Personalised Number Plate Information

NUMBER PLATES:

THERE are a number of mistakes that can be made on personalised number plates that could see drivers land a £1,000 and also fail their MOT. Here is what they are and how to avoid them.

Illegal number plates could see thousands of Brits face fines and even make them fail their MOT.

Certain personalised number plates have the potential to be costly errors for drivers.

While a personalised number plate can be, to some people, a nice form of expression, they could also be costly.

According to the company, however, 15,000 drivers across the UK have been fined for having an illegal plates over the past three years.

The worst offenders come from London with 3,058 offences clocked while North Wales and Norfolk also totted up over 1,100 each.

This includes plates that did not conform to regulations, cars without a front or back plate or ones with indistinguishable/obscured plates.

It is a legal requirement for a car’s numberplate to be clear and legible and failure to meet these criteria can result in £1,000 fine, loss of the personal registration number and/or a failed MOT.

There are other modifications that drivers can also be penalised for.

These include using the wrong colours for the lettering or for the background of the plates.

Number plates should have black characters on a white background at the front of the car and on a yellow background on the back of the car.

Spacing is also crucial and drivers should ensure that the characters on their plate are correctly spaced.

Non-confirming backgrounds or stickers that could interfere with the legibility of a plate are also factors that carry a fine risk.

The standard font used on all number plates is ‘Charles Wright’ and it is the only one deemed acceptable for motorists to have.

Similarly, the flag on the left hand side of the plate must also be correct.

Acceptable flags include: The EU flag, The Union Jack, The St George Cross, The Scottish Saltire (St Andrew Cross) and The Red Dragon of Wales.

Relevant letters accompanying these flags must be also:

GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB

UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK

ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng

SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco

CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym

WALES or Wales

Failure to comply could also land drivers with a fine and/or MOT failure.

The staff of state Sen. Andy Dinniman’s office recently presented him with a historic Pennsylvania Senate license plate from 1933 as a holiday gift.

The plate, which features the number “19S,” dates back to the time when Chester County’s 19th Senatorial District was represented by the late state Sen. William Hannum Clark, who served from 1927 to 1935.

Clark, born at Doe Run in 1877, attended public schools in West Marlboro Township and the Maple Grove Institute in Delaware County before graduating from Coatesville High School. According to Senate records, he pursued the bonding business and served as superintendent of Chester County Highways, automobile inspector, and register of wills before being elected to the state Senate on Nov. 2, 1926.

Clark, who succeeded T. Lawrence Eyre, served five terms from 1927 to 1935 (at that time Pennsylvania state senators served two-year terms).

“While we may know little about state Sen. Clark, he certainly does seem to have had an interest in cars, as county superintendent of highways and automobile inspector,” said Dinniman, D-19. “I thought this was a really neat, unique, and thoughtful gift and want to thank my staff.

“When you have the opportunity and privilege to serve in public office, you join part of a long line of individuals and leaders who stood for and represented the values of your region. This really helps put that into perspective,” he added.

Dinniman said his staff came across the historic license plate in an online auction after being alerted to it by his Chester County colleague, state Rep. John Lawrence, R-13, who has an interest in historic automobiles.

Dinniman, a historian, history buff, and professor by trade, serves on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, is known for his interest in local history and preserving local artifacts associated with his office. The building that houses his office, located at One North Church Street in historic downtown West Chester, has been home to various businesses since the early 1800s. From 1914 to 1947, it was a candy store and confectionary, Marakos Candy Kitchen, and Dinniman has preserved a clock and menu from the store that remains on display.

BRITS splashed the cash on private plates last year to the tune of £111million.

Personalised registrations spelling out names, initials, comedy phrases and car models all proved popular.

And the top five priciest plates netted almost £250,000 between them for the DVLA at auction.

The lucrative sales have generated over £2billion in the last 25 years for the agency.

The most expensive ever was recorded in November 2014 when "25 O" sold to a Ferrari dealer for £518,000.

And the popular "O" series featured twice in 2017's top list with "45 O" and "96 O" both going under the hammer for over £50,000 - one now residing on a white Audi.

But top of the tree in 2017 was "JSK 1", sold for £56,200 at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel auction back in May, and now living on a black Mercedes.

The "812 S" plate sold for £45,500 - most likely to a Ferrari collector or dealer looking to twin it up with the 812 Superfast model launched last year.

"1 HSV" was the fifth priciest plate of 2017 with DVLA records showing it's yet to be registered with a motor.

Plates are sold at auction to buyers looking to add a personal touch to their beloved motors or to plate dealers and investors who stock up on popular registrations.

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Cherished Number Auction Listing Now Online

The cherished registration auction listing is now available online at the Image Reg website.

Prices are still subdued so its a perfect time to invest in cherished plates.

We also offer a bidding service so why not let us take the strain for you and have over 13 years of experience at hand.

Contact us now to find our more, 01482 627 628.

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Are you a cat lover with a few hundred quid to spare? How about a huge Dennis the Menace fan keen to show your appreciation via the medium of your motor?

Well you’re in luck as the DVLA – the body in charge of car registrations in the UK – is holding 2017’s first live auction of registration numbers this week and among the plates on offer are WH15 KER ( yours for a starting price of £700) and BE11 ANO (a mere £400).

The event – which starts on Wednesday – will see a total of 1,500 personalised registrations being auctioned to members of the public.

The registrations on offer have been chosen by DVLA to suit all tastes, styles and budgets and range from plates that reflect names such as EL17 OTT, HA15 RRY and PA14 ULA through to quirkier offerings such as OUR 848Y, OLD 800K and YOU 105E.

And fans of Harry Potter could find themselves spellbound by POT 110N which carries a reserve of £250.

The agency will be aiming to build on the success of its live auction programme in 2016, which raised £25.6 million through five sales – setting a new record for a second consecutive year. Last year, the total sales of personalised registrations by the DVLA surpassed £147m, taking the total amount raised since the sales began in September 1989 to £2.4 billion.

Sales by the agency suggest that interest in personalised plates has soared in recent years with a 150 per cent increase of registered bidders for its live sales since 2011. On average 9,500 customers com[pete for lots per auction.

Adam Griffiths, of DVLA Personalised Registrations, said: “It’s been nearly three months since our last live sale, and I am really excited by our first sale of 2017 where some really great registrations are available to bid for. We have experienced two successive record-breaking years and, when you look through the catalogue at the registrations we have compiled for this sale, I am very hopeful that this success will continue.”

He added: “Bidding in person is by far the most popular way to buy a registration and it is at the auction where you will find the real atmosphere – it’s a great day out and we make the experience as enjoyable and friendly as possible. If you can’t make it to the auction we offer free telephone, internet and absent bidding facilities”.

Just some of the 1,500 personalised registrations included in the forthcoming sale include:

115 A (reserve – £2,500), ABY 641L (£250), AMB 2R (£350), ARO 88IE (£250), AUS 111E (£250), 350 B (£2,500), B111 NDS (£250), B111 NKY (£250), BA11 DGE (£400), BE11 ANO (£400), BOS 551E (£250), BUB 4 (£1,200), 105 C (£2,500), CA17 RLY (£400), 888 CM (£2,200), 8111 D (£2,500), 247 DR (£2,200), 845 E (£2,500), ENS 20 (£1,200), FAS 70 (£1,200), FEZ 488 (£300), 458 FUN (£1,200), 111 G (£2,500), GA13 BBY (£400), GET 81G (£300), GTR 2R (£350), 120 H (£2,500), HGV 81G (£300), HOT 911A (£250), IG 111 (£2,200), 1000 J (£2,500), JOS 55H (£300), KAR 4H (£350), LE66 OTT (£700), 811 LS (£2,500), 500 M (£2,500), MAX 80W (£300), NAZ 5 (£500), NER 111S (£250), 72 O (£2,500), (£400), POT 110N (£250), RO13 BYS (£700), SMY 17H (£300), 801 T (£2,500), 812 TH (£2,200), TW15 TER (£700), UV51 NGH (£700), VAZ 110 (£300), W42 DLE (£250), W166 LES (£250), WH15 KER (£700), 222 X (£2,500).

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Located in the heart of East Yorkshire, Image Registrations offer a fast, friendly and efficient service for buying and selling cherished vehicle registration numbers. Our team of trained staff will professionally handle your transfer as swiftly as possible, with some transfers taking just 24 hours from receipt of documentation. We offer advice without technical 'jargon', and are always competitive on price. Our valuations department can give you an accurate market value on your registration number by post or by e-mail. Del Stanley
As well as having an internet presence, we also regularly advertise in many of the 'National' publications where we offer a selection of registrations owned by us for sale.

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Students at a school in Surrey have been threatened with having their bikes locked away unless they comply with a new policy on cycling to school, which includes having a number plate attached to their bikes.

In a letter sent to parents, Keith Batchelor, head of the Beacon School in Banstead, said that he was implementing new rules on children cycling into school, and parents would have to sign an agreement before their children were allowed to ride in.

As well as telling students to stick to the Highway Code, wear a helmet, and use hi-vis clothing and bike lights “where appropriate”, the new rules also mean that students will have to have a number plate (supplied by the school) attached to their bikes, which Mr Batchelor hoping that this will make students not following the rules more identifiable.

“On joining the school this September, I decided to refine the current cycling policy to enhance further the safety of the students in our care and develop their sense of responsibility on the road,” Mr Batchelor said in a statement, as reported by Get Surrey.

“The procedures will support the safeguarding of our students on their journeys to and from school and help us to celebrate safe cycling. We will provide extra training to students where it is needed.”

As part of the new policy, the school says that students who fail to follow the rules may be banned from cycling to school, with those who continue to ride in having their bikes locked up until their parents or carers are available to collect them.

Number plates for bikes have been the subject of discussion in recent months after a survey by Halfords found that two-thirds of respondents were in favour of cyclists having to have them attached to their bikes.

However the idea came was slammed by both cycling campaigners and motoring groups, with the AA describing it as “impractical and unnecessary” while Cycling UK said “rather than encouraging people to cycle, and bring all the associated health and wealth benefits, it is more than likely to put newcomers or occasional cyclists off cycling altogether.”

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Overseas territories

Some of the British overseas territories, including Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, use similar number plates to the UK, with the same colours and typeface.

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A Swede with a passion for offensive number plates has failed in his cause yet again, after transport authorities denied two of his latest attempts to create 'offensive' personalised plate combinations.

The man, from Varberg in southern Sweden, gained some media attention last year when he attempted to register a personal licence plate reading "3JOH22A".

The Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) rejected the licence plate request on the grounds of it being offensive, the reason for which is made clear when the combination is reflected in a mirror.

The same man has now made two further attempts to change his plate to "8UTT5EX" and "X32TTU8" respectively, but they were also denied, as they too could be considered offensive.

If not immediately obvious, the explanation for rejecting the latter combination is once again made clear when a mirror is introduced to the equation.

"We get a lot of requests and some of them are very subtle. Many see it as a sport to try and get a word through. This one was quite easy to reject," Eva Isaksen from the Swedish Transport Agency told public broadcaster SVT.

The Transport Agency's rules state that a personalised number plate ”may not be designed if it causes offence or harm to anyone else," including allusions to alcohol, drugs, sex, swearwords, religion or criminality.

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Since the dvla introduced the bsau145d legislation it has been increasingly difficult for motorists to obtain number plates with anything other than legal spacing.

There is however another line of argument for the defence of the serial mis spacer. They say that a number plate that has been altered to make a word or a name is much more memorable in the event of an incident.
They also argue that the dvla blatantly auction registration numbers that would be virtually worthless without mis spacing.

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