To not see the point in personalised reg plates?

[Flexilexy]

As I sat in traffic this morning trying to work out if someone's reg was their initials or if it was meant to spell a word out, I wondered why they even bothered.

If you have a personalised registration plate, why?

This is one of those things I've just never understood why anyone would spend money on it. I'd have to have a LOT of disposable income before this is something I'd part with cash for.

Google says "The cost of a personalized number plate can range from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds."

I'll be honest, and show my judgemental side. Most (not all) of the people I know with personalised reg plates are skint, or just scraping by month to month. So it really baffles me that this is something they'd chose to do with their money.

But also, even if I could afford it, what's the appeal? I'm genuinely interested to know what makes you want one?

And yes, I'm fully aware it doesn't have any impact on my life at all, but one is allowed to ponder. This entire site is full of people complaining about things that aren't relevant to them, it's just a discussion.

YABU - Personalised reg plates are wonderful and not just an expensive bit of plastic that collects dead bugs
YANBU - They're totally fucking pointless

@HotCrossBunplease

I’m asking why it is worth them breaking the law when it doesn’t even appear to be a word.

I suppose it's worth the risk, wherever it says obviously means something to them, even if not obvious to us.

and also I suppose why they haven’t been stopped by the police and told it’s not allowed.

They will know full well it's not allowed they won't need to be stopped by the police to be told. You can be fined up to £1k and you can have the registration taken from you.

I would suggest, as is probably the case with the majority who illegally space; it's driven by their own arrogance

Gosh, you’re quite literal aren’t you? I did obviously mean by “told it’s not allowed” that the police would then take action. Not just as an FYI!

What I take from this is that spacing violations are stamped down upon so infrequently by the police that people still think it is worth taking the risk.

The police barely take any action with more serious "offences" unless it's some kind of "initiative" so they're not going to stop a car for a slightly wrongly spaced number plate unless really bored. If they stop you for something more serious like excessive speeding or dangerous/drunk/drink driving, they "may" add a number plate offence to the paperwork, but they're really not going to spend any time on the paperwork for anything trivial these days.

The real "risk" is getting caught up in one of their "initiatives" where several police constables are specifically checking cars, i.e. with ANPR recognition cameras, etc., to target general or specific motoring offences, such as multi agency checks with DVLA for road tax, etc - where they randomly stop cars and check lots of things, i.e. condition of car, road tax, insurance, MOT, window tinting, tyres, seat belts, etc. Then they can "tick loads of boxes".

Yes, sorry I actually am very literal. I don't see it as a flaw though. It's just part of who I am.

Yes it's worth the risk for many as at the first stop it's likely to just be a warning, people sometimes stop doing it then and sometimes they are so arrogant the continue. Nuts very common and the police are stretched as it is without stopping cars all day long.

And even if stopped, the chances are the police would just give "advice", i.e. tell you it's illegal and to change it, rather than prosecuting/fining you.

It's apparently pretty common for people with wrongly spaced plates to change them back to proper ones to take to the MOT test, and then swap back again after the MOT, as a wrongly spaced number plate is something that is checked as part of an MOT test.

When people have a high expectation of not being fined/prosecuted, whether it's number plates, not picking up dog shit, littering, speeding, etc., they're more inclined to take the risk. That's why zero-tolerance policing should be the norm - catch the minor things and then people don't think they can get away with more serious stuff.

They didn't pay that kind of money for it - it was the registration plate letters used in Nottingham at the time and the council gave it to her long before it was a "thing" for people to use them.

I actually like how no one knows my car is now 10 years old

Trust me, anyone who cares knows your car is 10 years old.

Surely this says more about you than them if it bothers you. It's just part of a vehicle and not many people have them to hide the age.

We all judge on appearances. If you want to make it that clear you love "standing out" don't be amazed when people judge you for it.

That's not why we've got one though. The people who are judging are just sad anyway.

People think I've got a personalised plate. I haven't I bought my car from northern Ireland because it was cheap, also been told I have an NI plate because I'm trying to hide the reg! It's the newest car I've ever owned deffo not trying to hide that!

I've got one, I've had it for more than 20 years, it's a '1' and my initials. DH bought it as a Christmas present. I suppose it's a fun investment, it's worth low 000s - someone did offer to buy it a few years ago.

Added bonus that it's seen as a status symbol amongst the parents at the school I work at 😆

They are a lot more expensive than not having one.

Well, no. The council didn't spend £200k on it!

If it’s 1 XXX then it’s worth a lot more than low thousands.

Can I ask why?

I wondered about that too. What did the poster mean, having her name on stuff? Like when your mum sews your name into your school stuff??

Strange

Be careful that you haven't accidentally got yourself a racist numberplate like these unfortunate Bristol Rovers fans. I find this illogical. After all a black person could buy it and say its his word but why would a white couple call themselves that - the point is its a PERSONALISED number plate. Its about football.
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/dvla-gives-final-ruling-offensive-9960802.amp

Imagine if, even if you were the biggest Gas fans in the world, being happy to drive around in a car with the worst, easily identifiable, racist slur on it! What does that make you... 🤔

I don't get the point of them either OP, but live and let live etc 🤷‍♀️

Funny story about it though: My best friend wanted personalised plates a few years ago. She kept on and on at her DH about it.

'Big birthday' arrived and she got the plates from him as a present. Her name and a number (eg G1LL 70).

It was her 50th and she was LIVID that he had bought plates with '70' on as 'everyone will think I'm 70!!' 😅

Not such a 'vanity plate' 🤣

I used to know a very rich heiress. She had her initials monogrammed onto EVERYTHING she owned. As a non rich person I found it really odd. I think with some people it's a status symbol. Shows you can afford it. I personally think it's a bit strange TBH. It's like an extension of owning a ridiculously expensive handbag or something.

To add to that - when you can buy most of what you want, I guess the fun of spending fades away a bit. Adding your initials or name onto things gives you something else you can spend on that's unique, I guess. Not that I agree with it personally. Would rather donate the money to a helpful cause.

I think you guys are over thinking it. Sure 'A1' on a gold plated Bentley is a status symbol, but a Fiat 500 with C14 REX is just someone whose parents needed an 18th birthday gift.

Like a fancy keyring or a flower in your hat. Not serving a purpose, just a fun adornment.

Yeah, I've never understood this at all - to me it just reeks of trying to draw attention to yourself. I'm massively introverted so I go through life trying to be fairly invisible, but on top of that, I've never liked my name, and so I really don't want to slap it on things. It was a name very popular in the 70s when I was born, and unfortunately has a bunch of negative stereotypes attached to it which aren't like me at all.

Genuine question, why is your initial on something seen as a status symbol?