Honda City driver using non-standard number plate to spell her name stopped by JPJ, receives saman

Non-standard number plates are unfortunately very common in Malaysia, running the gamut from fonts that deviate from the specification to even playing around with the spacing to spell out certain words or names. While enforcement in this country is rather lax, you can still get booked for this sort of tomfoolery, as a motorist in Alor Star found out.

Road Transport Department (JPJ) officials were on their routine beat patrolling the North-South Highway when they spotted a Honda City RS with a non-standard number plate. The driver, who admitted that the number plate modified to spell out her name was a gift from her husband, was stopped at kilometre 49.5 and fined under Rule 6(7) of the Motor Vehicle (Registration and Licensing) Rules 1959.

The rule states that a person using a motor vehicle with a number plate that is not displayed according to the regulations, is blurry or has been left or allowed to not be clearly visible is guilty of an offence and can be compounded not more than RM300.

The director of JPJ Kedah, Stein Van Lutam, said the authorities issued a JPJ (P) 22 notice as well as a notice to inspect the vehicle under Section 61(1) of the Road Transport Act (APJ) 1987. “As such, JPJ Kedah stresses that action will be taken against any individual found violating road rules, regardless of the reason or intention behind the offence,” he told Harian Metro.

Plans are in place to introduce standardised number plates in the future. In September, the ministry of transport and JPJ introduced the JPJePlate, stamped in aluminium with a standard font and spacing to prevent any “adjustments”. The plates, which are issued by a single vendor, Handal Ceria, is currently mandatory for new electric vehicles and will eventually trickle down to all new vehicles.

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