*Collaborative Post
Is it illegal to have no front number plate?
In the illustrious streets of Chelsea and Kensington and London, it isn’t uncommon to see a supercar parked up by the side of the road, only displaying a number plate at its rear. That’s because many find front number plates to be clunky and undesirable.
However, although these drivers choose not to display their front number plate, are they breaking the law?
Why do I need a number plate?
Number plates are an important part of any vehicle as they essentially differentiate one vehicle from another. If you have two vehicles that are the same make, model and colour, the only way to tell the two apart is with the number plate. This is necessary so that the police and cameras are able to tell the difference of vehicles in-case they are involved in a road accident or some form of crime.
There are different parts to a number plate, such as:
- The first two letters identify the area that the vehicle was first registered
- The next two numbers highlight the year that the vehicle was manufactured
- Last three letters are random characters that differentiate number plates
With the current system, there are 7 characters on a number plate, and no two plates are the same. It is also necessary that a number plate is clear and easy to read. This means that there can be no marks or symbols that block off any of the characters.
Along with this, you must also ensure that you abide by certain rules with the display of your number plate. All of the characters must be written in the ‘Charles Wright’ font, either classic or 3D effect is allowed. With this, the characters must be black and the front plate has to display a white background, with the rear plate displaying a yellow, reflective background.
Symbols are logos are not permitted on number plates, except those that display a national flag or the Euro sign. Brand logos and football team badges are not allowed on number plates, contrary to what most people believe.
Why do people remove the front number plate?
There are people that prefer to remove the front number plate from their car so that it looks slicker. More often than not, number plates are removed from supercars such as Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini’s and placed in the front window instead.
With vehicles such as these, looks are everything, therefore this leads people to believe that having a chunky white number plate displayed at the front ruins the desired look. However, is removing the front plate legal?
Is it illegal to have no front number plate?
In short, yes. It is illegal to not display your front number plate, regardless of whether you decide to place it in the window of your vehicle.
Although you may see many vehicles in expensive areas with their number plates removed, they are doing so illegally and may have to pay a high price for doing so. Removing the number plate means that you are removing the only item that makes the vehicle unique. Therefore, if the vehicle is involved in crime and cameras are not able to see the number plate, it will make the case much harder.
Although it may not look quite as fashionable, displaying a number plate on both the front and rear of your car is essential and can lead to fine and penalties if you do not follow the regulations.