Spotted this car near Hussain Sagar last Monday. What is so special about it? Have a look at these 2 photos. If nothing strikes your mind look at the digitally zoomed in image below.I hope you get it right.
What grabbed my attention and made me take a photo was the number plate of this vehicle. I had some important work to be finished at office next day, so couldn’t risk my life taking a closer picture of a moving vehicle from another moving vehicle. (Driving and Photographing is dangerous). Regrets for the distortions in the digitally zoomed image below.
Can you read the number place? I couldn’t at the first look, and could interpret it only from a close look.
First: This car violates the basic rule of black digits on a white background. Second: The number plate defies the very purpose of having it. The strange font used makes it impossible for anyone to identify the vehicle during an accident or during traffic rules violation.
If there is a loophole, there’re people who will be happy to exploit the same. As far as I know, there’s no restrictions/guidelines available on the font to be used in number plates and their font size range. AP Transport Department official website as well as Govt of India Motor Vehicles Act 1988 doesn't speak about this aspect of how the numbers should be displayed.
Below is the exact text taken from Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
"The registering authority shall assign to the vehicle, for display thereon, a distinguishing mark (in this Act referred to as the registration mark) consisting of one of the groups of such of those letters and followed by such letters and figures as are allotted to the State by the Central Government from time to time by notification in the Official Gazette, and displayed and shown on the motor vehicle in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government."
It does not mention about the nature of font, number plate size (in inches, if not in pixels), font size, readability etc.
So exploiting this flaw, the owner of the vehicle shown above has prepared his number plate using some strange fonts, an imaginary replica is below (made using MS Paint). The number is something like ap2QQ9900.
So I’m permitted to use any font. If I can convince the cops that “Wingdings” is a font available in Windows, I can very well use Wingdings for registration number…
Photo upload courtesy: VCM
June update: Spotted another similar vehicle, this time Skoda..Logesh, your comment appears to be valid...
Related: Tips and Tricks on surviving traffic police in India
What grabbed my attention and made me take a photo was the number plate of this vehicle. I had some important work to be finished at office next day, so couldn’t risk my life taking a closer picture of a moving vehicle from another moving vehicle. (Driving and Photographing is dangerous). Regrets for the distortions in the digitally zoomed image below.
Can you read the number place? I couldn’t at the first look, and could interpret it only from a close look.
First: This car violates the basic rule of black digits on a white background. Second: The number plate defies the very purpose of having it. The strange font used makes it impossible for anyone to identify the vehicle during an accident or during traffic rules violation.
If there is a loophole, there’re people who will be happy to exploit the same. As far as I know, there’s no restrictions/guidelines available on the font to be used in number plates and their font size range. AP Transport Department official website as well as Govt of India Motor Vehicles Act 1988 doesn't speak about this aspect of how the numbers should be displayed.
Below is the exact text taken from Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
"The registering authority shall assign to the vehicle, for display thereon, a distinguishing mark (in this Act referred to as the registration mark) consisting of one of the groups of such of those letters and followed by such letters and figures as are allotted to the State by the Central Government from time to time by notification in the Official Gazette, and displayed and shown on the motor vehicle in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government."
It does not mention about the nature of font, number plate size (in inches, if not in pixels), font size, readability etc.
So exploiting this flaw, the owner of the vehicle shown above has prepared his number plate using some strange fonts, an imaginary replica is below (made using MS Paint). The number is something like ap2QQ9900.
So I’m permitted to use any font. If I can convince the cops that “Wingdings” is a font available in Windows, I can very well use Wingdings for registration number…
Photo upload courtesy: VCM
June update: Spotted another similar vehicle, this time Skoda..Logesh, your comment appears to be valid...
Related: Tips and Tricks on surviving traffic police in India
i think the car owner must be highly influential person to have this kind of number plates not even minding about cops and rules..
ReplyDeleteHI Logesh..
ReplyDeleteIf he was rich and influential he wouldn't be using an entry level Tata Indica...he would have bought a bigger car...
Still the possibility you mentioned can't be ruled out
It could be the cook or servant of an influential person :-p
ReplyDeletepossible...
ReplyDeleteTHANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT THERE IS NO RULE REG. SIZE AND FONT SIZE FOR NUMBER PLATES.. NOW I CAN USE THE CRAZIEST OF FONTS FOR MY NEW INNOVA..
ReplyDelete