Licence plates set to change for SA drivers

The Department of Transport has revealed pictures of how the new licence plates for South Africans will look. The new plates have to be renewed every five years according to the Department.

Here are the new regulations of the new plates:

• SABS certification below the licence mark of the province.
• Four-dimensional bar code with QR code.
• The abbreviated name of the manufacturer of the blank number plate.
• The unique non-transferable of the blank number plate.

The new plates also have a colour code and here's what they mean?

  • Black - public transport vehicles.
  • Blue - general vehicles and personalised number plates.
  • Red - government vehicles.
  • Green - diplomatic vehicles.

The new plates must include:

  • SA flag on the top left corner.
  • Licence number and licence mark of the province.
  • The name of the province under the SA flag, and centred on top of the number plate.

General and personalised number plates - Blue

Public transport number plates - Black

Government number plates - Red

Diplomatic number plates - Green

Police number plates - Blue

Positive and negatives for changing plates according to Justice Project South Africa chairman Howard Dembovsky reported by MyBroadband:

Positives

• Metal number plates don’t melt as easily as plastic plates in a fire/accident.
• Retro-reflective sheeting used on number plates generally has a lifespan of five years – replacing plates every five years will keep them visible.
• Standardising South Africa’s number plates is way overdue. South Africa is a country, not a federation of states.

Negatives

• The QR barcode will most likely only be of benefit to the companies who generate them or sell equipment to read them. It is unlikely most traffic officers will have “4D QR barcode” readers.
• There is no indication whether licensing authorities will charge an additional fee for number plate renewal. If they do charge, this can only be regarded as a stealth tax.
• Motorists will have to spend more on their vehicles, but if you amortise the cost of a set of new plates (around R250) over 5 years, no one should complain too much.

Do you think this is an effective way of curbing crime?

Read the final report from the Department of Transport