yamaha4life wrote: » so i was on my way home the other day and there was a check point, i drove upto with no worried iv everything cover tax insurance ect, so the garda said are you a learner and i replyed no, to which he said why do you have L plates displayed, i told him i have a learner named on my car and we share it, to which he replyed that i shouldnt have them up while im driving. i never heard that before is that a new thing? the next thing is ive a sun strip on the windscreen approx 6 inches long, he enquired why i have it i told him it keeps the sun out of my eyes and he replyed no its a sticker your not allowed to have any stickers on your windscreen quoted some law and told me that he will sieze the car next time he sees me with it. fair enough there might be some law i dont know but is siezing the car not a bit excessive i couldnt belive it anyway seems they can sieze a car for anything nowadays
bazz26 wrote: » OP, what type of car were you driving, was it modified in any other way? My initial thought was that you or your car may have fitted a certain profile with the AGS so they may have been focusing on you and the car at the check point.
yamaha4life wrote: » well i guessed id hafta remove the visor but i still think siezure of the car would be excessive for such a trivial thing? as for the l plates i lts not always practical to take them down and put them up i mean seriously im driving with ten years and this thr first ive heard of either of those things
GM228 wrote: » Too few people are aware that a sun-strip is technically illegal. Any "inessential" object or sticker placed on a window is illegal. In other words if it is not an absolutely essential like an insurance/tax/NCT disc then it should not be there. The problem with the law however is strictly speaking you could also say things such as window tinting or placing your toll tag, sat nav or phone cradle in the window are also illegal. Grey area.
Mint Sauce wrote: » The L/N plates thing is nothing new. The Sunstrip, there is rules in regard to having certain parts of the windscreen un obscured. If the car is unsafe to drive say due to a Sunstrip taking up to much of the screen, then yes, it could be reason to seize.
ohnonotgmail wrote: » There is no grey area with regards to window tinting. The windscreen must have a light transmission level of 65%.
Del2005 wrote: » Where's the legislation to remove the L or N plate when it's not required? All I know is that you have to display if you are a learner or novice, I know of no law which says that you can't display it when neither are driving.
GM228 wrote: » Yes, however the VLTs for vehicles are set by EU law in relation to the NCT and also Taxi Regulations for SPSVs. All they say is how much light must be able to pass through a window, that is separate to the fact that any "inessential" sticker is not permitted to be put on a vehicle and most third party window tinting is via sticker as opposed to manufacturer chemically tinted windows. The law specifically uses the word inessential as opposed to non-essential which creates a higher standard, meaning anything not absolutely essential is forbidden and lets face it sun strips and window tint are not absolutely essential.
Alanstrainor wrote: » Yes, nothing new there with the L/N plates. They are only supposed to be displayed when the applicable driver is driving. But at the same time I've never heard of anyone being pulled up on that, it's extremely common. But then it causes the situation where you see a car on the motorway with bot N + L plates, how are the gardai supposed to determine who is driving and whether they are supposed to be there?
ohnonotgmail wrote: » A coloured piece of plastic placed on top of a window is not a tint.
seamus wrote: » Afaik, the law requires that your windscreen is kept clear of anything unnecessary which may disrupt visibility. This means that necessary things like your mirror and your discs may be stuck to the windscreen. Parking badges are also OK. But a tinting sticker is not necessary and an L plate is not necessary unless you're a learner, so these should not be attached.
creedp wrote: » IMO this is the kind of stuff that brings the law into disrepute ... if L plates are only essential when car is being driven by L driver then surely parking badges are only essential when parking!! Why not get a magnetic holder and stick it up every time you park? I sometimes despair when I see up to 4 disc holders placed horizontally at bottom of screen given how badly it obscures visibility. Combine this with an essential L plate or even more essential N plate and the most inexperienced drivers on the road have very badly obscured visibility on that side of car. However it's fine as these are essential items for road safety purposes. However if some poor sod has the temerity to put a sun strip.along the top of the windscreen to try and avoid being blinded by the sun he is considered a menace even though the only thing it will obscure is a view of the birds.
Blazer wrote: » He's a nob with nothing better to be doing. No fear he'd stop some people with no tax and insurance. Probably wish them well and on their way.
Guy:Incognito wrote: » So you reckon they set up a check point and spent their time waving through everyone with no tax and insurance while waiting for someone with a sunstrip to come along.............
yamaha4life wrote: » well i guessed id hafta remove the visor but i still think siezure of the car would be excessive for such a trivial thing?
Cuddlesworth wrote: » No, he pulled him in because he thought he was a learner driving unaccompanied. Once that was cleared up, he looked for something to give out to the OP about to justify his time.
Henry Ford III wrote: » Get magnetic L plates. Lack of practicality is no excuse for the Gardai.
Explosive_Cornflake wrote: » These won't work if you have aluminium panels though.
Isambard wrote: » I can never understand why people put an L plate on the glass anyway,
