How drivers are trying to beat speed vans by becoming 'undetectable'
The licence plates, also known as 3D or 4D licence plates, were causing headaches for authorities on the road as they were undetectable over their lack of legibility and ability to reflect camera flashes — like from a speed van.
Professor Fraser Sampson, who was in charge of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition in the UK found that one in 15 drivers were using the plates to outsmart speed cameras, and wrote to then Transport Secretary Mark Harper to highlight the issue and the government's lack of action. Average-speed cameras on the M3 Motorway in the UK. Pic: Gary Perkin/Shutterstock
He also wrote that speed cameras at the time only had a 97% accuracy rate meaning that hundreds of thousands of innocent people were receiving fines for doing nothing wrong.
The government have since upgraded the equipment that are capable of detecting the plates, with fines of up to £100 (€117) for those who are caught with the illegal plates. Licence plates have a stringent set of guidelines, and must look like these. However, 3D/4D plates can kind of be legal. Pic: Getty
Kinda — there are some requirements that the plates have to go through to be street legal.
To be easily readable and recognisable by the RSA, the plates must be made from a reflective material, with a white background and blue IRL/EU logo on the left hand side of the plate, with black characters.
The font must also be standard Irish font that you'd see on most cars when you buy them — but hyphens aren't a requirement. The height and width of the plates must be 70x36mm. 3D Licence plates are raised against the plate themselves, but are a bit sticky legally. Pic: Getty
As for a 3D/4D plate, while you may think they look cool, the legality of the plates are hinging on if they meet the standards. They must also be readable by humans and the aforementioned speed cameras, and must be reflective to ensure that they're legible under all lighting conditions.
Even if they're legal for the most part on the streets (i.e. if you're just let off with a warning), you may still also need to re-attach your original plates ahead of the NCT.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Consumer watchdog vows to crack down on motor industry
Ireland's consumer watchdog has vowed to take action against the motor industry for 'anti-competitive practices', such as telling customers their warranty will be void if they go to independent garages for repairs. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has written an industry-wide letter to say that consumers must not be prevented from freely choosing who services or repairs their vehicles, or what parts they use. While they have not yet issued formal proceedings against any company, the CCPC said it stands ready to act if illegal practices are identified. 'Motorists must be free to choose where they service their vehicles and what parts they use without fear of losing their warranty,' its director of antitrust Craig Whelan said. "Independent garages must not be blocked from accessing essential diagnostic data or tools." These restrictive practices hurt consumers, stifle competition, and unfairly advantage authorised dealerships. The CCPC said its action was prompted by contacts made to its helpline and complaints mailbox. This included that a warranty on a vehicle had been declared invalid because a consumer got it repaired at an independent garage outside of the brand's network of 'authorised repairers'. It also said that motorists had been warned their warranty would be made void if non-manufacturer supplied parts were used in routine maintenance or repairs. Furthermore, it said certain independent mechanics are unable to repair or service vehicles because they cannot access repair and diagnostic tools and onboard diagnostic data for some cars on Irish roads. Restrictions on competition 'leads to higher prices' Mr Whelan told the motor companies: 'Restrictions on competition between independent repairers and authorised repairers leads to higher prices and lower quality of service for motorists. 'The invalidation of warranties on the basis of getting a vehicle serviced or repaired outside the brand's authorised repairer network further results in increased costs for motorists as they may have to pay out of pocket for repairs that may otherwise have been covered under the vehicle's warranty.' He said the CCPC has the power to take enforcement action against businesses suspected of engaging in these practices with the power to dish out fines stretching into tens of millions of euro. The motor companies have been told to review the agreements they have in place to ensure they do not result in 'anticompetitive conduct'. If the arrangements they do have do constitute this, they should seek to have them amended or revised. 'You should engage with your authorised repairers to ensure that motorists engaging with your partners are not mistakenly led to believe that their warranty may be at risk if they were to use independent repairers or non-original spare parts for routine maintenance and repairs not covered by the vehicle warranty,' Mr Whelan added. The CCPC is also telling independent garages they have the right to freely repair vehicles, use non-original parts which are of a matching quality and to access repair and diagnostic tools. It urged any such garages to report unfair experiences, such as being prevented access to diagnostic data or tools, to the CCPC.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Competition watchdog issues warning over car sales and repair practises
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has issued a warning to the Irish motor industry following reports of anti-competitive practices in the sale, maintenance, and repair of vehicles. In an industry-wide letter sent late last week to car manufacturers and dealerships it received complaints about, the CCPC reminded them that under competition law consumers must not be prevented from freely choosing who services or repairs their vehicle, or what parts they use. The warning follows complaints from motorists who claim they have been prevented or discouraged from getting their vehicles serviced or repaired by independent garages. In some cases, motorists claim to have been told that their warranty will be void if they have their vehicle serviced or repaired outside an authorised dealership network, or if non-original or non-manufacturer-supplied spare parts are used. Others claim to have been blocked from using independent garages, due to restricted access to essential diagnostic data or tools, which were not made available by the manufacturer or distributor. Such practices can break competition law, according to the CCPC. The CCPC said these practices drive up prices and limit choice, harming consumers and independent garages. The letter was also sent to independent dealerships and garages, as well as the industry representative group: the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI). The CCPC says it has informed independent garages of their right to freely repair vehicles and use non-original spare parts that are of a matching quality, as well as to access repair and diagnostic tools. The consumer agency is seeking information from distributors of motor vehicles in Ireland and has urged them to review and, if necessary, amend any arrangements they have in place. It gave a deadline of 6 August for information to be submitted. No formal proceedings have been instigated against any motor dealer over the issue so far, but the CCPC said it will take action if illegal practices are identified. Under competition law, motorists may bring their vehicle to an independent garage of their choosing to get their vehicle serviced or repaired without it affecting their warranty, so long as this work is done by a competent individual. Similarly, non-original spare parts can be used in repairs not covered by the vehicle warranty without the warranty being affected, so long as the parts are of "matching quality" to original spare parts. "Motorists must be free to choose where they service their vehicles and what parts they use without fear of losing their warranty," Director of Antitrust at the CCPC Craig Whelan said. "Independent garages must not be blocked from accessing essential diagnostic data or tools." Mr Whelan added that "these restrictive practices hurt consumers, stifle competition, and unfairly advantage authorised dealerships. "We will continue to monitor this issue closely and will take appropriate enforcement action where we believe competition law has been breached." The CCPC is urging independent garages to report any experiences of unfair restrictions, including being prevented from accessing essential diagnostic data or tools, by emailing antitrust@ or calling the helpline on 01 402 5555. The watchdog can impose financial sanctions on businesses of undertakings of up to €10 million, or 10% of its annual worldwide turnover (whatever is greater), for breaches of competition law. Alternatively, more serious breaches, including cartel behaviour, may be prosecuted as criminal offences and fines of up to €50 million, or 20% of a business's annual worldwide turnover (whatever is greater), can be imposed.
Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'Story is only getting started' - Spike Island thrills to Drift drama
Some of the top Irish drift drivers thrilled the capacity crowd on Spike Island on Saturday evening as Buttevant's Alan Hynes beat 15 other drivers to win the Red Bull Drift Pursuit. He held off the challenges of second-placed Stephen Halferty (Derry) with Jakub Krzyszczak (Waterford) winning the battle for third from Jake Davey (Galway). For almost two hours the head-to-head competition kept the attendance on their toes before local hero Hynes took the title in front of a majority Cork crowd. In glorious sunshine, the fans were treated to demonstration drives on the custom-built course by world drift stars, brothers Conor and Jack Shanahan from Killavullen in their Toyota GT86's. There was also an appearance from Irish World Rally Championship driver Derry's Josh McErlean in the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, who also showcased his talents to the fans at the iconic location. Hynes was thrilled with his victory, "It's a pretty special moment. I really enjoyed it (Red Bull Drift Pursuit) last year, this year was even more special being in here on Spike Island, the cherry on top really. He added: "What a special venue, a special place, a special event. It's an amazing feeling. The opposition was immense and Stephen (Halferty) pushed me all the way. I was racing in Europe last weekend and had a big crash, so it was nice to come here and take the win." Meanwhile, as he enjoyed some time in his native county, Conor Shanahan, who currently leads the Drift Masters European Championship (DMEC) and displayed why he is regarded as one of the best in the world, said, "Personally, I feel every time we look at ourselves in drifting and how look at the sport these days and how big the sport is getting, to be here in Spike Island with an event, it's pretty unique, who would have thought that ten years ago, there is so much history here. "To do it close to home and have local support is pretty special. Home is always special. This story is only getting started, there's a lot to write yet."
