People who trim the white off of their L/N plates?

dulpit

Why do they do it? Is it to make them stand out less? If I see cars with no white and just the red L/N, my immediate reaction is this is a bad driver who doesn't want the guards to be checking them, so they're trying to hide the plate - but this would make me want to review them more (if I was a guard).

Can anyone explain this behaviour?

FobleAsNuck

not to mention it's illegal

kirving

It's not that they're hiding from the Gards, it's that they think it looks stupid.

iamtony

It's very big and can obstruct vision?

o1s1n

iamtony wrote: »

It's very big and can obstruct vision?

Yeah I would have thought it was done to increase visibility. Didn't know it was illegal to do so :eek:

shietpilot

It's a lot less noticeable than a plate with a border. It would be smarter to have no plate at all than to cut the border to be honest...

endacl

"I'm not really a 'learner'. Coz I'm a deadly driver"?

Atlantic Dawn

As far as I know the rules state a white background, it doesn't state how much so once they have 1mm of white around the lettering they are fully road legal.

When I was a L driver (10 years ago) I never had a L plate.
Put them up the day of my test and straight away people were tailgating me,over taking like aholes etc etc

68 lost souls

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

As far as I know the rules state a white background, it doesn't state how much so once they have 1mm of white around the lettering they are fully road legal.

There is a minimum stated border

'L' plates front and rear are required to be in red on a rectangular plate or sign bearing the letter 'L', not less than 15 centimetres high on a white background, and with a border of at least 2 centimetres. Some home-made examples appear from time to time and are acceptable if they largely comply with the requirements. 'L' plates on a transparent perspex background are not acceptable, except on a white background. Cut-away 'L' plates are not acceptable.

Special Circumstances

68 lost souls wrote: »

There is a minimum stated border

Seems that way since 2007, obviously myself and Atlantic Dawn belong to "shaving the plate to a mmm of white border" generation.

Atlantic Dawn

68 lost souls wrote: »

There is a minimum stated border

I stand corrected.

Henry Ford III

It's a stupid practice.

So is displaying both L and N plates at the same time. What's that about? If it's a car that gets driven by L and N drivers frequently invest in magnetic plates that can be fitted/removed in seconds.

BoJack Horseman

BrownFinger wrote: »

When I was a L driver (10 years ago) I never had a L plate.
Put them up the day of my test and straight away people were tailgating me,over taking like aholes etc etc

Very ditto.

I could see how other motorists treat learners, so I never put up an L-plate.
Why mark myself as a target?

Henry Ford III

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Very ditto.

I could see how other motorists treat learners, so I never put up an L-plate.
Why mark myself as a target?

It's a legal requirement, not a judgement call.

Rubberchikken

i'd say ars*holes target any driver they imagine to be in their way. god forbid something will slow them down.

l/n plates are a legal requirement. always think the n plate looks that little bigger, must be the shape of the letter. i'm guessing the plates are the same size;)

dulpit

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Very ditto.

I could see how other motorists treat learners, so I never put up an L-plate.
Why mark myself as a target?

I see L plate, I hang back a little and give them more of a break at junctions/etc. Not making yourself a target.

Also - are laws up to the judgement of individuals?

Cee-Jay-Cee

BrownFinger wrote: »

When I was a L driver (10 years ago) I never had a L plate.
Put them up the day of my test and straight away people were tailgating me,over taking like aholes etc etc

Put the tinfoil hat back on, they really are out to get you!

Henry Ford III

stanley1989 wrote: »

So is paying your TV licence
seriously who cares if it's a legal requirement

Most law abiding people thankfully. Equally importantly the Gardai care, and so does the legal system.

There is simply no excuse for driving uninsured. Ever.

p.s. Your tv doesn't weigh a ton and a half and is not capable of travelling at 100+mph, or maiming of killing innocent people, or causing €millions in damages.

GM228

68 lost souls wrote: »

There is a minimum stated border

Where did you get that quote from? Legislation does not specify the border width.

Craazysteve

Spotted a Yaris earlier with an L plate, an N plate and a massive 'baby on board' sticker, all badly placed on the rear window. How they can see out the back is beyond me.

shietpilot

Craazysteve wrote: »

Spotted a Yaris earlier with an L plate, an N plate and a massive 'baby on board' sticker, all badly placed on the rear window. How they can see out the back is beyond me.

Ask a van driver.

Craazysteve

shietpilot wrote: »

Ask a van driver.

Fair enough! Looks awful though.

shietpilot

Craazysteve wrote: »

Fair enough! Looks awful though.

Oh it is for sure. It defeats the purpose of having any plate at all to be fair.

CiniO

Is there a requirement for those plates to be displayed within back window/front winscreen area?
I find it extremelly appaling if that's the case, as they are huge and obstruct the view.

And if it's not required on windows, it should be clearly prohibited from placing them withing glass area.

Nothing should be there to be placed on the car windows, especially such big as those L or N plates.

shietpilot

CiniO wrote: »

Is there a requirement for those plates to be displayed within back window/front winscreen area?
I find it extremelly appaling if that's the case, as they are huge and obstruct the view.

And if it's not required on windows, it should be clearly prohibited from placing them withing glass area.

Nothing should be there to be placed on the car windows, especially such big as those L or N plates.

According to RSA they should be placed at the front and back of the vehicle where they do not obstruct your view.

CiniO

shietpilot wrote: »

According to RSA they should be placed at the front and back of the vehicle where they do not obstruct your view.

So why do people put them on the windscreen / back window?

Tauriel

CiniO wrote: »

So why do people put them on the windscreen / back window?

AFAIK, it is a requirement to have them on the windows for the driving test. That's what I was told anyway.

I always displayed L plates when learning how to drive and I have 3 months to go till I can take the N plates off.

One thing I have noticed is that when I went to remove the L plate the imprint was left on the windows :eek:

But I have had w*nkers mistake the N for a L plate and the things they do to avoid being behind you is unreal. If I were a cat, I think that my nine lives would be up.

I do think the RSA and guards should crack down on "road rage" by qualified drivers towards the less experienced.

Titzon Toast

BrownFinger wrote: »

When I was a L driver (10 years ago) I never had a L plate.
Put them up the day of my test and straight away people were tailgating me,over taking like aholes etc etc

My Mrs' is learning to drive at the minute, whenever I drive her car I notice straight away that some other drivers turn into instant tools, more so than usual anyway.

clairek6

mustang shelly wrote: »

AFAIK, it is a requirement to have them on the windows for the driving test. That's what I was told anyway.

I always displayed L plates when learning how to drive and I have 3 months to go till I can take the N plates off.

Did my test during the summer with magnetic plates obviously not on window, and passed. So think once they're somewhere obvious but not in the way

uck51js9zml2yt

Drove for a year with my L plates up and on my own without issue. Passed my test and took them off.

Note - it was under the old régime of driving unaccompanied on a second licence

fando

Fascinating subject. Subscribed!

_Brian

BrownFinger wrote: »

When I was a L driver (10 years ago) I never had a L plate.
Put them up the day of my test and straight away people were tailgating me,over taking like aholes etc etc

Is that really a thing ??
TBH with families where maybe one out of four usingma vehicle needs an L plate I just pass no heed of them at all, are there really drivers who tailgate a car because it has an L plate ??

stanley1989

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Most law abiding people thankfully. Equally importantly the Gardai care, and so does the legal system.

There is simply no excuse for driving uninsured. Ever.

p.s. Your tv doesn't weigh a ton and a half and is not capable of travelling at 100+mph, or maiming of killing innocent people, or causing €millions in damages.

What does driving uninsured or travelling at 100 plus mph have to do with any of this ? I never mentioned anything about either

lalababa

Yes this is a thing! As soon as they see the L their tiny brains compute that this is a second class road user/hinderence/obstacle/annoyance that must be overtaken asap and at all costs no matter what the circumstances.
A similar but less pronounced reaction occurs when they find them self's behind an older vehicle.

colm_mcm

I did this 17 years ago. It was cool back then.

Arcade_Tryer

colm_mcm wrote: »

I did this 17 years ago. It was cool back then.

This simple and incredibly stupid explanation has been spectacularly overlooked thus far.

conor2469

lalababa wrote: »

Yes this is a thing! As soon as they see the L their tiny brains compute that this is a second class road user/hinderence/obstacle/annoyance that must be overtaken asap and at all costs no matter what the circumstances.
A similar but less pronounced reaction occurs when they find them self's behind an older vehicle.

Ditto, I can also say I have experienced this. Whenever I drive my girlfriends car which has L plates there is a huge increase in people pulling out in front of me on junctions and roundabouts for fear of being stuck behind the slow learner driver.

Cookie_Monster

iamtony wrote: »

It's very big and can obstruct vision?

You don't have to put it on a window, it can go on bodywork.

ongarboy

_Brian wrote: »

Is that really a thing ??
TBH with families where maybe one out of four usingma vehicle needs an L plate I just pass no heed of them at all, are there really drivers who tailgate a car because it has an L plate ??

I could never understand that either. It's 20 years since I was a learner but I can't recall anyone treating me aggressively on the roads back then nor would I act that way towards L drivers myself.

However, I think the issue is if the L driver drives ridiculously slow or disrupts pace or makes dangerous/senseless manouvers in a way a competent licenced driver wouldn't, that is what irks some drivers and then they may indulge in somewhat aggressive behaviour as they try to navigate around such poor learner drivers. Being honest, if I'm stuck for half an hour behind a learner driver doing just 50kph on a 80kph road that has non overtaking opportunities, then I find that extremely frustrating and you can end up involuntarily tailgating them somewhat as you wait for a rare opportunity to overtake. However, I'd be the same with a licenced driver doing the exact same. The problem is that many learners aren't yet fully confident on the road and are more prone to slower driving, not taking right turns when safe opportunities arise etc so the L plate blame is reinforced.

If someone who is deliberately trying to antagonise a perfectly competent driver simply because they have L plates, then they are a w**ker.

Trojan

I printed out my own plates that were 80% of legal size, and they accidentally fell off when the sellotape dried up after a week. I never got to use my pre-planned excuses with any Gardai.

I don't know the psychological reasons, but I think minimising the plate appearance is something lads are more likely to do, and of all the stupid things young drivers can do, this is probably the least of the issues I'd be concerned with.

My favourite spot is when you see someone has placed one carefully in the precise geometic centre of the bonnet.

ongarboy

A funny thing I've seen in my area at least 5 or 6 times and always by African residents is that they turn the L plate sticker upside down or sideways on their windscreens...I'm not sure do some of them understand that L is for learner?:D