Why you should check your number plate NOW or face £1,000 fine

It’s inevitable that cars are going to get grimy, dirty and dusty.

However, British drivers have a responsibility to keep their vehicle clean or they could risk landing a hefty fine.

If this dirt or grime builds up so much on the car’s number plate, to the point where it becomes unreadable, you are committing a driving offence. 

The Government clarifies the legal position as follows: “Number plates (also known as licence plates) should show your vehicle registration number correctly.

“You can’t rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them so that they’re hard to read.”

The fine for driving a car with an unreadable number plate is up to £1,000.

In addition, it is enough of an offence for a car to fail its MOT. 

A DVLA spokesman explained the rules in a statement to the Burton Mail: “There is a specific offence under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 of obscuring or allowing a registration mark to be not easily distinguishable. 

“All registration numbers must be displayed clearly and correctly on the number plate – this helps the police, enforcement agencies and members of the public to correctly identify a vehicle to assist road safety and traffic enforcement”.

Legal requirements of a number plate: 

-be made from a reflective material

-display black characters on a white background (front plate)

-display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)

-not have a background pattern

Number plate rules:

If you ride a motorbike or motor tricycle

Motorcycles and motor tricycles registered on or after 1 September 2001 must only display a number plate at the rear of the vehicle.

If you ride a motorbike or motor tricycle registered before 1 September 2001 you can also display a number plate at the front, but you don’t have to.

Motorcycle and motor tricycle number plate numbers should be on 2 lines.

Towing a trailer

Your trailer must display the same number plate as the car you’re towing it with. 

If you’re towing more than one trailer, the number plate must be fixed to the trailer at the back.