Why don't people clean their number plates

[Sportslady44]

Saw a disgusting car yesterday. The number plate was thick with black dirt and you couldn't read the back number plate.

Surely they realise. Why don't they clean the car? What happens if they are in an accident and you can't read the plate?

It’s illegal in my state to have a dirty license plate. People saying they don’t have time….seriously…it takes seconds. Doesn’t have to be sparkling, just clean enough to be read. A quick wipe does that.

@MintJulia

In a day, I do all the normal school run stuff, work full time, coax ds into doing school work, shop, wash, clean, iron, organise, cook, get to/from hobbies.

This week I have also GCSE choices evening and someone replacing a hot water tank.

How high up my priority list do you imagine a clean number plate is? Really???

So posting on MN is higher on your priorities list? Jolly good.

@mintjulia

We're all busy.

I'm afraid you shouldn't be driving if you can't prioritise effectively.

@Barrawarra

I don’t clean my car because

1. Cars are not important to me, just a means of travel and not an image thing
2. It rains

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plate so dirty the license couldn’t be read.

This

I think it's completely innocent most of the time. It's just one of those things you don't think about.

It's always worst in the snow - a combination of grit, slush etc splashes up and makes a right mess.

@Sportslady44

I meant if they cause an accident and say drove off you wouldn't get the plate.

Well you have just answered your own question. If someone is going tondrive off after an accident then why would they want you to be able to see thier plate?

Yes it is illegal if your number plate cannot be read completely or obscured.

I have a personalised car washer DH. He loves cleaning my car every fortnight and I dutifully go outside to admire his car cleaning skills, making lots of 'oooh' and 'ahhh' noises, bless him .

I must admit, if he didn't clean it so regularly, I'm not sure how often I would do it but I would always make sure my number plate is visible.

Luckily I don't live anywhere too muddy but as I'm on the coast with lots of seagull poo, it's important that it gets cleaned off quickly otherwise it does actually leave a mark if left to dry too long.

@ElftonWednesday

Whatever. It takes minutes to check your car is safe and legal before you set off. If you are too immature to be arsed wth that then you shouldn't be driving, and certainly not with your child in the car. Everyone is fucking busy, you aren't a special snowflake who is busier than everyone else. I read your list and thought "So fucking what?" Grow up and take some responsibility for basic life skills.

Having a clean number plate doesn't make the car any safer. Nor is it a life skill FFS

Number plates are required by law to be clear and readable.
As is driving in the dark with lights on and using indicators. Don't get me started..

I drive 60 miles a day, most of that is on a rural road that is filthy. When I clean my car it's dirty after the first 10 miles and at this time of year the number plate is filthy after 15 miles and probably unreadable after 30. I'm not pudding about washing it 2or3 times a day. A 'wipe' will not do the job.

I wipe the lights a little more often.

If its black and just at the back it's an oil leak and it will happen everytime they go out

I am constantly on rural roads so my car is a mobile mole hill it's that muddy.

I've given up on a whole wash and tend to keep wipes in the glove box to keep mirrors, lights and plates clear.

I don’t live in the U.K. any more, but I always used to give mine a quick wipe over with a bit of damp kitchen roll if they were covered up. I didn’t want a fine, although I understand there aren’t many police left over there any more, so maybe that’s why everyone has stopped caring 😁

I live rurally and rarely give the car a proper wash this time of year as it just gets filthy again immediately. However I do give the lights, reversing camera, and licence plate a wipe quite often. If i have to use a wet wipe on a child in the car (which isn't infrequent ) then I use the same one to give those a quick going over.
I'm side-eyeing those who say they're too busy...seriously? It takes seconds.

Police stopped me many years ago on the motorway for a dirty numberplate.
I have to say he wasn't nice about it and I was terrified he was going to fine me (he didn't, just gave me a huge lecture) but I learnt my lesson and always wipe numberplate and lights since then.

I'm another who lives rurally so I never bother cleaning my car in winter. I don't even look at my number plates to notice whether the writing is still legible either!

I'm also a dog walker and drive down filthy country lanes and park in isolated areas where the parking is just a mud pit by the side of the road

I would need to clean my car after each walk to stop it looking filthy and I have much better things to do with my time!

@Sportslady44

I meant if they cause an accident and say drove off you wouldn't get the plate.

You are presuming that everyone has been a good law abiding citizen and registered their car in their own name and current address.

Spoiler alert, a lot of people actually don't!

I don't clean the outside of my car. I clean the inside that I sit in. I live in the arse crack of nowhere and drive to lots of outdoorsy places. It gets filthy in about five minutes, especially at this time of year.

Not really bothered by how dirty other people’s cars are but:

“Although there is no law against having a dirty car, the law is very clear when it comes to keeping your number plates clear; you risk a £1,000 fine if you allow it to become obscured.”

I frequently see cars with too dirty number plates. In fact there's a car locally where "somehow" the digits on each end are not possible to be read and I take joy in every so often wiping it clean for them. Gets dirty real fast too
In conclusion. Those plates, they do it deliberately to avoid anpr

I saw a very very fancy Porsche, the kind that costs more than people’s houses just yesterday! So dirty you could not read read the plate at the back!

My car is absolute filth at the minute, but it’s driving on country roads and through major roadworks daily. I got it cleaned and the it just looked the same about 2 days later. Can read the plate, however not bothering until after winter now for a clean

I drive on an A road to and from work that's rural. The car gets filthy after one run! You want to see the road signs, completely covered in mud. I actually wondered how they got so dirty being fairly high up! On one section of the road, the speed limit signs are completely covered. I only know they're speed limit signs because they're round.

@Fraine

Not really bothered by how dirty other people’s cars are but:

“Although there is no law against having a dirty car, the law is very clear when it comes to keeping your number plates clear; you risk a £1,000 fine if you allow it to become obscured.”

Yep!

@Sportslady44

I meant if they cause an accident and say drove off you wouldn't get the plate.

That's why they do it, it's deliberate.

around my woods (not uk) parking wardens clean obscured numberplates and issue both a parking & display offence notice.
the fine is painful. as it should be.

I live rurally, the roads are filthy and I drive through a number of muddy lanes to get to work. I always wash the car though, sometimes twice a week. It's better for the car (not good for the windows to be gritty when I wind them down, or the back windscreen wipers to be smearing mud) and it's illegal not to be showing your number plates.

Personally, I always assumed people who continually kept their number plates muddy were trying to dodge the speed camera, but I have no evidence for that.