I’m an avid reader, but first time poster. Something strange happened today that made me want to post this message seeking help.
Today I was quietly parked in a 30 minute dropoff/pickup area adjacent to an office building in Marcus Clarke St (engine off) waiting for my wife to return from inside the building. I was there only 5 minutes when I noticed a DC plated car behind me waiting for a parking spot next to me. Next to me was a disabled spot and when the occupant exited the DC car must have realised he couldn’t park there himself. At this time there was another car waiting behind the DC car and this was a single lane area, so DC would need to leave the area. Instead, the DC driver reversed a little almost hitting the car behind him and then began shouting at me to leave my spot immediately or he will call the police. Truly bizarre!
I got out of the car to ask him what he wanted and who he was. He was shouting abuse and telling me I need to leave the parking spot right now or he will call the police. I was shocked as anyone would be and asked him who he was (stupidly thinking it may be someone of authority), he replied “I am a Diplomatic staff member” amongst other things, appearing to pull rank on me, as if I was just another Joe Citizen from Australia. Out of fear for my safety I left the parking spot and let him park there not really knowing what to make of the whole situation. Was he on drugs or is this how some diplomats treat citizens of their host country?
I want to make a complaint but don’t know where to start? How do I know which embassy he belonged to, is there a list of DC number ranges somewhere? I can’t find it anywhere.
I know the first 2 digits designate the mission and the last 2 digits the driver.
Does anyone know which country “DC 15” vehicles belong to? I am ready to lodge a formal complaint with someone!
“Out of fear for my safety ”
Funny, but if it happened to me the DC car would have been leaving the carpark feeling the same way if he presented me with such rudeness and threatening behaviour.
Or I would have asked him to contact the Police and, in the interim, I would give DFAT a tinkle on my mobile whilst remaining in situ.
This list is old.
24 Aust
25 Cana
26 Fran
27 Iraq
28 Holy
29 Laos
31 Belg
32 Cypr
33 PNG
34 Jord
35 Viet
36 Chin
37 Yugo
38 Thai
39 Ital
40 Maur
41 Germ
42 Russ
43 Indo
44 Bang
45 Malt
46 Isra
47 Leba
48 Swit
49 USA
50 USA
51 Nige
52 Liby
53 Arge
54 Braz
55 Urug
56 Vene
57 Port
58 Hung
59 Peru
60 Mala
61 Phil
62 UAE
63 S.Kor
64 Ugan
65 Japa
66 Neth
67 Finl
68 Chil
69 Brit
70 Fiji
71 Irel
72 Mexi
73 Egyp
74 Denm
75 Indi
76 SriL
77 Ghan
78 Myan
79 Gree
80 Spai
81 Iran
82 Paki
84 Sing
85 Turk
86 Norw
87 S.Afr
88 Pola
89 N.Zea
90 Swed
91 Zamb
93 Keny
94 Zimb
96 Czec
97 Brun
99 Alge
100 IceL
p1 said :
Let’s get Sam here – he’d straighten everybody out and make them drive in the correct lane (whichever one that might be). And if we arm him appropriately he might put some fear into those DC drivers, who mostly couldn’t drive a soapy finger up a dog’s arse.
When you make an assumption, you make an ass out of you and umption”.
– Samuel L mutha f**ker Jackson.
motleychick said:
“Were you driving in the right lane for no reason or were you actually overtaking people?”
Who said anything about driving in the right lane? I was in the middle lane of three. I was overtaking a car in the left lane, and something was just forward of me on the right. This idiot just happened to come up behind me and start beeping. And when I did not drive like an idiot, they swerved through traffic in the right side lane, into the bus lane and then across all three lanes of traffic into the left lane.
You really should not jump to conclusions. As they said in the movies, “Assumption is the mother of all F@#-ups”.
Erg0 said :
I used to remember a whole bunch of these. Might not be entirely accurate.
24 – Austrians
25 – Canadians
26 – French
41 – Germans
42 – Russians
48 – Swiss
49 – Americans
50 – Americans
80 – Spanish
69 – Brits and 65 – Japanese as previously mentioned.
Davo111 said :
These orders are made through Court and they require a more substantial reason than payback for a dispute over a parking space.
I’ve done some extensive googling, and while I am amazed at the number of web forums (fora, for the pedants out there) dedicated to number plates, I have been unable to find a list of which numbers equal which diplomatic missions.
Oops, bit late to the party with that information. At least I can verify that Wikipedia has it right about the UK number.
majorLazer said :
Wikipedia says that they were all reallocated by ballot at some point, which I’d tend to believe since I saw a British car this morning with a prefix of 69.
Woody Mann-Caruso said :
That’s quite an assumption there. I’m actually a very good driver. It has nothing to do with the colour of my car. I drove the same when I owned a pink car, green car and sadly, a red car.
We used to have a complete list of the DC number assignments taped to the centre console of our family car. I am completely remiss as to what happened to it, as we kids used to love looking out for the blue plates and then guessing / confirming which country they were from. I think (don’t quote me though) that USA was 49 and 51.
Hahaha yeah it does – why do you ask?
Just chalking up another point for my latest cognitive bias – that women who own black cars have the same ‘something to prove’ syndrome afflicting many 17 year old boys, and drive accordingly – aggressively, and badly.
Davo111 said :
Probably wont work, you dont have the drivers name, just a rego plate.
It would then be up to you to prove who was driving at the time & if its a pool car then that will be more difficult than proving what football player touched up which girl in a motel room last night.
Woody Mann-Caruso said :
Hahaha yeah it does – why do you ask?
The DC/DX numbering system is both based on when the diplomatic mission was set up ie early missions got to choose their own number while the rest were done according to alphabetical order although there are discrepancies where a certain country request a particular code. DC is for higher ranked diplomats while DX for official staff. Except for the american/LHD drivers most DC platers drive pretty decently, they too have to pass the test 😀
DFAT will be a better source of the system but just so you guys know, the number is not the same in every country.
In the US the system is CD(car diplomatic) and has different numbers to most countries here except China(superstition!)
EDIT: Perhaps go to the police and get an AVO out against the driver. Thats the only way i can think you would get anything out of this.
I cant believe you left the spot *sigh*. Should have told him to call the police, or got in your car, locked the door, called the police and said you were being harassed by someone.
Doing anything now is pointless. Dont waste your time
If it’s the part of Marcus Clarke Street that I think it, you were actually in diplomatic parking reserved for members of the Nepali embassy.
Was it this parking spot?