Number Plates

Number Plates – Some Basic Information

We have all seen number plates on vehicles. Here is some basic information on the history of number plates, its legal requirements and its design features.

What Is A Number Plate?

A number plate is also called a vehicle registration plate. It has the vehicle’s registration number, which is unique to each vehicle, written on a plastic or a metallic plate attached to a vehicle for official identification.

A Brief History Of Number Plates

Netherlands was the first country to introduce a number plate in 1898. They called the number plate a "driving permit". Since then, number plates have been an integral part of automobiles and will continue to remain so as long as the latter will exist on the face of Earth. Initially, number plates varied in size and shape and there were no hard and fast rules in place. Standardisation of number plates came into being in 1957, when automobile manufacturers came into an agreement with governments and international standards organisation. Vehicle registration plates in each country have its own unique features that are stipulated by the laws of the land. Number plates for international vehicles are governed by codes maintained by the United Nations. A supplementary number plate, displaying the country code in bold block upper case, is also attached at the rear end of a vehicle that travels across various countries.

What purpose does a number plate serve?

A number plate provides a unique identification of the vehicle within the issuing authority's purview. In some countries, number plates provide unique identification for a vehicle within the whole country. A vehicle is provided with a unique identification through an alphanumeric code that indicates that there is one and only one vehicle with that code. The code provides records of the vehicle type and model, year of registration, owners name and address and various other important data.

Is Attaching The Number Plate Mandatory?

It is absolutely a must in all countries. However, the specific legal requirements as to how a number plate should be designed and displayed on a vehicle vary from place to place.

Legal Requirements In The United Kingdom

Number plates in the United Kingdom have existed since 1904. It is mandatory to attach number plates on all vehicles, except on official cars of the reigning monarch.

The current system of number plates in Great Britain was introduced in 2001.The officially permitted requirements stipulate that each number plate should have seven characters. The characters starting from left to right should be as follows.

• A two letter area code; the first letter pertaining to the region and the second to the local registration office.
• A two digit (numeric) age identifier. This is generally the last two digits of the year of registration, for example, "04" for 2004.
• A random three letter sequence for unique identification.
• The entire seven digit code is prefixed by EU country identifier, which is optional. A number plate is designed with black lettering on a white or yellow background in conformity with the 1998 European standard design.

Advantages of this System:

• A second hand buyer can determine the year of registration by looking at the two digit age identifier.
• It has provision to accommodate sufficient numbers till 2050.
• In case of theft or crime, the first two digits (area code) can provide vital clues to the police.

The future is set to see more advanced features in a number plate design.