Arizona Announces Fines For Illegal Plates

Here in the UK, the rules regarding the display of number plates often get abused. I regularly see logos on number plates and crazy fonts that look like they've been designed by a drunkard who's just got off a roundabout. (Not a bad analogy there, I think. I've often found myself in the most unlikely of destinations while influenced by a few too many hits of the old vodka!)

Anyway, to get to my point. While some of us moan about possible fines and how strict the UK regulations are, it seems that other countries are beginning to tighten up on their rules too. Well, they are in the state of Arizona anyway. Over there, number plates frames are often put on to car registrations. Why? Well, drivers use them to display a certain message, or slogan. In some cases, it may show support for a particular sports team or charity.

Well, some citizens of Arizona are currently outraged at the announcement by the state's Department of Motor Vehicles that licence plate frames are more often than not obscuring registration numbers, as well as the 'Arizona' mark. As a result, come January '09, fines of around $130 will be issued to offending drivers. That's about 79 quid.

Well, I have to say that it's only sensible really. Drivers are being given a fair bit of time to make sure their registration numbers are clear, so I don't get what the fuss is about really. Safety on the roads is more important than showing that you support your local hockey team.

At least we don't need to worry about that sort of thing here in Britain. We know that it's far better to hunt down the perfect cherished number plate to display any messages we might have.

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