Drivers risk £300 fine
Drivers throughout the UK are being advised that what they might assume is a fairly insignificant change to their cars may have major legal and financial implications. The police and number plates officials have emphasised that such seemingly innocuous modification as changing a car number plate can land a driver a 300 pounds fine and even invalidate an insurance policy.
The number of illegal number plate tweaks is on the increase.
Number plate modifications have been popularised more than ever before especially amongst the younger drivers and car enthusiasts. These are changes such as changing the style of font, the spacing between the characters, putting colored covers or even putting decorative plates which are not up to the legal requirements in the UK. Although such modifications seem to improve aesthetic value of a car, they are totally unacceptable by the law of the UK.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has regulations on the number plates with respect to their size, font, colour, reflectivity and spacing. The existence of these standards is explained by the need to make sure that vehicles can be recognized with ease both by law enforcement officers and by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems.
Legal Consequences of Number Plates that are not complying
Motorists found with unlegal number plates are issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100. This fine can however range up to 300 pounds in case the offence is considered intentional or when the number plate prevents identification of the vehicle. In the severer cases, the repeat offenders can have their vehicles impounded or even prosecuted.
The police are also performing more and more roadside inspection and using advanced technology surveillance to detect non-compliant vehicles. Besides the fines, offensive drivers can also be instructed to change their plates on the spot and show evidence of the change.
Even worse consequences could be experienced in insurance implications.
What is more concerning about this popular modification is that it can influence the car insurance of a driver. Any changes such as number plates have to be declared to insurers. Any failure to do that may be termed as non-disclosure which entitles the insurance companies to cancel the policy or even deny a claim.
In practice, this implies that a driver may be out on his or her own in terms of paying the entire cost of any damage, bodily injury, or liability that may arise out of an accident. Although the number plate might not have been involved in the incident, a modification that is not declared or is illegal could cancel the policy. That may also cause the insurer to put the person on a high-risk list, which exponentially raises the future premiums or may cause the refusal of a policy.
Enforcement officials Emphasize need of Compliance
Insurance companies and the police departments are in one position to ask motorists to avoid improper modifications to their number plates. They underline that these laws exist not to suppress the individual expression, but to assure a certain homogeneous and secure level throughout the road system of the country.
The ANPR technology forms a major component in the traffic and crime prevention infrastructure in the UK. Invalid plates may avoid the correct detection and the cars that are not insured or not taxed may pass undetected which may lead to the commission of a crime. Manipulating number plates, therefore, is not only an assault on traffic rules but also a compromise on the road safety systems in a country.
Customisation is Expensive indeed
Although vehicle personalisation is still a favourite, it is important that motorists familiarise themselves with the legal limits. Custom number plates can be acquired legally, through means of buying DVLA approved registrations. But even after purchasing these plates, they have to be presented according to the present legal formatting requirements.
Show plates, novelty plates or stylised format are possibly acceptable at private events or exhibitions but cannot be used on the road. Even trivial-looking irregularities such as smaller fonts or coloured bolts to make visual illusions may be penalised.
A Driver Safety that can be Prevented
Drivers must make sure all car modifications, including number plates, are legal and declared to avoid receiving unnecessary fines, points on your licence or invalidating your insurance. It is also possible to avoid future problems by consulting insurance providers before the changes.
The moral of the bottom line is obvious: any little adjustment when made carelessly may cause big implications. With the crackdown in progress, drivers are getting the reminder that the law comes first before the cosmetic value of a vehicle.
