Number Plates News

Number Plate News - March 2012

07 March 2012

Australia

Transport authority VicRoads have fallen foul of their own standards by refusing to sanction a request for the number plate 'AUTISM'.

Patricia Benness, wanted to raise awareness of the disability, suffered by her sons Shane, 8, and Corey, 6, by registering the offending plate. She also tried the variation 'AUTIZM' to no avail.

The licensing authority is entitled to refuse applications for combinations deemed to be, "offensive, a risk to security, sending a negative message about safe driving or road safety or otherwise inappropriate for public display."

However, it has already allowed 'SPAZZ', 'SKITZO' and 'SYCO' and Mrs Benness considers that the department's decision to be somewhat hypocritical.

The State of Queensland, however, displays a more liberal attitude to such things and is currently actively encouraging drivers to display the names of their favourite football teams on their plates under the actual registration. A far cry from the draconian regulations forbidding such devices in the UK.

Malaysia

The Malaysian registration system is due to reach the magic combination 'WWW' soon and demand for the 'Internet Plates' is keen. Numbers like WWW 88 are likely to sell for the equivalent of around £2600. The most expensive Malaysian plate was MCA 1, which went for £63,000 in 2010.

Perhaps surprisingly, there are plenty of UK 'WWW' plates available, including unissued cheap 'prefix' examples like K14 WWW, which are priced for as little as £189. Regtransfers, the UK's largest dealer has plenty of similar examples.

Kenya

Footballer, McDonald Mariga's disregard for the number plate regulations reaches an almost comical level: The Parma FC player bypassed the usual channels and simply put 'MARIGA 17' on his car. [The digits may represent his career goal total to date.]

The Nairobi police were not impressed and have impounded his vehicle.

China

It is not uncommon for drivers, wary of speed cameras, to temporarily disguise their number plates in order to avoid detection. The problem is rife in China, where a particularly misguided individual changed the '1' on his registration to a '7' with a line of toothpaste. The colour was convincing enough but did not fool a local policewoman who simply wiped the material away and dealt the driver a severe penalty.