucks and farm implements carry exemptions where it's not practical to fit one. As mentioned somewhere this is UK law not EEC regulations. This bloke thinks he has to have them and until I see otherwise I think I'll leave mine on.

[Edited on 27/7/05 by Peteff]

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeR
has anyone thought of mounting the front number plate on a hinge - so when you hit speed bumps it doesn't break off..... except when you get above cough miles per hour it sort of .... you know ...... wind resistance etc ???

you've got it, its there when they look....... etc

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I can see if I can find out exactly what the exemptions are.

I suspect that is comes down to the shape of the front end - If there isnt a suitable place to fit the plate. This may explain away UK legal production cars that have no front plates fitted.


Also, just a thought - if there is a regulation governing the front plate, it may have similar restrictions to the rear. i.e plate must be vertical within 5 degrees (could be a problem with a hinge system and a diligent cop) and the top edge of the plate to be no lower than 300mm, but I'm just guessing/speculating there

This sort of discussion amuses me... "how can I avoid having a number plate on the front"... these cars stand out like a sore thumb on the road and will automatically attract the attention of plod, even when 100% legal. I'd rather not give them an excuse or opportunity to take a greater interest. Hell, they might even notice that I go round roundabouts sideways and rarely stick to the speed limits!

David

Personally, I don't mind being stopped occasionally, what I do mind, i the indiscriminate use of "safety cameras" ho ho ho!

Interesting to see that county Durham, with no "safety cameras" had the biggest improvement in terms of road death reduction, whereas the areas with most cameras had the biggest increases in deaths...........................when will the farce end..............

until that point, I will actively seek ways to avoid being robbed of my money by thieves with cameras in the name of "safety"

quote:

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Originally posted by silex

..............
I have been looking through the EEC directives (The SVA manual is compiled from these) and I can only find one for the rear number plate (70/222/EEC)

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quote:

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Originally posted by Syd Bridge

Don.t confuse EEC directives with UK Construction and Use Regs.

Two completely different sets of rules, although some are the same.

The beaurocrats at Swansea and Cardiff are not friends of the beauroprats of the EU!

The UK C&U regs overrule everything else.

The SVA manual is mostly C&U Regs, with some ece thrown in.

Syd.

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I drove my car without a front number plate recently (just repainted the bumper) and decided it was too much hassle thinking I would give plod a reason to pull me over - even though everything was perfectly OK in other respects.

You can't pass an MOT without a front number plate fitted so it must be a legal requirement. As Petef has said - if the exemptions can be clarified then maybe there is a way round not having one. Even smaller plates (bike size) can only legally be fitted to the front of certain imported cars, so they would not be legal on a Locost.

Name two.

I haven't seen one on the front of an Enzo yet - but then the sample size is pretty limited.

Number 2........ can't think of another one.

Could one of them be a reliant robin ?

nope, i'm 99% sure a reliant robin has a front number plate!

just googled and yep, i'm right, they do have a front number plate

Is there nobody on the list who can design a front number plate plinth to improve the high speed aerodynamics of the locost.
It's a ready made front air dam, could be faired into an F1 style wing? With another vestigial underfloor moulding near the front of the rear arches you should be able to drive along the roof of tunnels . . . .
Nobody got a supercomputer, CFD software & some spare time????
Bob

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob C
Is there nobody on the list who can design a front number plate plinth to improve the high speed aerodynamics of the locost.
It's a ready made front air dam, could be faired into an F1 style wing? With another vestigial underfloor moulding near the front of the rear arches you should be able to drive along the roof of tunnels . . . .
Nobody got a supercomputer, CFD software & some spare time????
Bob

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for the person that questioned wethere a reliant robin had a front numberplate yes most do but they technically dont need them as they are a trike ... lol

"Motorcycles and tricycles registered before 1.9.2001 can display a number plate at the front but are not required to."

hmm and also i beleive the numberplates on alot of landrover are illegal .... alot of heavily modified landrovers that ive seen when they fit a numberplate for the journey home from an even its either cable ties onto the grille usually at the top for minimal disruption of airflow to intercooler .... or a few ive seen have them on a bracket that fits on the channel at the top of the windscreen ...

surely thats above 1.2m in both cases depending on the height on the grille and tyre size / suspension lift .... interesting

[Edited on 26/9/05 by Messenjah]