Number of vehicles: cars 773,396 (1989), trucks and buses 133,854 (1989)
Road information: total: 95,736 km; paved: 95,736 km (including 125 km of expressways); unpaved: 0 km (2002)
Irish number plates issued after 1987 are released in the format YY-CC-SSSSSS,
where YY is a 2-digit year identifier (95 for 1995,
03 for 2003 etc), CC is a 1- or 2-character regional
identifier (D for Dublin, SO for Sligo etc), and SSSSSS
is a 1- to 6-digit sequential number, starting from
number 1 and going through to number 999999.
Since 1991, number plates in Ireland have conformed to the European
guidelines, using a blue band to the left of the plate
with the European Union symbol and the country identifer
(IRL). The number plates consist of a white background
with black lettering. A standard number plate font
is not mandatory in Ireland, and the rules simply state
that the number plate must be legible, with size restrictions,
and on a reflective white background.
A registration number remains on the vehicle until it is exported or
destroyed and cannot be transferred to another vehicle.
