How hard is to find/check a registration?

[classic33]

I ask, because when I explained to the local police how I knew a car was carrying a false plate they seemed to find my simple explanation unbelievable.

Explanation given was that I went via a tyre checker site. Entered the registration, and it brought up the details of the actual vehicle. Confirmed these details via the DVLA website & was able to tell them that the plate in use, did not belong to the vehicle it was on. Registration actually belonged to a motorbike.

There was disbelief on the faces of the officers whilst they were listening, with disbilief on their faces, that the average person in the street could perform such a check, and then inform them that a false plate was used.

Others on here have used similar means, to check a registration. So is it really that hard to check a registration, that the police are not willing to believe you?

 

[screenman]

RTA? surely RTC

 

[screenman]

Apologies, I was thinking road traffic accident.

 

[IncoherentJeff]

Was it a private plate? The database's may not be up to date.

This may be a freak occurrence but...
My friend got pulled over on his motorbike, while talking to the police at the roadside it turned out one of the reasons they'd pulled him over rather than issuing a speeding fine though the post was that when they called in the reg number it came up as a VW.
It's true that the reg was on his VW 5/6 years ago, in fact it had been transferred correctly onto 2 other cars and then held (kept but not registered on a vehicle) before being transferred to his motorbike. Luckily he'd kept a copy of all the transfer paperwork.

However nice one for reporting it and I hope the police take any report seriously!
Driving with dodgy plates is on the rise, I can see us having to pay up front for fuel if it continues.

 

[Maz]

I ask, because when I explained to the local police how I knew a car was carrying a false plate they seemed to find my simple explanation unbelievable.

Explanation given was that I went via a tyre checker site. Entered the registration, and it brought up the details of the actual vehicle. Confirmed these details via the DVLA website & was able to tell them that the plate in use, did not belong to the vehicle it was on. Registration actually belonged to a motorbike.

There was disbelief on the faces of the officers whilst they were listening, with disbilief on their faces, that the average person in the street could perform such a check, and then inform them that a false plate was used.

Others on here have used similar means, to check a registration. So is it really that hard to check a registration, that the police are not willing to believe you?

Interesting.
Did you suspect that this vehicle driver was up to no good?

 

[buggi]

Interesting.
Did you suspect that this vehicle driver was up to no good?

i would think so, why else have false plates? i had a mate who was a bit of a "Top Gear motorhead". he was driving down the road one day and realised the reg plate in front of him was on the wrong model car (ie. it was a 2004 on a 2007 model for instance). so he called the cops and they told him the guy had an arsenal of guns in the boot! Also, its a common fact that most criminals are caught by chance, because they are in a dodgy car (either no insurance or wrong plates). so you should always report something that isn't quite right.

 

[Cubist]

So just to get this straight, you went onto a tyre fitting site and entered the vehicle reg, and it told you that the plate was a motorbike? Yes, I can see how that happened, and you then contacted the DVLA and informed them that the plate for a motorbike was on a different type of vehicle? Again , I can see how that happened. What part were the police struggling with?

Notwithstanding that the plate could have been a cherished transfer that hadn't been properly processed, there's no mystery to the information you were able to access. I take it you weren't able to access the proper keeper details of the false plates were you?

 

[biggs682]

more than likely a cherished number waiting to be finalised across

 

[classic33]

Not a cherished plate as far as I'm aware, its a 62 registration. So still fairly recent.
As for being upto no good, I had my reasons for reporting the vehicle in the first place prior to checking the plate.

 

[classic33]

So just to get this straight, you went onto a tyre fitting site and entered the vehicle reg, and it told you that the plate was a motorbike? Yes, I can see how that happened, and you then contacted the DVLA and informed them that the plate for a motorbike was on a different type of vehicle? Again , I can see how that happened. What part were the police struggling with?

Notwithstanding that the plate could have been a cherished transfer that hadn't been properly processed, there's no mystery to the information you were able to access. I take it you weren't able to access the proper keeper details of the false plates were you?

No I went onto a tyre fitting site, entered the registration details & got the information that the plate belonged on a motorbike. Not that the plate was a bike! The plate was still just a plate

No, "Confirmed these details via the DVLA website".

Explanation given was that I went via a tyre checker site. Entered the registration, and it brought up the details of the actual vehicle. Confirmed these details via the DVLA website & was able to tell them that the plate in use, did not belong to the vehicle it was on. Registration actually belonged to a motorbike.

Simple statement mis-read & we wonder why we have problems.

 

[Cubist]

I'm not arguing with you classic 33 I'm just trying to understand what happened. Please explain how you were able to confirm the fact that the plates belonged to a motorbike via the dvla website. Does it have a search function?
I know you have a spectacularly dim view of the police, but I am simply trying to understand how you got hold of the details you say you have.

 

[Markymark]

Presuambly that's how insurance companies work. Go to their website, enter a car reg and it tells you what make/model it is.

 

[ThinAir]

I'm not arguing with you cyclist33, I'm just trying to understand what happened. Please explain how you were able to confirm the fact that the plates belonged to a motorbike via the dvla website. Does it have a search function?
I know you have a spectacularly dim view of the police, but I am simply trying to understand how you got hold of the details you say you have.

You can search a vehicle on the DVLA website, if you google a search term such as "DVLA DATE OF LIABILITY CHECKER".

Normally you would need make and colour (I think, been a while since I used it myself), coupled with the registration, and you will end up with a list of information about the vehicle, such as cubic capacity, date of first registration etc.

This system exists so that you can check out the vehicle before you buy it, see how much tax it has left etc. good way for the DVLA to get information about the location of untaxed vehicles as well, as I believe there is a reporting function on the site somewhere.

 

[Cubist]

Thank you.

 

[buggi]

Really? The police told some bloke on the phone that the guy in front of him had an arsenal of guns in the boot?

I think I smell something...

no, they found out after.