Irish number plates - Ugly!

pburns

The number plates we have in Ireland really bug me - is it just me or are they really ugly? For example, there is little opportinity for people to 'personalise' their plate. In Britain and the States vanity plastes are big business. Personally I think any type of personalised plates are really naff but it would be pretty cool for people who enjoy that sort of thing.

Secondly, I don't think there is a country in the world that spells out the age of a vehicle in such an obvious way. Yes, I know in Britain (for example) you can still tell by prefix letters etc. but somehow that doesn't offend my delicate sensibilities so much...

Also - and maybe it's just me - I think they really ruin the look of an older/classic (imported) car. You know...you see a really nice '60s Merc that's been kept in time-warp condition but the effect is diluted by those damn fugly, modern plates!

The current system has also fed this dreadful Celtic Tiger malaise whereby there is pressure to be seen driving a late-plate car. We're bombarded with ads encouraging us to 'reduce waste' but if the government are really serious about introducing environmentally friendly policies they could do worse than introducing 'non-year' number plates. I've seen garages littered with completly servicable, reliable cars that just can't be shifted because they are mid/late '90s. Is it a coincidence that there seem to be far more 'older' cars on the roads in countries where the age of a car is not so apparant?

Anyway, it would be interesting to hear comments...

maidhc

It is a fantastic, sensible system.

I'd like if we didn't have to put plates on the front though, like in some states in america... or even smaller ones like in Italy.

colm_mcm

I completely disagree, we have one of the most easily understandable reg systems imaginable.

Re: older cars. when you are importing you can register the car with ZV plates, eg. ZV 12345

ninty9er

You can still personalise plates to an extent through the Rev Com and the UK have now adopted our year system just in case you hadn't known. They had an issue with running out of letters and already having used the mirror versions.
e.g. YK04 is the beginnig of a car registered in Yorkshire(I think) in Jan-Jun 04. I will stand corrected but I also think they seperate the year so that july to Dec are for example YK54 instead of 04

There are also letters in the UK that point out if a car has been stolen/recovered "Q" I think, which unnecessarily tarnishes the reputation of a car.

I think it's brilliant and would challenge any country to come up with such a straightforward system whereby sequences cannot be mixed up and 2 cars can't have the same plate on the front (IT glitches do happen at this scale)

BMW unsuccessfully mounted a campaign against it a few years back due to the hit their cars were taking in depreciation. The Revenue told them to go swivel. Rightly so

Volvoboy

Our plate system is fine, easy to understand!! it would be madness to go and change them.



-VB-

kikel

Very simple to understand but they are ugly. The EU logo, black on white and county make it ugly. Bring back the black and silver plates using the current numbering system

Alun

ninty9er wrote:

e.g. YK04 is the beginnig of a car registered in Yorkshire(I think) in Jan-Jun 04. I will stand corrected but I also think they seperate the year so that july to Dec are for example YK54 instead of 04

Almost right .. The year letters don't actually run from January to December, but change in March and September each year, so an 04 car would have been registered between March and August 2004, and a 54 car between September 2004 and (this is the funny bit!) February 2005! In the old year letter system, they changed in August, I believe.

The first two letters are (now) mostly mnemonic, and Y is indeed Yorkshire. Under the old system, the second two letters of the alphabetic bit referred to the county it was registered in, but was not mnemonic at all, just two random letters.

Under the old system there was still the same boom in car sales, the only difference was that it happened in August instead of December and people were queueing up for the latest letter, and everyone knew that if you drove a 'Y' plate that it was from a certain year.

Alun

kikel wrote:

Very simple to understand but they are ugly. The EU logo, black on white and county make it ugly. Bring back the black and silver plates using the current numbering system

They're number plates, not fashion accessories, and in that case it's function above form in my book, as it should be.

rugbug86

ninty9er wrote:

e.g. YK04 is the beginnig of a car registered in Yorkshire(I think) in Jan-Jun 04. I will stand corrected but I also think they seperate the year so that july to Dec are for example YK54 instead of 04

how will that work in 2014? if a car is registered in august 2014, will that not be YK54 aswell? or will that be YK514

and i like the irish number plates, easy to understand, and ya know when you should avoid drivers based on where they're from

kikel

Alun wrote:

They're number plates, not fashion accessories, and in that case it's function above form in my book, as it should be.

What function does the county name in Irish and the EU logo have?

Black lettering on white plates is functional. for people to read and roadside cameras

Bluefoam

Our system has been held up as an example to the rest of the world, simple to get any detail needed: year, location, country & numerical identity. The uk are following our example as are may other countries accross europe.

It is a good example of the positive lateral thinking irish people are capable of even with the social service sector.

faceman

I like our system of license plate numbers, serves a purpose. I hate the personalised plates in the UK and USA.

Guy:Incognito

kikel wrote:

What function does the county name in Irish and the EU logo have?

What function does Irish on a road sign have?

Bluefoam

kikel wrote:

What function does the county name in Irish and the EU logo have?

Black lettering on white plates is functional. for people to read and roadside cameras

Believe it or not, the EU logo helps others identify you car as being registered within the EU, which is a free market & allows freedom of travel for its citizens. It can be quite helpful when (for example) you are travelling in the EU.

Do I really need to explain the benefit of having you county identified in the national language, it seems obvious to me.

As for those poxy personalised plates - what a load of crap.

BTW licence plates aren't meant to blend in and enhance the aesthetic of your rover 214, they are a legally required identifier which must be visible, easily read & understood.

zuutroy

Gotta agree with everyone in disagreeing with the OP. One of the (few) things where Ireland has shown the way to the world!

kikel

Bluefoam wrote:

Believe it or not, the EU logo helps others identify you car as being registered within the EU, which is a free market & allows freedom of travel for its citizens. It can be quite helpful when (for example) you are travelling in the EU.

Do I really need to explain the benefit of having you county identified in the national language, it seems obvious to me.

Fair enough i can see a point for the EU\IRL logo. it saves having to put a sticker on your can when you travel abroad.

Still not convinced on the county name in Irish. Have it in both Irish and English or English only. It's very confusing to non Irish speakers

G Luxel

I think the europlate has had its day, it has been here since I99I. We were the first country to use it before other countries used it. Its time to give it a new look or replace it with something else. I don't like the plate.

The Q plate that someone referred to earlier in the UK, denotes a car whose
chassis has been altered/extended, if the car is made from the remains of two cars or if the car's V5 logbook or previous details are unknown/lost. Some classic cars and Kit cars are fitted with this plate as well although I think it may now be out of use.

As for the late platers, its someone buying a new car/less than I2 month old car abroad and getting it registered before the year's end as a new car, usually a very high spec Mercedes or Bmw or something executive....I think these cars should be given a month related number rather than a high digit number so if your car was first registered in february 2006 in London, then on importing here before 31st December 2006, you should have something like eg 06 D I7986, not 06 D 99876

Alun

rugbug86 wrote:

how will that work in 2014? if a car is registered in august 2014, will that not be YK54 aswell? or will that be YK514

They'll change the 5 to a 6 in 2010, and to a 7 in 2020 etc. so for your example YK14 and YK64 for 2014.

Alun

G Luxel wrote:

I think the europlate has had its day, its been here since I99I. Its time to give it a new look or replace it with something else.

Why? Change for change's sake? If it ain't broke, don't fix it I say.

colm_mcm

G Luxel wrote:

I think the europlate has had its day, its been here since I99I. Its time to give it a new look or replace it with something else.

Where do you get this stuff ?!

There is only one possible issue with the numbering scheme and that is, during the latter months of the year the "D" reg's start to resemble telephone numbers & look crowded on the plate.

Bluefoam

G Luxel wrote:

I think the europlate has had its day, its been here since I99I. Its time to give it a new look or replace it with something else.

Yeh, my runners are just so last year, I should really change them too..

testicle

What are ZZ plates? I saw a Q7 driving around today with them on...

testicle

rugbug86 wrote:

how will that work in 2014? if a car is registered in august 2014, will that not be YK54 aswell? or will that be YK514

and i like the irish number plates, easy to understand, and ya know when you should avoid drivers based on where they're from

YK64, i believe.

colm_mcm

ZZ plates are temporary and used when exporting cars.

Stephen

I like our plate system. I like the font the Germans use too. They have a good system, in that the plate number corresponds to the owner of the car, so if you get a new car you keep the same registration -- unless you move to a different part of the country, where you'd be allocated one from the local authorities.

Saruman

Our system is excellent. As for the IRL symbol? well open your eyes next time you see a Polish or French car.. they have their own EU plates... Even the UK use them now!!!

Stop whigning about number plates and b!tch about something worth b!tching about like VRT or something.

projectmayhem

kikel wrote:

It's very confusing to non Irish speakers

is it really though? i've travelled (by car) in england, france & germany, and from my own experience it seems people know exactly what Eire means...

ninty9er

Stephen wrote:

I like our plate system. I like the font the Germans use too. They have a good system, in that the plate number corresponds to the owner of the car, so if you get a new car you keep the same registration -- unless you move to a different part of the country, where you'd be allocated one from the local authorities.

I believe that's the Swiss system, a pain in the ass really, it'd be easy to put your neighbour's plate on your car if you were to go for a joyride at 200mph, not what the Swiss would do though.

I have to agree on the high C and D numbers. My grandad bought a new car in September and it was registered just shy of L-3000, the advantages of a city county boundary eh:rolleyes:

testicle

testicle wrote:

YK64, i believe.

yep all the way up to YK49 & YK99 (2050)

kikel

projectmayhem wrote:

is it really though? i've travelled (by car) in england, france & germany, and from my own experience it seems people know exactly what Eire means...

People know the meaning of Eire, but on a county level a non Irish speaker wouldn't know the following

Wicklow Cill Mhantáin
Wexford Loch Garman
Waterford Port Lairge

Bluefoam

kikel wrote:

People know the meaning of Eire, but on a county level a non Irish speaker wouldn't know the following

Wicklow Cill Mhantáin
Wexford Loch Garman
Waterford Port Lairge

Maybe that element is only relevant within the country. Like I said, it is necessary to display the location name in the national language.

Would you be concerned what part of the black forest a German car was from or would you prefer to know that it was from Germany?

kikel

Non Irish speakers within Ireland.

DonJose

pburns wrote:

Secondly, I don't think there is a country in the world that spells out the age of a vehicle in such an obvious way.

If you are so vain about the age of your car then buy a new one I personlly couldn't give a shlt about the age of my car as long as it gets me from A to B.

maidhc

kikel wrote:

Non Irish speakers within Ireland.

Try getting the French to put their place names in English for the non French speakers and just wait for the response.

Max_Damage

Just to get my 2 cents in here, for god sake, it's a reg. plate, it isn't meant to be 'fashionable' or 'pretty'.

I like the current system, and if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Bluefoam

kikel wrote:

Non Irish speakers within Ireland.

Your arguments are all very thin. You don't need to be able to understand or know a brief history of the area, you just need to be able to identify the writing, the location is also available on the main identifier as in 'D' - 01 D 12345.

Besides I don't think your dislike of our language is reason enough to change the licensing system.

BTW what colour is your car? cos we could make the plates to match that. may not suite my car, but once you are happy...

Posy

I agree with the above posts. '99' means 1999, 'D' means Dublin or 'C' means Cork, etc. It's plain and simple. They're just number plates; not fashion accessories. :rolleyes:

greglo23

G Luxel I think the europlate has had its day, its been here since I99I.


in fact it was introduced in 1987 and a model of clarity it is too

Esel

G Luxel wrote:

...its been here since I99I. ...

...buying a new car/less than I2 month old car ...

Why didn't you just type i99i and i2 if you wanted to use the letter instead of the digit?

Hacks me off when 'I' is used instead of '1' in newspapers etc. Even worse is the old typist's trick of using lower case 'l' instead of '1'.

crosstownk

I like the current Irish system. It displays a lot of information about a vehicle. It's a standard format - black on white - used by most EU countries. The county thing is specific to Ireland, so I've no problem with it being in Irish.

Owen

I love our system, but I do wish they'd bring in Personalised Plates with alphanumeric characters, as opposed to the current 'Cherished Number' system. Think of the revenue! Some plates go for tens of thousands in the UK at auction, it could be used as a method of reducing VRT, and selling Personalised Plates at a premium. Think of all the skangers out there falling over each other to get a bid in for 'S4X0 GT1'

Guy:Incognito

I'll chip in in favour of the current system, nothing wrong with it and it's simple to use.

I like my reg too. 97 D 97. cant forget that.

md99

pburns wrote:

The number plates we have in Ireland really bug me - is it just me or are they really ugly? For example, there is little opportinity for people to 'personalise' their plate. In Britain and the States vanity plastes are big business. Personally I think any type of personalised plates are really naff but it would be pretty cool for people who enjoy that sort of thing.

Secondly, I don't think there is a country in the world that spells out the age of a vehicle in such an obvious way. Yes, I know in Britain (for example) you can still tell by prefix letters etc. but somehow that doesn't offend my delicate sensibilities so much...

Also - and maybe it's just me - I think they really ruin the look of an older/classic (imported) car. You know...you see a really nice '60s Merc that's been kept in time-warp condition but the effect is diluted by those damn fugly, modern plates!

The current system has also fed this dreadful Celtic Tiger malaise whereby there is pressure to be seen driving a late-plate car. We're bombarded with ads encouraging us to 'reduce waste' but if the government are really serious about introducing environmentally friendly policies they could do worse than introducing 'non-year' number plates. I've seen garages littered with completly servicable, reliable cars that just can't be shifted because they are mid/late '90s. Is it a coincidence that there seem to be far more 'older' cars on the roads in countries where the age of a car is not so apparant?

Anyway, it would be interesting to hear comments...

I agree entirely.

It is nobody elses business what year your car is...

Try explaining that here though. I recall being shot down for it multiple times in my yellow reg thread!

layke

In Portugal they have the year on your reg plate but it's tucked away in a corner, below it the province where the car was registered.

Now i'm all for personal plates. E.g which is easier to read or remember?

98-D-475855
98-D-sexxxy

Front plate is needed imo, you don't always get to see the back license plate in a hit and run.

Tbh I couldn't care less if they gave us custom plates as I don't really notice them on cars. It's just the way it's always been.

mikemac

I could be totally wrong but I believe in Switzerland every driver is assigned a licence plate number and that is your number for life

peasant

Designwise I have no problem with Irish plates, they look like number plates and they're easy to read.

I don't quite see why the year of first registration has to be on it ...but that's the way it is. As i only ever buy second hand cars I'm actually in favour of this system, because it brings prices down (and personally couldn't care less what year my car is as long as it is in good condition)

I also like the fact that once the number is on the car, it stays there forever.


As somebody mentioned Germany:

There the reg is linked to the address of the current owner.
The first 1 to 3 letters denote the Lankreis(or county) of current registration, the second group of 1 to 2 letter is random, same as the following group of numbers. For a fee you can ask to get a say in what the second or third group may be, depending on availability.

So if you live in Berlin you *could* get B - MW - 525, if you're lucky.

One thing is a pain in the neck though ...whenever the owner of the car moves from one jurisdiction to the next, the car has to be re-registerd at considerable expense and hassle. So the number on a specific car will change several times during its lifetime.

Much prefer the Irish system.

peasant

micmclo wrote:

I could be totally wrong but I believe in Switzerland every driver is assigned a licence plate number and that is your number for life

not sure about that

There's one thing in Switzerland that's brilliant, though ...the interchangeable number plate.

Say you own a car for daily driving and a classic/ motorbike / something else for "special occasions"

You get one numberplate + tax + insurance for the more expensive of the two and then you can put the one numberplate on either vehicle and drive that while the other one sits at home with no number on it.

Wishbone Ash

greglo23 wrote:

G Luxel I think the europlate has had its day, its been here since I99I.


in fact it was introduced in 1987 and a model of clarity it is too

The year/county/number system was introduced in 1987 but the Euro plate didn't came in until 1991. From 1987 to 1991 it was simple black on white lettering. You can still see an occasional late 80's car with these plates.

Native Tongue

While I was over in Boston this summer I owned a car, and got my plates for it. The car died on me after about 5 months and I had to buy another, all I had to do was inform the insurance company I had a different car, and transfer the plates onto it. Would have loved to have been able to bring the plates home with me but had to give it back when I was leaving.

I like the Irish system. I think not having the front plate would be more attractive, in Florida most people either don't have a front plate or have vanity plates on the front of their car and they look much better. But this argument is definitely outweighed by the advantages of having a front plate in a situation like layke described with the hit and run. Leave the plates as they are is my vote.

WildWater

If I was the Minister I would introduce the following change. That is to put the month of purchase on the reg. So indtead of

07 D 598765 you would have 0107 D 3956

Why.
Month and Year format 0307 is in common usage and easily recognisable. This system would offer the following advantages over and above the current system.

1) It would lessen the January peak which creates knock on problems with the NCT.
2) Consumers would benefit from more evenly applied depreciation. Consumers IMO would also benefit as the dealers might have to do more to persuade someone to change for a new reg. ie the impact of the year (07) is lessened but not removed.
3) A car would not be a year old until it is actually a year old.
4) Vehicle identification would actually become easier. A witness to a hit an run would only have to remember a familiar format of 4 digits and a location id to considerably narrow the search. Consider this:
a. Garda the car was a blue or black Toyota corolla reg 0606 D and I think there was a 3 in the id number. Less than 200 cars?
b. Garda the car was a blue or black Toyota corolla reg 06 D with a 3 in the id number. Few thousand cars?
5) Overall IMO the system is fairer to consumers, especially to consumers who are not in a position to buy early in the year but still take a full years depreciation at the end of the year.

But then again I'm not the minister and it probably just makes too much sense