Tuesday’s report that the Receiver’s Office had run out of additional 2017 licence plates sparked quite some comment. With three weeks to go before the end-of-February deadline to pay road tax people were wondering how that’s even possible.
To be sure, this issue usually occurs but apparently has never been as bad. One possible explanation is that the plates arrived very early compared to previous years, so that the problem may be felt sooner than normal.
Anyone replacing their car with a new one has now been asked to continue using their old plates rather than asking for new ones. This is probably what most motorists would do and it seems common sense.
Valid reasons for a change include switching to another type vehicle such as from a car with a P or M plate to a truck with a V designation. However, the impression is that many do it just to get a different number.
The latter makes planning difficult, because the 300 additional plates ordered are obviously meant for actual new cases and not to accommodate existing motorists. Registered plates that are not purchased by the end of the month will be sold to others effective March 1, but it’s not clear yet whether that’s enough to clear the current backlog.
Requesting vehicle lease companies to also use the plates of their clients who have such instead of applying for new ones may alleviate the situation a bit, but it would really be best if everybody simply sticks with the plates they already have. After all, what’s in a number?
