summons over 1 missing L-plate?

S

snuffle

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Enquiring on behalf of a friend here - he has been summonsed to court due to one learner plate not being displayed properly - he had the front windscreen learner plate displayed, but his rear one had fallen down.

Obviously he is worried, has anyone had experience of this? Is the case likely to even go ahead, and if so, is he likely to get a hefty fine/endorsement on his licence?

I should add that he is a modified car driver (I know! I know! ) and asuch is forever being pulled over randomly by the cops and has everything checked out by them for no apparent reason other than his car is a modified one. Just thought I'd add that as I would imagine a "normal" driver (like myself for example) would probably be given a verbal warning and the opportunity to replace the sticker that was lying on the backseat...
 
Why on earth should drivers be allowed to drive modified cars in the first instance?

If I open the back of my pc/video/toaster and start tampering with it, I automatically invalidate the machine's warranty and possibly limit my insurance if, for example the "modification" ends up causing a fire or electrocuting someone. I would have thought that basic health and safety considerations would have in this day and age incorporated a similar, basic measure to ban amateurs from tampering with cars, motorbikes etc?
 
A lot of these petrol heads also think that they alone are exempt from other laws governing the use of motor vehicles, such as having number plates which meet the legal requirements, silencers which are not noisy, not having fog lights on when there is no fog etc etc.
 
Thanks for your thoughts on modified cars, but this is the question I was asking?



I mentioned the fact that he drives a mod car purely for the fact that the gardai seem to have been waiting for him to have a tiny slip-up to catch him on, his car is totally legally modified, insured and taxed, not that I'm a fan of them myself, far from it, but if it were me in my "normal car" I would most likely have been warned and told to stick it back up.

Carpenter, thanks for your insights, he does none of these things however, hence the reason he has never been in trouble with the guards before this L-plate incident.

original question still stands - is this likely to result in a court appearance/fine/endorsement for him?
 
I think the reaction to your question says it all. Unfortunately for your friend he will probably be in trouble purely because of what he drives, and as a result how he is perceived because of this.
Just because your friend drives a modified car doesnt mean HE isn't law abiding, but the reputation that mod car drivers have is very bad generally.

as you can tell from previous posters!!

ps. for the record, i dont like them either! (mod cars that is)
 
The modified car is irrelevant in law and your friend should ensure it is not mentioned in court or challenge it (politely) if it is.

His best bet it to plead clemency and point to the minor nature of the offence, won't happen again, first offence (if it is!!) of good character (whatecer that means), etc. etc.

V. good chance he will get the probation act i.e. very minor slap on the wrist with no implications

check that there are no penalty points

Can always appeal if feels sentence is too heavy

NB This post should not be construed as legal advice
 
AFAIK it is against the law to tamper with electrical work in a car if you are not a qualified auto electrician but other than that as ClubMan said; what's the problem? (and I don't like them either, but just because I'm an intolerant and difficult person )
 
snuffle said:
I mentioned the fact that he drives a mod car purely for the fact that the gardai seem to have been waiting for him to have a tiny slip-up to catch him on
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Of course they have, it's a huge conspiracy by the gardai to put your friend behind bars.

There's no point in your friend getting 'worried'. If he has been summoned to court, it's highly likely his license will be endorsed. Just accept the punishment and put the L plates on the car.
 
Thanks to all replies, particularly to Bleary for the link and mmclo for the advice.

Just to point out I am not a fan of mod cars either (as I pointed out in my original post) but while I tut-tut myself when I see them as I am a curmudgeon, if the drivers are law-abiding (and this young chap is, just doesn't have much taste ) I don't see why they should be treated differently to other roadusers.

it's a huge conspiracy by the gardai to put your friend behind bars.
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Thanks for the tip-off and the L-plate which had come unstuck was replaced while stationary after being stopped by the cops, just so you can sleep easy without worrying...

Have to say though if I were getting stopped by the cops twice/three times a week every week to "examine" my car I'd be a bit put out. Hence I don't drive a modified car...let the cops tend to other more pressing issues instead of looking at exhaust pipes.
 
Was your friend driving while accompanied by a fully licensed driver ? Or is he on his second license ? My understanding is that an L driver must be accompanied on first, third & all subsequent provisional licenses. This might be an issue, if he shold have been .
 
SNB
I'm amazed that it took so long for somebody to point out that L platers are usually not permitted to drive on their own. Modified car or not.
 
snuffle said:
he had the front windscreen learner plate displayed, but his rear one had fallen down.
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That's interesting.. how can a sticker fall if it had been stuck properly at the first place? with a bit of help ? or the white part had been cut out

I have never had a sticker fall of any of my cars, being stuck inside or outside...... i guess i must be the exception.
 
In fairness, I was driving with L plates for quite a while and condensation etc. used to make the rear one fall down on a regular basis - it finally ended up being secured with sellotape. Not quite the look a modified car driver might be going for!
 

I don't think this has ever been enforced.

Incidentally, I failed a driving test once as, even though I had a red L on the back window, I did not have a white strip >2cm around the L. Red tape is sometimes superfluous!
 
dontaskme said:
I don't think this has ever been enforced.

Incidentally, I failed a driving test once as, even though I had a red L on the back window, I did not have a white strip >2cm around the L. Red tape is sometimes superfluous!
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Of course, it didn't help when you turned around and punched the tester in the face for being such a pedantic ass
 
gearoidmm said:
Of course, it didn't help when you turned around and punched the tester in the face for being such a pedantic ass
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I actually am not sure which Provisional licence he is on, his first or second. Must ask his father when I see him next. Seeing as he wasn't summonsed for this also I am guessing he wasn't in breach of the regulations.

Driving with a qualified driver is not really enforced "down the counthry" due to the logistics of getting in and out of work every day without having to have your father/other qualified driver sit in the car with you and wait all day til you are finished for him to sit with you driving home again.
Please don't someone suggest public transport - it's non-existant here. Only other option is to sit at home waiting for a driving test appointment and sponge off the dole or mammy and daddy as you can't get into work if you're a young person learning to drive

I do know he's been waiting for a test for months and months at this stage...Don't let's start a debate about how wrong it is for learner drivers to be unaccompanied, I myself would prefer to see a certain amount of driving lessons being compulsory and possibly a learning centre where you can initially learn to drive on private roads as opposed to on public ones in traffic, but that is a long way off, if ever it would happen anyway. Might have meant the young fella that rear-ended me two weeks ago while I was minding my own business stationary in traffic would have known the difference between the accelerator and the brake pedal

And Ciaran, I have to agree with you - I've seen the chap's car, ithe sticker is a normal white square with a red L on it, and as has happened in my own car (Hubby is only learning to drive recently) it can fall off due to condensation etc. Can I just note before some smart*ss comes back with a comment that the unstuck L-plate in my car was immediately noticed and stuck back up! Guess I'm just a pedant about these things.

Dontaskme, a cousin of mine failed her test as the driving instructor emerged from the office and saw her L-plate on the back seat - her little fella had pulled it down without her noticing while she was getting her other little girl out of the car seat to drop off to be minded while she sat her test. Didn't even give her a chance to stick it back up and see if she was really a menace on the roads. He did let her get back in her car unaccompanied after "failing" a driving test and let her straight back out on the road to drive home however....
 
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