Worst personalized number plate

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deliquium
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by deliquium »

colin54 wrote: 24 Nov 2021, 12:15pm I was overtaken by Steve Parrish (World GP Motorcycle Champion's Barry Sheene's works Suzuki team mate, and current TV pundit), driving a big Mercedes (500SL ?), near Woburn years ago.
It was a lesson in swift safe overtaking ; starting from way back so he could get a clear view of the road ahead, he repeated the exercise a bit further down the road in a similar fashion after stopping at a shop, I was impressed. I used to get fed up of people tailgating me and then trying to overtake when they had lost their momentum whilst peering around the back of my van to see if it was safe to pass.
I'll spare you the actual number plate, but it was an 'S' suffix plate, and spelt out the anglicised translation of the latin : 'Membrum Virile'. that did make me laugh that did...One for the crossword people amongst you; 'sounds almost mightier than the sword'.
There used to be a Bentley Continental in and around Knightsbridge or was it Mayfair? circa 1973 with PEN 15
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by PDQ Mobile »

deliquium wrote: 9 Dec 2021, 5:17pm
There used to be a Bentley Continental in and around Knightsbridge or was it Mayfair? circa 1973 with PEN 15
In Welsh it's a bit more poetic though.
Roughly "Lower Head"

As in "Pen-isar Cwm"
The Head of the lower Cwm.
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Mick F
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Mick F »

As a yoof, we used to see an Aston Martin passing through Newburgh on the way towards the Parbold direction.
B5329 in those days, but now the A5209.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.587045,-2.7786559,15z

Remember the SiFi puppet programme?
The Aston Martin had the registration number JOE 90.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_90
Mick F. Cornwall
colin54
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by colin54 »

deliquium wrote: 9 Dec 2021, 5:17pm
colin54 wrote: 24 Nov 2021, 12:15pm I was overtaken by Steve Parrish (World GP Motorcycle Champion's Barry Sheene's works Suzuki team mate, and current TV pundit), driving a big Mercedes (500SL ?), near Woburn years ago.
It was a lesson in swift safe overtaking ; starting from way back so he could get a clear view of the road ahead, he repeated the exercise a bit further down the road in a similar fashion after stopping at a shop, I was impressed. I used to get fed up of people tailgating me and then trying to overtake when they had lost their momentum whilst peering around the back of my van to see if it was safe to pass.
I'll spare you the actual number plate, but it was an 'S' suffix plate, and spelt out the anglicised translation of the latin : 'Membrum Virile'. that did make me laugh that did...One for the crossword people amongst you; 'sounds almost mightier than the sword'.
There used to be a Bentley Continental in and around Knightsbridge or was it Mayfair? circa 1973 with PEN 15
I'd mis-remembered (ahem) the number on SP's car as an 'S' plate, the above 15 plate is mentioned in his Wikipedia entry
I wonder what it's screwed onto now ?
Here's one I saw today, it raises so many questions; is Bob an artist, are Bob and Art a couple, is Roberta the driver and Artemis the passenger, is the suspension shot, are the 'Chinese' characters meant to be read from right to left? The 'amusingly' illegal font, ought to trigger every ANPR machine in the country, if they are programmed to catch moody script.
P1160243.JPG
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Hellhound
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Hellhound »

colin54 wrote: 9 Dec 2021, 9:24pm The 'amusingly' illegal font, ought to trigger every ANPR machine in the country, if they are programmed to catch moody script.
P1160243.JPG
That's point of 'illegal' fonts,they trigger ANPR/Speed cameras but they can't read them so 'allegedly' the plate comes up as blank.If you get a near by traffic cop who's having a bad/steady day he might pull you but in general you'll probably never get a tug.
Around here almost every Audi/BMW has smoked plates.Totally illegal and practically unreadable close up let alone the distance a speed camera reads from.
thirdcrank
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by thirdcrank »

The point often missed by the they-can't-touch-you-for-it people is that the leap from minor offence to nine months chokey for perverting justice is only a very short step.
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Hellhound
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Hellhound »

thirdcrank wrote: 10 Dec 2021, 10:50am The point often missed by the they-can't-touch-you-for-it people is that the leap from minor offence to nine months chokey for perverting justice is only a very short step.
Possibly but rarely enforced.Hence the 1000s of 'illegal' plates driving around!
Prisons are full to capacity and beyond so the likelyhood of getting banged up for PCJ is practically zilnch :roll:
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by thirdcrank »

IME, it's rare for people with a real disregard for the law to go about slack gobbing about it; they just get on with it, taking occasional detection as an occupational hazard. It's in the nature of our society that anybody who has been in regular contact with the law (in any capacity) from an early age can often take more of the same in their stride.

Those with the most off tend to be those who have the worst time if they so much as receive an NIP, never mind experiencing PACE from the other side. The people who get the biggest culture shock are those who believe what they read or hear about things like swapping points if things go wrong. Even a few months up-in-the-air waiting for a result is torture to many "otherwise law-abiding" people.

Go back a couple of hundred years and hanging was a merciful punishment compared with some of the other options. That was because with so few detections, deterrent punishments were really all there was. That's where we are today with the public justice offences. The learned friends don't see raising two fingers to their system in the same relaxed light as the rest of us. The gaols are indeed full, but that doesn't stop more being sent down; it just makes the conditions inside even worse.
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For anybody who decides to do anything a bit iffy, private plates on a big motor are a no-no.

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Cowsham
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Cowsham »

You won't get away with illegal plates here -- you're an easy target for police jobs worths and MOT centres.
I am here. Where are you?
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Hellhound
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Hellhound »

thirdcrank wrote: 10 Dec 2021, 11:37am IME, it's rare for people with a real disregard for the law to go about slack gobbing about it; they just get on with it, taking occasional detection as an occupational hazard.
You've taken a big leap there from'illegal' plates to a real disregard for the 'law' :roll: There's a massive difference between having questionable spacing and dodgy font to being a career criminal!!
'illegal' mods to cars and motor bikes have been around as long as they have.I had a tiny plate on one of my old motorbikes in the 80s.I used a Benson and Hedgdes packet as a template :lol: :lol: I doubt most folk with 'illegal' personal plates actually know the legality of spacing/font etc and aren't doing it to avoid detection.
I would hope the police have better things to do anyway.
thirdcrank
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by thirdcrank »

The well-known phrase or saying
Have you nothing better to do with your time?
From a choice of replies, mine would be
I have, and the sooner I've dealt with you, the sooner I can get on with it.
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by PDQ Mobile »

thirdcrank wrote: 11 Dec 2021, 10:07am The well-known phrase or saying
Have you nothing better to do with your time?
From a choice of replies, mine would be
I have, and the sooner I've dealt with you, the sooner I can get on with it.
:D :D :lol:
cycle tramp
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by cycle tramp »

Hellhound wrote: 11 Dec 2021, 9:45am
thirdcrank wrote: 10 Dec 2021, 11:37am IME, it's rare for people with a real disregard for the law to go about slack gobbing about it; they just get on with it, taking occasional detection as an occupational hazard.
You've taken a big leap there from'illegal' plates to a real disregard for the 'law' :roll: There's a massive difference between having questionable spacing and dodgy font to being a career criminal!!
'illegal' mods to cars and motor bikes have been around as long as they have.I had a tiny plate on one of my old motorbikes in the 80s.I used a Benson and Hedgdes packet as a template :lol: :lol: I doubt most folk with 'illegal' personal plates actually know the legality of spacing/font etc and aren't doing it to avoid detection.
I would hope the police have better things to do anyway.
Part of me does wonder if the police are letting people get away with things like unreadable numbers, loud exhausts and the like partly because of the representation that the driver/owner gives to the rest of the world.
No one would actually write 'Police please follow me, as my road craft may be questionable' down the side of their vehicle But the traffic police see things like illegal plates, loud exhausts and after market wheels tyres and lights as very similar statements.
And if i were to have a collision with another vehicle I would much rather that driver have been seen to have already broken the law through use of illegal plates, than to be in a collision with a vehicle which is totally lawful. :D
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Hellhound
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by Hellhound »

thirdcrank wrote: 11 Dec 2021, 1:16pm FWIW I get the impression that your opinion of the police varies in direct proportion the the extent to which they support your personal opinions. On that basis, you will have a very low opinion of me.
Your impression is wrong.I have absolutely no respect for the Police whatsover.I was brought up to respect the Police and did.We had a village Bobby who knew everyone and took no crap from anyone and he was respected by everyone.1984 changed that and it's gone downhill since.
Modern Police are nothing more than power mad egotists who like to strut around in their 'Tactical' vests thinking they're some sort of Movie mercenary.You only have to watch any of the TV docu-series to see this.Glorified bouncers playing up for the camera.Traffic Police are just as bad.
I'm willing to bet most of them wouldn't have got in the force 30+ years ago.
It's no wonder there's so much flak aimed at them,they bring it upon themselves.
thirdcrank
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Re: Worst personalized number plate

Post by thirdcrank »

I wasn't talking about respect, but rather clutching at any straw as "evidence" for your opinions.
For the rest of it, I joined in 1967 and retired in 1997 - so it seems I don't have to feel hurt by what you think.
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PS - For others who might still be reading this deteriorating thread, I think that like registration and licensing schemes in general, motor licensing and registration is a probably unnecessary burden on the majority of people. The justification is that it's needed for the remainder, because of the extent of death and injury caused by motor traffic. eg Here's something I prepared earlier

viewtopic.php?p=1652933#p1652933

It's self-defeating, therefore, to make compliance with this régime voluntary for the very people who make it necessary and the police and others dealing with this is, IMO, just as important as other causes of death and injury.

Non-standard plates were banned to assist ANPR, not to spoil a bit of fun. I see no problem with legal personal plates and I suspect there's scope for the DVLA to peddle a much wider range as a sort of voluntary taxation, a bit like lottery tickets.
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