The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001

[Architex_mA8tey]

Been having an interesting look at these regulations (yawn) in relation to fitting my bumper filler from the states and whether or not i can drive all the time with the filler in place and display my number plate elsewhere, for example hanging from the passenger sun visor.







Ive noticed an interesting variation for pre and post 2001 cars (mine is 1999) -

Pre 2001 -
Fixing of registration plates: vehicles registered before the relevant date

7.—(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and agricultural machines, first registered before the relevant date.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (4), a registration plate must be fixed in the manner required by paragraph (3) on—

(a)the front of the vehicle, and

(b)the rear of—

(i)the vehicle or,

(ii)where the vehicle is towing a trailer, the trailer or,

(iii)where the vehicle is towing more than one trailer, the rearmost trailer.

(3) This paragraph requires each plate to be fixed—

(a)in a vertical position or, where that is not possible, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable, and

(b)in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable, in the case of a plate fixed on the front of the vehicle, from in front of the vehicle and, in the case of a plate fixed on the rear of the vehicle or trailer, from behind the vehicle or trailer.

(4) In the case of a motor cycle and a motor tricycle which does not have a body of a type which is characteristic of the body of a four-wheeled vehicle, a registration plate need not be fixed on the front of the vehicle.

and Post 2001 -
Fixing of front registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date

6.—(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and agricultural machines, first registered on or after the relevant date.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (5), a registration plate must be fixed on the front of the vehicle in the manner required by paragraph (3).

(3) This paragraph requires the plate to be fixed—

(a)vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable,

(b)in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable from every part of a relevant area having the diagonal length specified in paragraph (4).

(4) The diagonal length of the relevant area is—

(a)in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is at least 57 millimetres, 22 metres,

(b)in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 50 millimetres, 21.5 metres,

(c)in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 44 millimetres, 18 metres.

(5) In the case of a motor cycle or a motor tricycle which does not have a body of a type which is characteristic of the body of a four-wheeled vehicle—

(a)a registration plate must not be fixed on the front of a vehicle if it was first registered on or after 1st September 2001,

(b)a plate need not be fixed on the front of the vehicle if it was first registered before 1st September 2001.

Hmm. . . .
so the thing that changed was the introduction of a requirement to actually see the plate from a specific distance which didn't apply before 2001

So what is everyone's view - can I display my front plate anywhere facing frontwards on the vehicle including my sun visor or will I have to restrict my "Bumper Filler use" to shows only ? answers on a postcard please. . .