If you thought that making your vehicle number plates fancy was cool and creative, think again. For, in a few days time, you might just find yourself in the Chennai City Traffic Police’s (CCTP) firing line for just that.
Irked by the increasing number of motorists getting away with accidents thanks to fancy unreadable number plates, the CCTP has decided to take stringent measures against the practice.
In a statement, the CCTP noted that in recent times motorists failed to follow the regulations with respect to the Number Plate norms. Vehicles have number plates in non-prescribed sizes and fancy letters, which make it difficult for the traffic police to identify the registration number of vehicles involved in accidents and traffic violations. This has led to a situation wherein compensation for victims of accidents and conviction of offenders are delayed.
It is to overcome this that it has been decided to take up strict implementation of the Number Plate norms under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.
The CMV rules have strict norms on every aspect of the number plate including background colour, size and spacing of letters and numerals on the number plate.
Motorcycles, three -wheelers and other vehicles of varying capacity are also provided with specific number plate formats under the CMV Rules.
In the case of private vehicles, the background colour of the number plate must be white, while the letters and numerals must be in black. In the case of commercial vehicles, meanwhile, the background colour of the number plate must be yellow and the letters and numerals must be in black. The traffic police have also decided to clamp down on fancy symbols, pictures and letters that are not specified in the under the registration letters and numerals in Sec 50 and 51 of the CMV.
The motorists have been allowed a time period of one week to rectify their defective number plates. Thereafter vehicles violating the norms will be persecuted as per the CMV rules.