CD on a reg?

LegacyUser

Apols if this is a stupid question. Was driving home behind a car with a reg that had "CD" at the end of it.

i.e something like

98D 12345 CD

The CD was in caps, but slightly smaller than the numbers. It was a left had drive car. Just curious as to what the CD stands for.

DMC

Corp Diplomatique.

DirkVoodoo

corps diplomatique (I can't believe I actually spelt it right!)

It means that it is an embassy car and is used for diplomats. The french is because from the 17th century up until recently, french was the internationally accepted language of diplomacy. Think of all the "wonderful" french words still in use in modern english, and the number of them that have diplomatic underpinnings; en route, rendezvous, carte blanche, savoir-faire, faux pas, fait accompli, par excellence, bon vivant, joie de vivre, coup d’état, laissez faire, pièce de resistance, and RSVP.

Alun

Or even "Corps Diplomatique" or Diplomatic Corps.

LegacyUser

So the car was originally registered by an embassy ?

Our man in Havana

Nope, the car is still owned by an embassy.

It basically means that the driver or passengers have diplomatic immunity. The cops can't do squat to them. Can't give them a parking ticket.

stevenmu

bubby wrote:

So the car was originally registered by an embassy ?

I'm pretty sure if the embassy sold it on they'd have to get new plates without the CD, or else we'd all be buying ex-embassy cars and getting immunity from parking/speeding violations

(it's probably illegal to drive one unless you're a properly accredited diplomat)

unkel

stevenmu wrote:

I'm pretty sure if the embassy sold it on they'd have to get new plates without the CD

Yup. My last car was originally owned by the Finnish Ambassador. No more CD on the license plate when I got it

whippet

Bond-007 wrote:

Nope, the car is still owned by an embassy.

It basically means that the driver or passengers have diplomatic immunity. The cops can't do squat to them. Can't give them a parking ticket.

I believe the cops can charge a dipolmat, but the diplomat can seek 'immunity' based on their status. Depending on the charge this could cause a 'international relations' problem.

ambro25

whippet wrote:

I believe the cops can charge a dipolmat

Surely, even your average Gardai is not that dumb? :eek:

Fastest way to staying a traffic cop for his entire career (what's left of it), methinks

LegacyUser

OK -thanks for the heads up all.

My next question is probably silly too

What the hell was an embassador doing driving a 98D reg car??

Borzoi

bubby wrote:

What the hell was an embassador doing driving a 98D reg car??

All the cars owned by the embassy/consulate would have CD plates, so it's not likely to have been the Ambassador, more likely his secretary

unkel

bubby wrote:

What the hell was an embassador doing driving a 98D reg car??

It wasn't necessarily the Ambassador's car, but perhaps his assistant's

unkel

You beat me to it, Borzoi

Dades

With those 98 D reg cars they are really spoiling us.

ambro25

bubby wrote:

What the hell was an embassador doing driving a 98D reg car??

Depends on the country... If it was any from OECD, then yeah, you'd be right to wonder. However, if one of the less wealthy ones, well... And it wouldn't happen to have been a '98 D' Bentley by any chance, would it?

LegacyUser

Ahhhh .. I see Makes sense alright. So I didn't miss out on the chance to get an autograph then

Thanks everyone for explaining it.

B

Silvera

I recall seeing a 'CD' plate on a 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer last year !

Ernie Ball

The Atheist wrote:

With those 98 D reg cars they are really spoiling us.

Smirky

Hey Bubby, good to hear you again, not deaf yet then eh? Must have sold you a dud!!!!

The CD Plates are nuts - basically a CD Reg car can run over a pedestrian and not even stop as (someone else on the thread alluded to already) the cops cant touch em!!!!

Got to get me one of those bad puppy plates!!!

S

MrPudding

I saw a rusty 94 or 96 Fiat chiqaquento (you know what I mean) pulling out of Dunnes in Cornellscourt the other day. It had a piece of paper tuck in behind the reg plate with CD printed on the exposed part of the paper. It was being driven, quite badly by a elderly Asian man. It even had L plates.

MrP