Grey reg plates

elperello

It says in the link that they are an NCT fail.

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911104#Comment_119911104

You know the lads at the NCT aren't exactly known for doing their job well?

My sister was actually caught with this on her first NCT with her current car. She was fuming calling loads of places that day to sort it out for her. Previous owner obviously got away with it for the 7-8 years they had the car. Given how popular illegal plates are I doubt people are swapping them out for the NCT. It just isn't enforced.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911104#Comment_119911104

Thats exactly what people do, its only once a year or once every two years. Not a big inconvenience

MarkR

I've seen the grey plates, some of them looked pretty good. I also liked the blacked out ones, but it's not worth 10k in fines. :-D

Hungry Burger

Are the German style ones illegal? Quite like the look of them.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911284#Comment_119911284

The previous owner should have given her the correct plates. He probably still has them hanging on a nail on his shed.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911688#Comment_119911688

Yes.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911688#Comment_119911688

Yes and no. If they have the IRL flag, hyphens, and county, they can pass. Especially if there is no 0 in the numbers

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802078#Comment_119802078

Do you recall if there was a particular section or unit in Revenue that dealt with reports of dodgy reg plates?

Spook_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119780067#Comment_119780067

Unlike most of the other "custom" plates, as long as they conform to layout, fonts etc. the pressed metal are legal

From SI318/1992

6. An identification mark which is exhibited on a metal plate shall be embossed by being raised above the flat surface of the plate and shall form part of the plate.

mikeecho

Afaik, plates have to have a white retro-reflective background.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120204207#Comment_120204207

They do, Spook_ie is talking about pressed plates, mentioned by another poster

What I don’t get is why there just isn’t an IS standard for Irish plates, specifying the size, colour, materials and exact font.

The current spec is a bit lacking in specifics. There’s really no reason why it can be very very specific.

Also it should be enforceable by the Gardai. It doesn’t make any sense leaving that to Revenue. It’s clearly a road traffic issue.

Needles73

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120204289#Comment_120204289

It wouldn’t make any difference. The guidance for existing plates is ignored and the Garda don’t enforce the laws on things like mobile phones. Be a waste of time writing a more specific IS standard. But I really think non standard plates look terrible and the rules on design should be enforced. I would change rules to allow Garda to null and void NCT or something when found with different plates.

Glaceon

I've seen these tinted plates a lot in the US and have started seeing them here too in recent months. They're supposed to prevent the plate from being read by speed or toll cameras. Has anyone ever been stopped for having one?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120204324#Comment_120204324

AGS do enforce the use of mobile phone legislation.

22,500 drivers received penalty points for the offence in 2021.

People tend not to use phones when they perceive that detection is likely so it is less easy to enforce than a car with illegal plates front and rear.

Currently you will fail the NCT for non standard plates so people just fit a standard set for the test.

If AGS invalidated the NCT drivers would just fit the standard plates and get the invalidation removed and the NCT reinstated.

Besides NCT have enough to do.

If we were serious about enforcing this it would require a substantial fine and enforcement by AGS.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120205058#Comment_120205058

Walk past any line of cars in traffic to get an idea of how ineffective Garda enforcement of mobile phone laws is. You’ll see multiple drivers actually using their phones, browsing, texting, video chatting. You’ll see the majority of drivers with their phones illegally sitting on their laps, for maximum distraction.

mikeecho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120204354#Comment_120204354

As long as they are reflective, speed cams will read them.

In fact, if you place a sheet of A4 over your standard numberplate, the IR flash will reveal the numbers.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120205086#Comment_120205086

Not disagreeing with you clearly you have seen them and they shouldn't be doing it.

We are comparing mobile phone enforcement with illegal plate enforcement.

It is clear that it is easier to avoid enforcement for phone use than for an illegal plate.

Drivers will hide the phone if they see AGS checking but they can't hide the plates.

22,500 penalty points convictions in one year for phone use and zero convictions for illegal plates in 10 years.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120205684#Comment_120205684

Indeed, Gardai clearly aren’t bothered to act. It’s amazing the number of cars with filthy unreadable plates too.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120205935#Comment_120205935

At the root of this is the fact that the State view number plates through the prism of taxation rather than road traffic.

For citizens it is important that motor vehicles be clearly identified.

A motor vehicle can be involved in criminal activity and can do serious damage in a RTA.

It's time that this legislation was reviewed.

dualclutch

They are actually just white plates that are tinted…I have tinted white on the front and tinted yellow on the back…not to avoid cameras or anything (doubt it would) but they look good and are popular…German plates are gone out again…and I’ve never had hassle from the gaurds over them

John_Rambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120205935#Comment_120205935

There's something to be said about filthy plates. My local Garda station has currently two cars in the staff carpark with (outside the region) filthy unreadable plates. The cars are clean, well, cleaner than the plates. So, if they're doing it there's got to be merit in it.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206554#Comment_120206554

There’s no issue with having dirty plates in a car park.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206590#Comment_120206590

The cars with dirty plates didn’t levitate into the car park.

John_Rambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206590#Comment_120206590

Excellent point. Allinall, they probably clean the plates when they leave the carpark, then, when they get back to work the rub dirt on the reg plates... then at the end of the shift they clean the reg plates. They may even have buckets of dirt in the Garda station so they can rub more dirt on the reg plates while they're parked up.... and again clean them when they leave to go home.

Sam Russell

A simple measure would be to photograph the vehicle, front and rear, at NCT time. The resulting photos being accessible to AGS.

This also is useful in cases of cloned numberplates.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120209463#Comment_120209463

Would this be to record that the car had legal plates at the time of NCT test ?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206416#Comment_120206416

They really don't look good. They look (very) cheap and (exceptionally) tacky and (extremely) nasty, just like the German plate phase did.

Any and all "my plates look better this way" attempts look cheap and tacky and nasty. All of them. The "4D" ones are probably the worst however.

Any Guard not pulling you for yellow rears isn't doing their job properly.

elperello

As far as I'm concerned it's not a matter of taste.

If people like a particular style of plate that's their business.

If they want to fit them for shows or at home to set off the look of their car that's fine.

But the bottom line is cars with illegal plates should not be on the road.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120209646#Comment_120209646

That would be a good reason, but it would act as a record of the view of the vehicle. A vehicle with legal plates at the time of test, but illegal plates at a check-point - well, there is a thing.

If a cloned vehicle was recorded passing through a toll, then things like stickers on the car become relevant. Also parking is controlled by clampers who photograph for evidence of no ticket.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119745012#Comment_119745012

I'd care if they killed or injured a relative in a hit and run, and no one could identify them. Similarly if my car was damaged in a hit and run. Really, not being able to identify a car could impact on a lot of crime/ criminal activity.

I actually really couldn't care less about moded cars in general, but unreadable number plates has more consequences that people seem to realise. More than just "beating the man" at tolls and speed cameras.

magicbastarder

probably OT, but the amount of cars i've seen in the last month or so, where the rear plate is completely obscured by dirt, is testament to how concerned people are about the gardai actually enforcing anything about this.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799929#Comment_119799929

You are, by design, misconstruing what was written: the word cannot was not used

Arnout

Even legal plates can be difficult. The design first of all is a failure from the government. WHY does a country this small need 9- (potentially 10-) character plates? Also I find it difficult from a bit of a distance to see if a car has for example a MH or a WH plate. Mind if that really is the problem then there's still only two cars to investigate and probably quickly enough to identify which one it is in the event of a hit-and-run, but still.

Killinator

Following on from PM's comments,

I would love to be able to follow up on all the 'little' infractions, ie: license plates, blown bulbs, fog lights only, coloured bulbs, etc, etc, etc, etc....

but I just don't have the time. I see the offences every few minutes when in the patrol car but can't do anything about them because you are generally going from call to call, which you're already late to because of the backlog, with 2 people to answer calls in an area with a population of at least 20,000.

Unfortunately it breeds a belief that these are not offences so when you actually do pull someone they are aghast and slack jawed that you'd have the audacity to stop them for something so 'silly' with the inevitable 'havw you nothing better to be doing?' comment. Hell most people seem offended if you stop them for the 'standard' speeding, insurance or mobile like you forced them to do it.

Long and short of it is that there is a very detailed statutory instrument that outlines the exact details of what is a legal plate and anything outside of that is not legal (grey, plain, black flag, yellow, etc)

Arnout

Even these are not legal, I think. The characters don't seem to be 36mm wide: https://eireplates.com/product/nct-standard-black-irish-font-on-white-plate-pair

And my wife's car has plates with the same font as this one: https://licenseplatemania.com/fotos/ierland/ierland85.jpg

I just measured: apart from the 1 the characters are between 33 and 34 mm wide. Still see those plates a lot though (on cars that you wouldn't expect the owners to care a whole lot about the plates) and it passed the NCT without any comments about the plates two weeks ago.

We actually bought the car from a dealer who put the plates on himself (his name is on it and on the photos in the ad the car still had plates with the "standard" font, so the condensed UK font that is most commonly used here).

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210946#Comment_120210946

I can't see anything wrong with the font on those 2 plates, unless you have measured the character width, stroke width, dimensions etc and found a value that is outside of the tolerances allowed.

Arnout

That's what I'm saying about the second one. Character width of 33 (the 2) to 34mm (the 4, the M and the H), should be 36 with a tolerance of 1mm. I didn't bother with the rest, but about the width I was without measuring already pretty sure that it wasn't enough. The first one is just eye-balling, I haven't had the opportunity to actually measure one of those. I do have a photo of a car with almost the same registration as mine (first 8 characters) with these pressed plates, seems to be OK because the amount of white at the beginning and the end seems to be the same as on my plastic plates (with the "standard" font, as far as there is a standard font here), but the D for instance seems wider than on the photo in the link.

Another interesting thing actually is what I read earlier somewhere. It said that the 0 in the German font can prove problematic, because of the opening. But that's how that font is. Nowhere in the regulations does it say that the 0 has to be a closed loop, or does it?

Same would be if somebody were to use the Dutch font, where the O and the R have a gap (and the P, but that's not relevant here).

Something else that I've been wondering: I've seen plates where the county name has been applied by means of a sticker, instead of being imprinted in the plate itself. Is that a legal thing or should it really have been part of the plate? And how about the EU-band?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210640#Comment_120210640

Thanks for the insight.

As you say it is impossible to stop a car to check the plates if you are on an urgent call.

As much as we might want to get the illegal plates sorted AGS have to prioritise urgent calls.

Macy0161

Stuff like this, and tax and insurance (and nct if we had a functioning testing system) could be handled by parking wardens/ parking enforcement.

Arnout

Another difficulty with the NCT scrap is that a recently imported car might not display one, because the foreign test hasn't expired yet.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120214672#Comment_120214672

I could see that working.

A quick photo of the plate as evidence and just write the ticket.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120214672#Comment_120214672

Tax is already handled by traffic wardens. And you don’t need NCT or insurance to park a car on a public road. Only tax is required.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119780067#Comment_119780067

4D? Do they travel through time?

mgbgt1978

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210509#Comment_120210509

Nearly Four Months later ! Commenting on a Post that had nothing to do with you ! Somebody's decided to try Stalking

....😁

DaveyDave

I actually saw one of those grey plates today. I can see how black lettering on a grey background could be harder to see in the distance.

You think given the popularity of the 4D plates they'd get the finger out and start enforcing it to get a message across.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120216116#Comment_120216116

And legal plates.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120217555#Comment_120217555

But where do we draw the line? What about bald tyres, dark window tint, etc?

Is it even illegal to park a car with non compliment registration plates?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120217663#Comment_120217663

You can't have a car on the road parked or driving without legal plates.

I'm not sure where we should draw the line but plates seem to be an easily enforced rule.