Grey reg plates

I’m seeing these reg plates everywhere now. It’s literally impossible to read the numbers until the car is very close.

Why do you care about other peoples reg plates and how does it make them a scumbag? Why not just mind your own business

Seen a couple around recently myself.

I'd guess the Guards couldn't be arsed to stop drivers and tell them to get them changed.

I would say there is a possibility that these wouldn't be recognised by speed cameras? Would that be the reason for them?

You’d wonder why we bother abiding by the rules and regulations, maybe it’s the sense of entitlement to make a conscious decision to break the rules that attracts attention, if you think the regs don’t matter for plates that may likely lead to a general couldn’t give a fook attitude on a lot of things - road rules, road safety, texting and driving yada yada…They do often work as an early warning device.

So, instead of a white background, it's a grey background? Or are you talking about the letters and digits (as I was)?

I've also seen blue plates. Mostly older registrations, is that also something fancy or just discoloured over time?

Speaking of legibility issues: how about motorcycles with the tax disc covering half the registration number?

Maybe I should apply for a job in that field, instead of trying to find a job as accountant on a foreign qualification... I could spend all day issuing tickets for illegal number plates, not using indicators and DYL violations.

I had a pair of them (so maybe I'm a scumbag?), got rid during covid as passing a lot of checkpoints and didn't want to draw attention.

Not sure about speed camera's but for sure they aren't readable by the camera's used at the manned tolls. Agree with others that they are very hard to read from any distance and practically impossible to read at night

That’s where they’ve left the protective plastic on.

edit: already answered above, can’t delete posts now…

I bought 4D plates too for my car. I used to have similar plates when it was registered in the Netherlands (so up to last month ;) ). They've existed a very long time there (the only alternative is pressed plates - all Dutch plates are metal). One thing I do note, is that the letters and numbers on Dutch plates have the sides at an angle, if that's the correct way to describe it. Whereas the Irish plates have them cut straight. As a result, if looking at the plate from an angle it quickly becomes a big lump of black, whereas with the Dutch plate you don't notice it as much. It helps of course that the Dutch mandatory font is bigger and spaced further apart (only 6 characters excluding hyphens have to fit on the plate, that helps), but even then, they're 4mm high while my Irish plates have 3mm high characters. There was also the option of 5mm for the Irish ones, that's just too much.

The spacing can't really be changed (unless the registration system here is changed to a more sensible system - just baffling that a country with such a small population has the longest registration numbers in Europe), but it would already help to cut the letters and numbers at an angle (which probably means casting them instead of cutting them, so an entirely different production process).

See photo below what I mean about Dutch plates. If somebody wants to see a photo taken at an angle, just let me know.

They're straight up illegal. White background, black text, blue/gold EU symbol, nothing else. And probably the most specific legislation in Ireland:

As for the 4D plates, they'll only confuse the eyes, not the cameras. But are a red light for interested Gardai. And I'd imagine the reason they don't prosecute for them is because of the backlash they get for prosecuting speeding, so I can imagine some snowflakes losing it over getting a fine for illegal numberplates.

I asked in a previous one, but why change them? Why do you have to be so special to be different to everyone else?

Its not hard to understand why someone would change their plates. Some people take pride in their cars and want to stand out or modify their car to their liking or make their car their own. Its like asking why did you paint the front of your house or why did you get a fancy new golfing bag. It all depends on your interests. I actually think the grey plates look really good on certain cars.

Why are they called 4D plates? Why not 3D if referring to the fact that they have depth (as well as height and width). What's the fourth dimension on the plate?

They are 4D because they travel through time as well..... 😋

I design test systems for infrared cameras as party of my job. Speed cameras use Infrared cameras so as not to flash and blind drivers, so the cameras are sensitive to IR too.

Some black plastics (cough 4D plates....) are almost totally transmissive to IR light, and would be very difficult to see with an IR camera. Think of the plastic front of a remote control.

The reverse is a little harder - optically transparent, but blocking IR. But, many semi-transparent films block IR light pretty well. Most of the cameras work around 950nm, so using a window tinting film will reduce their effectiveness big time. Likely to such a point that the ANPR will not work (as it's set to look for black on white)

Couldn't care less what people do to their cars (aside from tinted drive windows) , but reducing the contrast of the numbers against the background immediately leads to them being less readable by cameras and people. The cars are less identifiable as a result, so in a hit and run situation, they are harder to trace.