Aberdeen Traffic Cops

[rossybee]

Ah well - that'll save from shelling out for the small number plate i was about to buy !!

(Typical tight fisted Aberdonian post!!)

Tony - 3/4 front plates are far less obvious on a 7 - I blame the small nosecone

[campbell]

I've got a smaller front plate now, having become fed up shelling out for new full size ones every year or so. Interestingly, it actually looks about the right size still. Dunno why.

I might carry my dirty, scaped original plate around in the boot on the basis of "well officer I usually do have this one on, but as you can see it sits a bit low to the ground so every time the wife takes the car to Sainsbury's the speed humps claim their prey. So I keep this wee one on underneath on the basis that it's probably better than nothing until I can get home to get some new carpet tape to put the pukka one back on at regulation legalese dimensions. Hic"

Campbell

[Scottd]

After 2 years and passing dozens+++ of rozzas, one in a SPEC / front facing speed camera area*, I'd def say no plate is better than a 3/4 plate.

3/4 plates are a conscious effort to break the law, no plate probably just starts a debate between our hard working law enforcers (until they run my perfectly legal rear plate thro the computer and remember my name from school/Uni or hear I have a clean license ).

Plus you can always pull out ur perfectly legal, 'recently fallen off' plate from the boot**.



*doing less than the speed limit

**note to self, but front plate back in boot.

[Scottd]

P.S. I have been stopped once for no front plate, but that was in Ireland.

Guard- Where's the front plate
Scott - erm...
Guard - isn't it supposed to have one
Scott - erm... no!??
Guard - well maybe that's the case in England (after I'd already told him twice I was Scottish grrrrr!) but it's different over here.
Then he waved me on.

I did get followed by the guards about 5 times in 4 days over there. Elise's are virtually unknown there tho, probably takin pics on their phones.

[campbell]

Feck 'em I say. If bikes can have wee plates, why not cars. Bikes are so often faster anyway so presumably even harder to read. It's a pile of jobsworth smash, IMHO, and I didn't spend hours fabricating a new custom plinth for my wee plate to go throwing it all away just yet.



PS - main point to note, dodgy spacing seems to attract a lot of attention. I think that'll get you tugged more than the size thing. Just a theoretical opinion, mind...

PPS - why is a 3/4 plate a conscious effort to break the law as such? Do you think that marks such people out to be tugged more readily? Maybe you are right...! But if you read the techno blurb, the coppers will tell you that all these fancy anti-GATSO plate glosses and finishes etc can be eradicated by photo-enhancement so it takes a lot to make your plate unreadable. A few weeks of winter road grime on a "regulation" plate are probably harder to decipher than a 3/4 scale set of clear numerals in regulation font at correct spacing on a pristine white front plate.

[Scottd]

PPS - why is a 3/4 plate a conscious effort to break the law as such? Do you think that marks such people out to be tugged more readily? Maybe you are right...!

Yea I think to them it falls under the same catagory as dodgy spacing (or worse) - boy racer / lawbreaker. Where as no plate is legal on some cars - yea ok pre 1930 cars or summin but still that is a difference, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what made the Guard in Ireland a bit confused.

But if you read the techno blurb, the coppers will tell you that all these fancy anti-GATSO plate glosses and finishes etc can be eradicated by photo-enhancement so it takes a lot to make your plate unreadable.

I don't doubt them, but the man-power involved would negate the £60 profit they would make. So it's probably not worth it in 90% of cases. But if they stopped you and spotted that kind of nonesense on ur plate they'd throw the book at you, so not worth the risk imho.

A few weeks of winter road grime on a "regulation" plate are probably harder to decipher than a 3/4 scale set of clear numerals in regulation font at correct spacing on a pristine white front plate.

Very good point, but the difference I'd say is, the clean 3/4 plate will get you a fine while with the grubby legal plate you'll probably get told to clean it. I've been stopped in the past for no number plate light and was just told to fix it.

[Scottd]

One last thing, the hugely different Scottish and English number plate laws help confuse things, - for e.g. we don't need the plate manufacturers address nor the little code number thingy - but the 3/4 plate is one of the few common ground areas being illegal in both countries.

[campbell]

Fair points all, Scott.

Nonetheless.

Feck 'em, there are more important things in life

[Scottd]

too right!

[thinfourth]

Feck 'em I say. If bikes can have wee plates, why not cars.

My other half who is a biker will tell you that plod take great delight in annoying bikers about small plates. Often they can be seen sat at the side of the road near a bike bike event pulling every bike with a small plate or rider with a dark visor. Jobsworths

Also no plate attracts a smaller penalty then a small plate

Best solution is to find a stick on plate and stick it on the clam which is also illegal but it would take an outstandingly jobsworth cop to do you for that

[campbell]

I don't take a stand on much in my life these days.

But on this, I ain't budging.

My slightly smaller plate and custom, hard-fought home-made plinth are staying