Dodgy number plates

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627053#Comment_123627053

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627078#Comment_123627078

I'm not for a minute suggesting that either of you bear any responsibility for other people's number plates nor indeed am I asking you to take any action.

However I do disagree with your laissez-faire approach because it is unworkable to let everyone please themselves what sort of plate they use.

I tend to favour a more structured approach to regulations and laws.

It's the job of government to regulate these things and as in most other jurisdictions they have specified what is a legal plate.

When the current legislation came in certain exemptions to allow age appropriate plates on older cars.

This followed lobbying by the IVVC and it's thanks to them that you will see the silver and black plates on classic cars.

So there can be flexibility in legislation if it is considered warranted.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627403#Comment_123627403

Did it strike you maybe that people won't be bothered reporting the incident when they didn't get a registration number at the time? Why do you think we have laws about the format and style of reg plates in the first place?

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627442#Comment_123627442

I get that we can't have a free-for-all and that lines need to be drawn, but there are some really stupid and outdated laws and we haven't seen anyone rushing to change legislation on many of those. On number plates, we already have two standards. The modern one with the white reflective background with black font and a blue euro flag with the county name on the plate. Then we have the classic one which allows older vehicles have the exact opposite. Are they legible even though not up to the modern standard? 🤔.

Just a couple of those stupid laws we don't see enforced, or can't be enforced, because they are fantasy and/or kinda racist 🤯.

• It's illegal to supply alcohol to a drunk person. It carries a fine of €4000 for a first offence and €5000 thereafter. Source.
• Leprechauns are a protected species under the EU habitats directive. So, no hunting of Leprechauns are allowed except on the first Sunday in March, lest you find yourself fined or imprisoned. 😂. Source. Oh and apparently an old law forces you to feed a Leprechaun part of your dinner if it shows up at your door.
• It is illegal for a student of Trinity College to walk through the grounds without a sword. Thank the lord this is not enforced, as I would trust half those muppets with a spoon.
• According to the 1957 Marketing of Eggs Act; Government officials can search your vehicle for eggs.
• 10 years ago, it was illegal to curse on a Sunday. Some mad stuff altogether. Also 10 years ago, only the lower classes were allowed to eat oatmeal and spuds. So, if a Spud was found in D4, there must have been uproar!

BP_RS3813

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627581#Comment_123627581

I have so many questions regarding those laws

'According to the 1957 Marketing of Eggs Act; Government officials can search your vehicle for eggs.' Why was this brought in??

Can't curse on a sunday? What if you remember the wrong day that someone cursed? It is up to heresay in court then??

Leaving the joking aside... you are right. Realistically we should just have a law saying something along 'your number plate must be clearly visible up to X distances eyeline'

The issue is that the people who are argueing for customisation of plates want completely different things. John might only want his plate in Italics and in grey & white instead of black and white. Joe on the other hand might want some mad contrast of colours and some mad looking font.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627581#Comment_123627581

Well if you don't really want a free for all and you want a line to be drawn that's where we are now.

The Government has drawn the line and the current legislation is it.

The point I was making is that if you don't like where they've drawn the line you need to change it not let everyone do what they want.

The reason the IVVC were successful in getting a derogation is that old cars are heritage vehicles and the modern plates are inappropriate with that status.

(great bit of writing on the crazy laws by the way. nothing to do with cars but good fun 😊)

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123332699#Comment_123332699

I’m with you on the loud exhausts, the guards are fairly tough on excessively tinted front window windows in my experience. I see a lot of grey shaded number plates, imo so long as the number is still clearly visible I think it should be well down the pecking order for traffic cops. I’d like to see them address the drivers who don’t seem to have working indicators.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123626504#Comment_123626504

Burn it I say…burn it now🤣

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627438#Comment_123627438

Because white text on a black background is a hell of a lot easier to read than black text on a grey background, but you knew that.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627991#Comment_123627991

The line is in the wrong place. It ought to be about font size and legibility. It's obviously not seen as a serious issue, as it falls out of the reach of the Gardaí.

I would argue that some of the tinted plates are legal, so long as they meet the other criteria, because they are printed on on a white reflective background. The white reflective background just so happens to be layered with a tinted top layer instead of a clear one. I know my plates still reflective when light hit them. At night, you wouldn't even know there was any tint when car, or even street lighting was on. They were only noticeable in the day and even then the digits were clearly legible.

Anyway, that's all I'll say on the matter. It's outdated legislation. There are dozens of things I would lobby about before something as stupid as this. Amazing how many people get their knickers in a twist over such things (not aimed at you).

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123626364#Comment_123626364

black letters on a white background, there is no light precentage

GSBellew

band on the left is not blue, text not adhering to required dimensions, not compliant

GSBellew

Band on the left not blue, text not adhering to the required dimensions, not compliant

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627403#Comment_123627403

Every case where a car could not be identified due to illegibility could be under this banner

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123629175#Comment_123629175

We’re talking about window tint 🤦🏻‍♂️

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123628913#Comment_123628913

Ok, agree to disagree 👍

9935452

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627395#Comment_123627395

That wouldn't work. People would claim to be buying plates as wall ornaments .

Or they would be sold stating not legal not to be used on cars.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627438#Comment_123627438

I think pre 1987 black and silver numbers is compliant.

1987 to 1990 , you can have white background with black numbers and no eu sticker or county in irish .

I recently bought a 89 car on plain white numberplates with only black writing which passed its nct with them

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123630445#Comment_123630445

Its like Halfords selling LED bulbs as “off road use only”

9935452

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123630504#Comment_123630504

Exactly. Not a feasible solution

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123630523#Comment_123630523

There are countries where the only place you can get reg plates made is the tax office tho. So you go there, pay your tax and leave with your plates

rn

I'd like to see guards focus on ALL traffic issues. If they stop a car and there's no black on white, with proper blue EU flag - couple of penalty points for the driver IMHO.

As I get older, I find these black on grey plates a little bit harder to read. Might be important in an accident situation. Standard plates are an essential road safety issue IMHO.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123631683#Comment_123631683

Can you explain how a license plate with a grey tint is a road safety issue please? And if darker plates are a safety issue, should we then force those with vintage plates to use the safety plates?

Buddy Bubs

Saw a grey skoda with grey plates today, the black font didnt really pop out against it. Im sure its just for styling and the owner isn't out to evade anything but it was hard to read.

Plates like that are rightly non compliant, I imagine in many countries the car would be seized.

Is this a thing in Northern Ireland or just Republic? Id guess just Republic.

Can't see them getting away with anything except white reg on front, bright yellow on back, both of which make font very legible

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123627581#Comment_123627581

That's nothing but a load of bullshit

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123631913#Comment_123631913

seen quite a few dusky yellow reg NI cars so not unique to ROI

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123632117#Comment_123632117

Now that’s put him in box🤣 It good to be such an authority on a topic👏

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123632121#Comment_123632121

On the front ? Replacing white?

Soc_Alt

The main requirements on the format of vehicle registration plates are:

• The registration number, which consists of numbers and letters, must be black on a white reflective background.
• The name of the county of registration must be in Irish, (for example, Baile Átha Cliath).
• The EU flag and the letters "IRL" must be placed on the left-hand side of the plate. The flag shows 12 gold stars in a circle, with the letters "IRL" in white underneath it, all on a blue reflective background.
• No other numbers, letters, or marks, should appear on your registration plate.

Based on the above information. If your car is registered in the Republic of Ireland and is not a Vintage ( ZV type , etc )

Then a fine of €160 plus 3 penalty points should apply.

Its a easy fix by Revenue and The Gardai.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123632224#Comment_123632224

On the rear most of which I’ve noticed having been overtaken on the M1

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123631885#Comment_123631885

Grey against black doesnt really stand out now, does it?

Do you or do you not think that a vehicle should be immediately recognisable on the road in all lighting conditions? Can you really not think of ANY situation where this is desirable?

There aren't a lot of classics on the road and they're not daily drivers either. They're a microscopic percentage of the vehicles already on the road.

Alun

There was a piece on a daytime BBC programme the other day where they showed that many, if not all, of these dodgy "4D" plates had digits that were invisible to infrared light that the cameras used at night. It wasn't always every digit, some had only one dodgy digit and the rest were normal.