Personalised name numberplate

[Rocketman]

My neighbour has just got a new registration for his car which involves a white (yellow at back) bolt in the middle of a figure 8 to read as the required letter O.    I have read that the police take a dim view of this because of confusion in reading by a camera - what I want to know is, can I put similar bolts in the figure 8 on my car`s numberplate (just a normal K reg number) and avoid being caught by cameras?

[Mrs_Pegasus]

I dont think it will necessarily stop you being caught on camera has there are a number of other ways they could work out the number plate.

It is illegal but i have never heard of anyone being fined for the offence.  You can be fined up to �1000 and your car can fail the MOT although I know people who have another set of plates which they put on for the MOT and then swap them once the ticket has been issued!

The DVLA also threaten to withdraw the plate if it isnt displayed correctly.

[dilligaf]

According to DVLA regulations. From September 2001 a number plate fixing bolt must not alter the letters and / or numbers of a vehicle registration plate.
The vehicle, if subject to an MoT could fail. If so might be worth keeping a spare set of plates. Doubtful if old bill would worry about it unless you are pulled for something else, then they may start having a look around.. If flashed you will get caught, then they might also ask you about you plates, especially as they may have had to do a bit of research to find the correct reg.

[Grunty]

On the same lines as swapping the number plates, I used to know an estate which was said to share a legal set of tyres.

[dilligaf]

On a follow up to GRUNTY , a friends brother found his car went a lot better without a cat. Used to replace it for each MoT. Don't think I could go that far though,

[Skids]

It is illegal to obscure a number plate or its letters/numerals in any way.  This includes having dirty number plates.

[twiglet4frog]

shouldnt get much bother unless u get pulled over at one of them police stop checks that they do nowadays where they check over the car to see if it is legal, and with the new detector vans that can check and scan your numberplate against a database within 2 seconds and notify police further along the road, if the plate is difficult to read by the detector or is illegible then they will pull u over for it so be careful

[jake-the-peg]

Your neighbours reason for the bolt on his vanity plate is clearly to make it read the way he wants. If you modified yours in such a way that just obscured it then it might be reasoned that your sole reason was to avoid cameras.

Even though you're both doing the same thing you might be dealt with more severly because your motivation might be seen differently 

[c00ky83]

I disagree about being dealt with more severely - it's the same offence and nobody could prove one's motivation.  Either way, it's illegal.  Lettering, spacing and bolts must all be regulation.