Motoring Discussion > Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"!	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Meldrew	Replies: 29

Sun 25 Mar 12 10:18   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Meldrew

DoT wishes to resolve the anomaly that plates are sold which might appear to spell words and names and then people can be prosecuted for doing so. The rules on spacing are to be relaxed and it will become possible to display a currently available registration (£9,995) TA 11 EST as TALLEST in case anyone cares! ACPO says that this may make plates difficult for ANPR cameras to read. Great, idiots can spend money on more silly plates and the cameras may have a problem reading them. A double winner! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 10:21   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Zero

probably because the old bill are woefully inadequate at policing the current rules. I have the seen the most obvious and blatant breaches of number plate rules sail by the old bill with not a flicker of interest from them,. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sun 25 Mar 12 11:25   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Manatee

Deleted. Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 25 Mar 12 at 11:27 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 11:36   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Bill Payer

I don't understand why you can't have anything you like that fits the number plate format - as loong as it's not offensive and isn't already issued, of course. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 11:37   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - spamcan61

That would be allow much of a 'revenue stream' though.. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 11:36   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - spamcan61

Must admit I've never seen the problem with different spacing, whereas dodgy fonts made many plates unreadbale. Plod seem to have cracked down hard on the latter round my way. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 11:52   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Armel Coussine

>> old bill are woefully inadequate at policing the current rules. I have the seen the most obvious and blatant breaches of number plate rules sail by the old bill with not a flicker of interest from them,. Do you blame them though Zero? These plates tend to be more memorable and easier to spot than normal ones, so they are doing what they are supposed to do. It's very disagreeable and sanctimonious to call them 'prat plates'. We may not all want them but where's the harm in a bit of mild vanity or egotism? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 12:06   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Manatee

What's a prat plate? Does any cherished plate count (that would be me)? Or must you have your name or initials? I'd say it's when you mess with the spacing and/or the characters, so it becomes more difficult to decipher. The law agrees, or did until now. But I don't lose sleep over it. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 12:32   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - jc2

Worked with someone who had "AMP15T"-he wondered why he was frequently getting stopped. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 12:49   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - AnotherJohnH

>> >> It's very disagreeable and sanctimonious to call them 'prat plates'. We may not all want >> them but where's the harm in a bit of mild vanity or egotism? >> They serve a useful purpose - it gives you some warning about the mindset of the driver: Quote from Roald Dahl's Matilda - "I'm smart, you're dumb; I'm big, you're little; I'm right, you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it." Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 13:25   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Manatee

You have one too then;-) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 13:32   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - AnotherJohnH

>> You have one too then;-) >> Is it that obvious? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 14:15   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - L'escargot

>> it will become possible to display a currently available >> registration (£9,995) TA 11 EST as >> TALLEST in case anyone cares! Who on earth thinks that 11 looks like LL? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 14:17   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Zero

I do Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 14:29   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - AnotherJohnH

BO11OCKS Doesn't it? Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 14:40   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - John H

>> Who on earth thinks that 11 looks like LL? >> Could it be the same dolt who thinks "i" looks like "l" ? www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=10016&m=223729 Last edited by: John H on Sun 25 Mar 12 at 14:41 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 15:53   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Runfer D'Hills

I had one for donkey's years. Didn't spell anything which would have meant much other than to me. Can't think why it'd have been regarded as any form of vanity as it made my cars look older than they were. I'm not even sure why I kept it so long but I just sort of liked it and indeed my wife bought it for me a very long time ago. Anyway, eventually I became bored of the faff and cost of changing it from car to car and just let it go in the end on the last car it was on. I suppose I just lost interest in it in the end. She didn't mind either way. Don't have a problem with those who do have them though. Why should I really? Their business isn't it just as much as their choice of car? Doesn't harm me. I dislike mis-spaced ones though for no rational reason I can think of. Can't say it raises my blood pressure noticeably despite that. I try to reserve that reaction for weightier things. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 16:56   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - L'escargot

>> Could it be the same dolt who thinks "i" looks like "l" ? >> >> www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=10016&m=223729 :-D Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 17:15   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Shiny

What about A 9" NOB? I used to see this on an old E28 5 series around Newark. Looks like I'm not the only one... www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=A+9NOB+bmw Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 18:35   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - NortonES2

The most memorable one I've seen is no doubt of great value due to brevity, amongst other things. U2. Can only be improved upon by FU2. Neither of which I could afford. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 23:25   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Bagpuss

On my Merc E320 I have the registration M (for Munich)-"My initials"-320. On my company BMW 335d I have BB (for Böblingen)-"My initials"-335. The registrations cost around 20 Euros at the local registration office. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 23:38   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - FocalPoint

So? I don't see the point, unless you have a problem remembering the registration number of your cars. Why is it clever or even worth spending money on to announce to the world what your name is, or some other description or slogan? I often look at these personalised plates and wonder what the point is. I know they're personalised because the spacing is odd, but the message is either totally banal or indecipherable. But that's just me. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 25 Mar 12 23:48   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - CGNorwich

Cheaper to get one of these if you want your name on the car. Very popular in the seventies. Wayne and Sharon was a favourite I seem to remember. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-WINDSCREEN-SUNSTRIP-self-adhesive-vinyl-FREE-NAME-/270606843395#ht_3021wt_1165 Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 25 Mar 12 at 23:50 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 01:05   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Bagpuss

>> So? I don't see the point, unless you have a problem remembering the registration number >> of your cars. I just like it. No odd spacing or anything - can't do that in Germany. I suppose it makes the car more a personal possession - not sure really. My neighbour asked me why the 335d is debadged when the number plate makes it clear what model it is. Didn't have an answer to that either. Does make me smile though. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 01:13   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - rtj70

>> My neighbour asked me why the 335d is debadged when the number plate makes it clear what model it is. Try ask mid.com in the UK too. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 08:41   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Cliff Pope

>> >> >> But that's just me. >> No, me too. There are lots of naff ways of personalising a car. For example you could have a Kev and Tracy sticker across the windscreen. Do people who personalise their car's number also do the same with their other possesions? Should I write the serial number of my dishwasher across the door, and space the letters and use coloured screws so that visitors can see that I am called Darren? Or tattoo my National Insurance number across my forehead? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 09:08   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Zero

>> Or tattoo my National Insurance number across my forehead? I think thats going to be mandatory soon. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 09:12   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - L'escargot

>> ............. I am called Darren? Good morning Darren. Last edited by: L'escargot on Mon 26 Mar 12 at 09:13 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 11:15   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Duncan

>> >> ............. I am called Darren? >> >> Good morning Darren. >> Blimey! It's so easy to get confused! I could have sworn his name was Cliff? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 26 Mar 12 12:24   Good News for the Owners of "Prat Plates"! - Runfer D'Hills

I thought Cliff's real name was Harry? Looks young for his age doesn't he? Reply to this message | Report message