Number of vehicles: cars 5,509,000 (1990), trucks and buses 555,000 (1990)
Road information: total: 116,500 km; paved: 104,850 km (including 2,235 km of expressways); unpaved: 11,650 km (1999)
Number plates in Holland are assigned to the car's identity papers,
and number plates stay with cars as opposed to the
owners. However, if the car undergoes technical changes,
the number plate must also be changed. The number plates
bear no relation to the issuing authority.
Black letters are used on a reflective yellow background, with the previous
series using reflective white letters on a dark blue
background. The number scheme remains the same.
On Dutch number plates, the letters A, E, I, O and U are obmitted to
avoid obscene words being created. W and M are avoided
to aid legibility, and C and Q are not used as they
may be confused with the number zero. As of recent
years, the letter Y is no longer used, and the blue
background has been reintroduced for taxi number plates.
