garages driving unregd cars in public

FARADAYCAGED

are garages breaking any law by driving new unregd cars in public city streets. they may be covered by garage insurance but how can they be identified if they hit someone or reported if they drive dangerously,?

sometimes they may have the buiness name on the numberplate but that is not a definite ID

Paddy001

They have what are known as 'trade plates'. These are similar to regular number plates but they have a different arrangement of numbers and are on a green background. It covers them for driving cars untaxed during business hours, they're meant to be on display at the front and rear of the car and these will identify the owner as each pair is unique.

coylemj

Paddy001 wrote: »

They have what are known as 'trade plates'. These are similar to regular number plates but they have a different arrangement of numbers and are on a green background. It covers them for driving cars untaxed during business hours, they're meant to be on display at the front and rear of the car and these will identify the owner as each pair is unique.

+1 they often shove the trade plates inside the car on the dash and on the rear shelf so it's virtually impossible to spot them if you're in a car behind them.

bucketybuck

In the bigger dealers they could 4 or 5 sets of trade plates. Often they will employ a full time driver, this guy will be in countless numbers of new cars delivering to VRT office or body builders or even just collecting from the docks. Generally he will have his own set that he carries all the time and uses for whatever car he happens to be in.

The plates are meant to be fixed to the vehicle, but to be honest, when you are in 5/6/7 different cars a day it becomes a real pain in the arse to affix them and then remove the plates every single time. Especially when they are very rarely ever stopped, and even when they are stopped the guards always just let them go on once they show the plates, so you can sort of understand why they just place them on the dash rather than screw them into the bumper.

FARADAYCAGED

bucketybuck wrote: »

In the bigger dealers they could 4 or 5 sets of trade plates. Often they will employ a full time driver, this guy will be in countless numbers of new cars delivering to VRT office or body builders or even just collecting from the docks. Generally he will have his own set that he carries all the time and uses for whatever car he happens to be in.

The plates are meant to be fixed to the vehicle, but to be honest, when you are in 5/6/7 different cars a day it becomes a real pain in the arse to affix them and then remove the plates every single time. Especially when they are very rarely ever stopped, and even when they are stopped the guards always just let them go on once they show the plates, so you can sort of understand why they just place them on the dash rather than screw them into the bumper.

if they have an accident they cannot be identified if the plates cannot be seen. It is another one law for ordinary people and one law for businesses

I met one of these yesterday and there was no plate visible to me from where i sat in my car. had he made a dangerous turn how would i report him? A blue ****** with ****** cars on the number plate. If one causes an accident how can it be proved what car it was.?

bucketybuck

FARADAYCAGED wrote: »

if they have an accident they cannot be identified if the plates cannot be seen. It is another one law for ordinary people and one law for businesses

I met one of these yesterday and there was no plate visible to me from where i sat in my car. had he made a dangerous turn how would i report him? A blue ****** with ****** cars on the number plate. If one causes an accident how can it be proved what car it was.?

If they have an accident they can be identified the same way everybody else can be identified. If you are concerned about a hit and run then I am sorry for the stress you are suffering about the minute number of people currently driving the roads on trade plates. I am very sorry that you personally were not able to identify the random car that you happened to see.

I suspect you just wanted a rant though. I love the idea that people in businesses aren't ordinary people.

hullaballoo

FARADAYCAGED wrote: »

if they have an accident they cannot be identified if the plates cannot be seen. It is another one law for ordinary people and one law for businesses

It's the same law for everyone. Trade plates are a concession to the automotive industry here and are a small one at that. No one would be able to sell new cars if there were no trade plates because test drives would be out of the question. So, traders would have to register cars as soon as they arrive in the lot/in port and that devalues the car for a number of reasons.

If a car doesn't have plates or has factory plates, it's a safe bet that it's a car dealership and they have trade plates with them. They're not going to be involved in many hit-and-run incidents because they'll be just as interested in recovering the price of the new car from you or from the test driver in the event of an accident.

If it's someone who's just driving around with no plates and who's not a dealership, then there is a more serious problem because that's probably someone driving a getaway car. The chances of that being the case are miniscule. It would take a fairly serious level of stupidity for a getaway car to have no plates, not even fakes.

All of this is worry over nothing from your point of view anyway because there is a scheme in place whereby unidentifiable drivers who do a hit-and-run etc. will be covered by a body known as the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI). The scheme makes for interesting reading but essentially, you'll be covered for any accident that isn't your fault on Irish roads thanks to our advanced civilisation, high taxes and ludicrous insurance costs. (You're more than welcome to rant about these, just please don't rant about something that isn't actually an issue.)

Victor

hullaballoo wrote: »

If it's someone who's just driving around with no plates and who's not a dealership, then there is a more serious problem because that's probably someone driving a getaway car. The chances of that being the case are miniscule. It would take a fairly serious level of stupidity for a getaway car to have no plates, not even fakes.

The last two vehicle's I saw without plates were a dirt bike (probably not street legal anyway) driven by a 15 year old and a motorised bicycle (NOT a ped-elec). Neither of which were 'getaway' vehicles.

hullaballoo

ITT: we are talking about cars.

ardmacha

Trade plates are fine, but they should be displayed as other plates are and any delinquents should be fined, as other motorists might be.

Greenmachine

Saw a car today on trade plates. Green plate in the window. Seemed to be the reverse of the normal plate. This one was a three digit number, followed by D followed by 151 which I guess is the year. It seemed to have some kind of holographic sticker on. It shouldn't take more than a minute to fit or remove a plate, but I won't lose any sleep over this non issue.

FARADAYCAGED

Greenmachine wrote: »

Saw a car today on trade plates. Green plate in the window. Seemed to be the reverse of the normal plate. This one was a three digit number, followed by D followed by 151 which I guess is the year. It seemed to have some kind of holographic sticker on. It shouldn't take more than a minute to fit or remove a plate, but I won't lose any sleep over this non issue.

bet you won't say its a non issue if you get hit by one. They are as likely as anyone to have an accident

L1011

FARADAYCAGED wrote: »

bet you won't say its a non issue if you get hit by one. They are as likely as anyone to have an accident

Possibly slightly higher due to drivers who haven't driven that type of car before; but regardless:

You do not need a registration plate to identify a vehicle except in case of a hit and run. Which is extremely unlikely to happen on a test drive. Mountain out of a molehill - or actually a small bump in the lawn really.

Victor

hullaballoo wrote: »

ITT: we are talking about cars.

Meh, they're all MPVs.

FARADAYCAGED

L1011 wrote: »

Possibly slightly higher due to drivers who haven't driven that type of car before; but regardless:

You do not need a registration plate to identify a vehicle except in case of a hit and run. Which is extremely unlikely to happen on a test drive. Mountain out of a molehill - or actually a small bump in the lawn really.

and of course there never have been hit and runs. and no one ever drives dangerously and the gardai never tell people report dangerous driving and if they do you can say it was a blue car reg mygarage cars

bucketybuck

FARADAYCAGED wrote: »

and of course there never have been hit and runs. and no one ever drives dangerously and the gardai never tell people report dangerous driving and if they do you can say it was a blue car reg mygarage cars

You can keep repeating this if you want, but the simple fact is that the issue of garages driving vehicles on trade plates causes so few problems that its basically a non-issue. Mechanics on test drives aren't killing kids by the dozens in hit and runs, and customers trying out a new car aren't smashing wing mirrors off by the hundred. You are making a mountain without even a molehill.

slimjimmc

Paddy001 wrote: »

They have what are known as 'trade plates'. These are similar to regular number plates but they have a different arrangement of numbers and are on a green background. It covers them for driving cars untaxed during business hours, they're meant to be on display at the front and rear of the car and these will identify the owner as each pair is unique.

bucketybuck wrote: »

In the bigger dealers they could 4 or 5 sets of trade plates. Often they will employ a full time driver, this guy will be in countless numbers of new cars delivering to VRT office or body builders or even just collecting from the docks. Generally he will have his own set that he carries all the time and uses for whatever car he happens to be in.

The plates are meant to be fixed to the vehicle, but to be honest, when you are in 5/6/7 different cars a day it becomes a real pain in the arse to affix them and then remove the plates every single time. Especially when they are very rarely ever stopped, and even when they are stopped the guards always just let them go on once they show the plates, so you can sort of understand why they just place them on the dash rather than screw them into the bumper.

It seems the windscreen may be the proper place for them after all according to SI 409/1992 :

Display of trade licence plate.
7. (1) The trade licence plate shall be displayed as follows:
( a ) in the case of a motor-cycle, the trade licence plate shall be affixed to the rear of the cycle,
( b ) in the case of a vehicle (other than a motor-cycle) with front and rear windows, one trade licence plate shall be affixed inside both the front and rear windows so that each such plate can be easily read and in such a manner as to minimise obstruction of the driver's view,
( c ) in the case of a vehicle (other than a motor-cycle) with no rear window, the trade licence plate shall be affixed to the rear of the vehicle, in such a manner that it can be easily read.