“Criminal mischief”: The cyclist on a mission to un-deface bad drivers’ number plates, plus BMX legend Ken Floyde on the road.cc Podcast

You know, this is becoming very common in the UK, particulalry amongst supercar drivers, they don't seem to like having a number plate on the front. I asked someone I know who has a Porsche and a Ferrari why they didn't have number plates on the front. He said he didn't like them as they spoilt the front end of a car. It's a good job our police are so crap at enforcing road traffic law because they could impound millions of pounds worth of exotic metal.

Plenty of supercars have no means of attaching a front plate - they are fundamentally designed as track cars, only designed to barely comply with road going legislation for sales purposes.

When I visited our local supercar showroom as part of a social event some time ago, there was more than one Aston Martin less than 9 months old with 7 owners. These are not cars for driving on UK roads as I suspect the purchasers found.

Yeah many do not have a 'proper' plate location or recess designed in. However every car bought in the UK should be displaying one, so the dealers are supposed fit a bracket or adapter to the car, but often leave it to the owner to decide whether or not they want to attach it. In principal a bit like bike shops supplying a bag of loose reflectors and a bell with every new bike. Of course supercar owners tend to be wealthy folk, so the minimal risk of a £100 fine (which to them is pretty insignificant) is worth it to them to improve the aesthetics of their shiny new car.

It's supposed to be a £1000 fine, not £100.

And it's supposed to be an MOT failure too, so either the motorists are swapping their plates for the MOT (so being without excuse they merit the maximum penalty), or MOT examiners are complicit.

For example, the blue BMW I pictured above is reg XK51KHX (illegally spaced and darkened on the rear plate) and has an MOT dated 6 Oct. Did the owner sellotape a plate onto the front for the MOT? Was the MOT examiner blind, or complicit?

It's a good job our police are so crap at enforcing road traffic law because they could impound millions of pounds worth of exotic metal

In Lancashire, you can do what you like with number plates with zero chance of anything being done about illegal plates

For anyone else wondering what's wrong with that number plate, the DVLA doesn't recognise the number.

...and what on earth have they got dangling from the rear-view mirror, obstructing the view out of the windscreen?