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Oil Motorists to pay R800 to fit new vehicle number plates
January 21, 2009 Edition 2
Barry Bateman
PRETORIA: Alleged apathy by the motor industry may cost motorists thousands of rand when they have to refit their new vehicles with number plates in accordance with new legislation.
The legislation, which was gazetted last year, states that all vehicles across the country registered as of January 1 this year must be fitted with new embossed aluminium number plates affixed with rivets or one-way self-tapping screws.
These new plates can be affixed to the actual body of the vehicle, or on to a metal re-enforced holding bracket which is attached to the vehicle in such as way that it cannot be removed while the number plate is affixed to it.
Failure to do so may result in the vehicles being deemed unroadworthy and the owners slapped with hefty traffic fines.
A Pretoria number plate manufacturer - or embosser as they are known in the industry - said in that city alone hundreds of new vehicles had already been registered after the January 1 date and fitted with the old acrylic plates.
"Those vehicles would be deemed unroadworthy because they do not comply with the regulations," Automobile Association spokesperson Gary Ronald said.
"A traffic officer could issue a fine and a notice for the discontinuation of the use of the vehicle."
Motorists would ultimately have to comply with the legislation, but at a cost. The acrylic plates cost a motorist about R200 for a set while the new aluminum plates, including the mounting brackets, cost about R800 a set.
Ronald said the motive behind the new plates was to prevent vehicle crime because, among other reasons, it made it more difficult for criminals to clone vehicles.
"We have not been instructed on what the new specifications are so we are printing the plates as we have done in the past," one sales manager said. "But we are concerned this might cause problems for our clients."
A woman at a luxury car dealership said they were still in the process of inquiring about what was required in terms of the legislation.
The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA could not be reached for comment.
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