Welcome to our UK news roundup for May.
Yet another call for bicycles to display number plates
It's been a little while since we last reported on the topic but an MP has revived the idea that pedal cycles should display number plates. We really can't see the renewed call garnering much support, especially as the Minister of State at the Department for Transport rejected the idea in parliament just last year.
Previous to that, in 2022, former transport minister Grant Shapps seemed to briefly support the idea of plates for bikes, but then his position appeared to change when he said, "I'm not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates. That would go too far."
Sir Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, wrote to Mark Harper, Secretary of State for Transport raising concerns about cycle-linked antisocial behaviour in his constituency and expressing the opinion that number plates would make it easier to identify those involved. Sir Philip said,
if cyclists were forced to have a registration plate it would mean they were identifiable and could resolve the problem as those who chose to cycle in an irresponsible manner would know there will be consequences
We expect the idea to sink back into irrelevance, as it always does. It's very doubtful that number plates for bikes would make enough of a difference to justify the inevitable costs involved, and there never seems to be much parliamentary interest in the subject anyway.
Alfa Romeo's iconic offset number plates to disappear
The EU's new General Safety Regulations (GSR) requires number plates to be centrally mounted, rather than offset to one side, as they have been in Alfa Romeo's case. The reason given is that centrally positioned number plates present less of a danger to pedestrians in the case of collision.
The change has been lamented by many. Even though it wasn't featured on all models, the offset plate has been one of Alfa Romeo's most distinctive and recognised, design details since the 1950s. Some critics dispute the real-world safety benefits of the change, doubting that it will make enough of a difference to justify the cost to the manufacturer. Die-hard Alfa fans are just sad to see the famous feature discontinued.
Alfa Romeo's design boss, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, on the other hand, is upbeat and accepting - perhaps even supportive - of the change. He said, "This will allow us to have symmetry anyway, so I am happy - I'm one of the guys who likes the plate in the middle."
Number plate cloning up 26% last year
Data provided by a Freedom of Information request made by car sales site Carwow show that the number of recorded potential registration plate cloning incidents rose by more than a quarter last year. The figures are based upon the number of people contacting DVLA to dispute penalty notices they had received.
Number plate cloning is the act of copying the registration number from one vehicle onto number plates that are then displayed on another vehicle. It is generally done to fool ANPR and traffic cameras so that the perpetrator can evade tolls, low emission zone fees and motoring offence penalties. The practice is also employed by people driving without tax and/or insurance, and those committing other crimes such as driving off without paying for fuel at petrol stations.
2023 saw cases of number plate cloning increase by 26% over the previous year. Since 2013, potential number plate cloning cases have reportedly gone up by a staggering 689%, as motorists received nearly 10,000 letters and penalty notices. Recipients had to either pay up or prove that they did not commit the offence in question.
While the number of reported cases has undoubtedly increased, there may be several reasons for that increase. DVLA said that some cases would be due to people making mistakes when entering their registration numbers onto forms, permit applications and similar. The proliferation of ANPR and traffic cameras means that more offences are recorded and more penalty notices sent out. Regardless of those explanations for some cases, deliberate cloning is on the rise and people are being prosecuted for it, which leads us neatly onto our next item.
Driver caught using bogus number plates in Carlisle
A 26 year-old man was stopped by police while driving in Carlisle and found to have placed cloned number plates on his car. The man, who lives in Wakefield, told a Carlisle magistrates court that he had copied the registration number from another car of the same model, and then ordered a set of 'novelty' number plates online bearing that number.
The defendant said that he had intended to use the plates for 30 days as he could not afford the MOT that his car needed, or his expensive insurance costs. He claimed to have been driving for eight years without ever having made an insurance claim, and lamented the fact that, despite that, he was quoted insurance premiums of hundreds of pounds a month.
The defendant will be sentenced at crown court in June.
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- UK number plate news: April 2024
- Former police chief wants number plates on bicycles
- More calls for bikes to display number plates
