number plates

[boydogs]

The number plates on a trailer of a modern car is yellow, if i fir a trailer to my Mirris Minor can i use a black background and white numbers and letters to match the car and is this legal.

[customjob]

Bit of a grey area this one, as several laws contradict each other. 1 Vehicle Construction & Use Regulations state that any vehicle towing a trailer/caravan or another vehicle, must display the registration mark of the correct type of the towing vehicle, as the towed and the towing then become one vehicle. 2 Vehicle Construction & Use Regulations Display of Registration Marks Regulations. Any vehicle made on or before 1st January 1973 can display the old Black type front and rear registration plate. Any vehicle type made after 1st January 1973 must display in accordance with said act a reflcto type registration plate showing white to the front and yellow to the rear. Technically your traveller and trailer under No1 become one vehicle, however the use of black type registration plates in No2 says that after 1st January you can't use them. I'm pretty sure you would fall foul of some E U legislation also. So my advice would be to use the yellow type just in case.

[bmcecosse]

Unless the trailer was made before 1973....... But I seriously doubt you would be pulled for using an old black/silver plate on the trailer, no matter when it was made. Let's face it - many just use a bit of chalk!

[jagnut66]

Hi,
I can't imagine any copper will pull a 60's classic car (which is obviously entitled to use black / silver or white plates) because it has a modern trailer on the back, also using classic style plates, as long as it is all properly illuminated (and all the lights work).
Best wishes,
Mike.

(oh, and stuff the EU!!)

[mike.perry]

No idea when my trailer was built but I use B&W plates
Can you have trafficators on a trailer?

[kennatt]

No idea when my trailer was built but I use B&W plates
Can you have trafficators on a trailer?

You've got a very valid point there mike,I have a trailor,which I use with three vehicles. I have plates for each but many times I just write the number on the lighting board with an easywipe marker pen to save time when swapping about. I have used this for about 10 years and have never been given a pull by the police have had traffic cars behind me and they have just ignored it.BUT the lighting bord is legal ie lights , stop and indicators which work. If you have a ser11 with trafficators then you have no way of fitting indicators(Well suppose you could rig something up) may well get a pull if the lights dont flash,then they would make comment on the numberplate.

[IaininTenbury]

If you blanked off the indicators with tape on the trailer, presumably you would then be within the law for use of trafficators on the car, its just effectively a longer car with trafficators. When I towed a trailer with an early car some years back I just printed out a sign for the back of the trailer saying 'No indicators. Trafficators in use'. Don't know how helpful or legal it was but no one drove into me and I didn't get pulled...
As for the original question there should be no probs with black and white/silver plates on trailers, I use them all the time. I even bought some old shop stock white stick on numbers for making my own plates up...

[POMMReg]

If you blanked off the indicators with tape on the trailer, presumably you would then be within the law for use of trafficators on the car, its just effectively a longer car with trafficators. When I towed a trailer with an early car some years back I just printed out a sign for the back of the trailer saying 'No indicators. Trafficators in use'. Don't know how helpful or legal it was but no one drove into me and I didn't get pulled...
As for the original question there should be no probs with black and white/silver plates on trailers, I use them all the time. I even bought some old shop stock white stick on numbers for making my own plates up...

What's a Trafficator?

...CRASH!!!

[IaininTenbury]

Well quite... I've only got one trafficator only equipped car now (Railton) and that doesn't do much mileage. Personal experience is drive assertively, make your intentions known, hand signal as well when you feel there's a need and you get away with it. Not a practice I'd recomend though. Any restorations and customers cars Ive done, I've fitted discrete indicators as well.
So many folk with modern's don't know what the little stalk is for on their car and seem to survive without indicating...

[boydogs]

Thanks for the imformation, Another question about number plates,Is this true ? I was told that the Black and White number plates on older cars did not register when going through a static speed camera. They can only register the yellow and white ones because of the type of material used. I don`t fancy trying it out though. Any thoughts. Also this would apply to classic bikes.

[LouiseM]

That used to be the case but ANPR technology has improved a lot since the first speed cameras were introduced.

[les]

Yes, they wouldn't want to let the odd classic rob them of a few bob.

[kevin s]

I was somewhere where they use anpr to read your plate and then you confim it, didn't work on the square black and white plates on my landy.

Kevin

[mike.perry]

I have photographic evidence that cameras can read b/w number plates!! I was doing 15mph through a red light on a roundabout having decided that 7in brakes were not going to stop the car and trailer before I had crossed the white line.
I have trafficators and indicators on the car and indicators on the trailer, all operated from the trafficator switch

[IaininTenbury]

Likewise, a heinous 35mph uphill in a 30 limit with a wobbly speedo needle last week proves that black and white plates do register....

[boydogs]

Has anyone been fined and had points added to there licence for speeding through a fixed or hand held camera. On any classic car or bike with pressed alloy number plates. Interesting question as i am a member of a classic bike club and know nobody who has been done ?

[kennatt]

Try it and see,then you can tell everyone else

[TFM150K]

If you have got £80 to spare and don't mind the loading on your insurance, of course!

[bigjim]

apparently the car park anpr systems arent as good as the police ones , ive heard of people displaying classic plates that dont get charged in this type of car park