Passing Speed Vans with False Plates

germanator · 26-03-2012 02:44PM #1

In the last few weeks ive heard from 3 different people that they recieved speeding fines in the post when they were not even on the road at that time/date let alone speeding on it, but the thing is they recieved the pics of the front of the car with the number plates and its the same reg and same model/colour car!!! these people are definitly not all liers, ive known them all years. but it seems someone is doing this on purpose, the speeding fines are all for near 110mph???

piston · 26-03-2012 02:50PM

I know someone who got a speeding ticket for a car he has had sitting in bits in his back yard for the past 2 or 3 years. The picture showed a completely different make of car in this case.

batm!ke · 26-03-2012 02:57PM

Something similar happened to my aunt as above, she got the letter saying she was up the country somewhere blah blah blah, long story short there was a different model car with the same reg as hers going around...

They rescinded the fine/points whatever it was.Some chancers out there. The thing is, who had the false plates?! Her, or this other car!

OP, this is the first i've heard of this, I'd say there is something wrong with their system that the pics of your friends cars maybe taken at another time have been identified as speeders instead of the actual offenders, the pics may have been labelled wrong or something like that?

djimi · 26-03-2012 03:01PM

Happened to my father a few years ago; the picture clearly showed his plates, as well as a Jeep badge I think it was. Didnt take him long to prove that his Almera wasnt made by Jeep!

dr.fuzzenstein · 26-03-2012 03:02PM

Usually cars get cloned for criminal purposes, selling on stolen cars, using them in crimes, etc...
And of course one won't have to be too careful of speed cameras whilst out in their lovely, new cloned car.

germanator · 26-03-2012 04:35PM

but the thing is, how are they going to prove it wasnt them, as its the same car same reg?? someone is doing it on purpose alright but are they doing it to commit a crime or just to fu*k around and get fines sent to these people!!?

Leonard Hofstadter · 26-03-2012 05:03PM

As mentioned, the reason cars are being cloned is so that the people driving them don't have to worry about the fines and penalty points etc.

Owen · 26-03-2012 05:17PM

There was a rumour in Cork of someone getting a plate made that was the same as the Speed Camera and the driver spend all day going past it at 80mph. No idea if it's true, but if it is, hilarious!

26-03-2012 05:19PM

germanator wrote: »

............ the speeding fines are all for near 110mph???

I thought if a speed van clocked you going that fast it would be escalated to more severe penalties.

danjo · 26-03-2012 05:31PM

Surely when they check the database to get your details they will see that the makes and models listed do not match those in the photos?

eringobragh · 26-03-2012 05:52PM

My dad got one as well..saw the fine and it was clear as day his plate on a Nissan as well but the older model primera :rolleyes:

The guards said they'd sort it and hes heard nothing since..he rang them up since and they wouldn't discuss the case with him.

yourpics · 26-03-2012 05:54PM

Owen wrote: »

There was a rumour in Cork of someone getting a plate made that was the same as the Speed Camera and the driver spend all day going past it at 80mph. No idea if it's true, but if it is, hilarious!

That also happened in Donegal.

djimi · 26-03-2012 05:58PM

germanator wrote: »

but the thing is, how are they going to prove it wasnt them, as its the same car same reg?? someone is doing it on purpose alright but are they doing it to commit a crime or just to fu*k around and get fines sent to these people!!?

It depends on the circumstances I suppose. If you can prove that you were in work/college that day, or if you have a ticket stub or whatever to show where you were then I think you have a good chance. However if it happens in your town and you were at home at the time then it would be harder to prove.

cats.life · 26-03-2012 06:17PM

Owen wrote: »

There was a rumour in Cork of someone getting a plate made that was the same as the Speed Camera and the driver spend all day going past it at 80mph. No idea if it's true, but if it is, hilarious!

thats true, it happend in donegal but they were not going at 80, it was 100 or more.

:D

db330 · 26-03-2012 06:23PM

germanator wrote: »

but the thing is, how are they going to prove it wasnt them, as its the same car same reg?? someone is doing it on purpose alright but are they doing it to commit a crime or just to fu*k around and get fines sent to these people!!?

they also take a picture of your face so they can see who is driving.

A woman contested this last year saying it wasn't her, took them to court and they just showed a picture or her in the car, read that in a paper anyway. But they do really take a picture off your face.

cats.life · 26-03-2012 06:30PM

db330 wrote: »

they also take a picture of your face so they can see who is driving.

A woman contested this last year saying it wasn't her, took them to court and they just showed a picture or her in the car, read that in a paper anyway. But they do really take a picture off your face.

oh my god on galway region forum some one posted that his wife was driving along in galway city and the car in front of her slowed down and took a foto of her and car, it freaked her out and the husband posted to see if anyone else knew why would they do that. he said he was going to report it. havent posted antin since.

Our man in Havana · 26-03-2012 06:51PM

danjo wrote: »

Surely when they check the database to get your details they will see that the makes and models listed do not match those in the photos?

The system is completely automated. The computer looks up the details and prints the notice.

rebel.ranter · 26-03-2012 07:29PM

There was two jeeps in work accidentally driving around on the same number plates for a year (from new), it was only copped when the tax disc arrived & both lads went looking for it!
Another time a Ford Focus had the 4 digits in the number plate mixed up, it was 00-D-3478 but the reg said 00-D-3487. That was on he car for three years!
finally two other Ford Focus had the plates put on the wrong cars, the number plates for one VIN /chassis number was put on the other car & vice versa. Only noticed when the cars were 4 years old when NCT was due.
These were all lease cars. So I'm not surprised tat the sort of Ning happens where people randomly or accdentally get speeding tickets.

101sean · 26-03-2012 07:36PM

Plate cloning is rife in the UK where a lot of traffic penalties such as yellow boxes, bus lanes, one way systems etc are enforced remotely by CCTV and most large towns are ringed by ANPR cameras. As similar systems come in here the number of cloned plates will increase.

benj · 26-03-2012 08:08PM

cats.life wrote: »

oh my god on galway region forum some one posted that his wife was driving along in galway city and the car in front of her slowed down and took a foto of her and car, it freaked her out and the husband posted to see if anyone else knew why would they do that. he said he was going to report it. havent posted antin since.

Maybe she was hot

r3nu4l · 26-03-2012 08:13PM

101sean wrote: »

Plate cloning is rife in the UK where a lot of traffic penalties such as yellow boxes, bus lanes, one way systems etc are enforced remotely by CCTV and most large towns are ringed by ANPR cameras. As similar systems come in here the number of cloned plates will increase.

IT's also used for fuel theft over here. Guys find car the same colour and make as their own, get some plates made up, stick them on the car, and wear a hat and scarf while filling up. They can then fill up the car and drive away without paying.

Cuddlesworth · 26-03-2012 08:27PM

My dad had a car going through the toll bridge for a year with his plate in a Laguna. He wasn't that worried, as it was a long wheel based Transit he was driving. E-flow were not that helpful, continuing to mail and bill him through the entire time.

Funny thing was that he went through at roughly the same time every day. Just one traffic bike on the side of the road could have picked him up easily but the gardai were not interested.

john reilly · 26-03-2012 08:35PM

know somebody who had a problem with fines from a cloned. he had a lot of bother and gardai werent helpful

germanator · 26-03-2012 09:16PM

but thats the thing, the 3 cars in the pics are the exact same model aswell, dont know if same colour as ins black and white!!

RandomAccess · 26-03-2012 09:18PM

Plates are easy to clone, it is a bigger problem in the UK but growing here.

This article summarises the problems and potential solutions quite well,
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtran/writev/dda/dda08.htm

I have grabbed their potential solutions,

17.0 Various initiatives have been suggested including: secure fixings for number plates, security features built into number plates such as RFID chip technology or destruction of the plate on removal, reduction of the number of outlets that can supply number plates and finally the introduction of electronic vehicle identification (EID). Many of these solutions have been proposed before and EID has been a consideration for many years now. Certainly, reducing the number of outlets registered to supply number plates would make policing this activity more feasible. In some European countries, such as Sweden, there is only one outlet. This single outlet role could be taken on by the DVLA, alongside other security measures such as secure fixings and RFID chip technology, as a solution to the problem until more sophisticated measures to close cloning loopholes can be implemented such as EID.

It would appear Electronic Vehicle Identification is the silver bullet of choice... but electronic things can be cloned ridiculously easily nowadays so it may end up making it even easier for people!

Probably the biggest problem is that introducing a system like this in todays climate with a government that is desperate for tax revenue would prove too lucrative an opportunity for them to pass up.

Our man in Havana · 26-03-2012 09:35PM

In many countries plates are made only by the government and are securely fixed to vehicles by the police. There is absolutely no control over plates in Ireland, hence the problems.

NMC Alan · 26-03-2012 10:18PM

Car number plate cloning is a big and growing problem in the UK. Petrol prices, insurance premiums (especially for the young driver), and the advent of ANPR have all provided a huge incentive for the criminal to disguise their cars with legitimate number plates from exact make, model, and colour cars.

40,000 number plates are stolen every year and the illegal manufacture is uncontrolled. Innocent victims are faced with the difficult and time consuming challenge of proving that their car was not involved, and many end up paying fines just to end the nightmare.

The government plans to privatise road development and management (and therefore more toll roads) will only make things worse.

I and my business have advised and assisted many victims in gathering and presenting evidence to authorities. Unfortunately we do not cover Ireland, but can offer advice.

Passing Speed Vans with False Plates

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