Woman Threatened with Fine for An Offensive Number Plate Purchased From DVLA
A woman was left shocked last week when she was stopped by the police and threatened with a £200 fine because they found her personalised number plates offensive. The woman’s Jaguar F-Pace was displaying the registration number ‘FK02 AYE’. The mother of one, who wasn’t named, was pulled over as she arrived at her son’s nursery in Perth, Scotland.
She told The Scottish Sun that as she drove into the nursery car park a police car raced in behind her and blocked the car park entrance. One of the officers approached her and began “ranting and raving” about how her number plates were offensive and illegal. He told her that if she was seen driving around again with the offending registration number, she’d be fined £100 for each plate and they would be seized by the DVLA.
The stunned woman explained that her partner had bought the personalised plates last year from the DVLA. She said, “I think if you buy from a site like that it would be above board.” The registration number is supposed to represent ‘f**k aye’ which is one of her partner’s favourite expressions. She added that people usually laugh when they see the plates.
The DVLA Bans Potentially Offensive Plates
Before the DVLA issues new registration numbers every March and September, a special team goes through all the numbers to sift out any that might cause offence or embarrassment. They include swear words, sensitive religious and political references, and those with sexual connotations. Most recently, any COVID-related plates were banned.
However, some potentially offensive plates are occasionally missed and issued to a vehicle. If they are later pointed out to the DVLA, the agency can ban them retrospectively. Drivers who’ve bought personalised number plates that are later withdrawn can be left seriously out of pocket, as has happened to the Scotswoman.
Her partner will be checking the paperwork for the plates and contacting the supplier. In the meantime, she has been told not to drive the car until the plates have been changed. She thinks that her car will be off the road for some time because it takes a while to get the registration number replaced, but that’s not usually the case.
Assigning a new number to a vehicle is usually quick and easy with the DVLA’s online service. A registered number plate supplier, such as CarReg, can get your plates made up and delivered to you in just a few days.
Choose Your Personalised Number Plates Carefully
At CarReg, we have a database with millions of personalised numbers, making it easy to find one that suits you and your budget. However, as the above story shows, you can run into problems if anyone finds your number offensive. When choosing your private plates, if you notice anything that might cause offence, you might want to pick a different plate.
