'hree million ways o make your mark
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
UGGESTIONS have recently aen invited for a new system of ,gistration marks starting on anuary 8, 1983.
Originally it was intended then 'have the year letter first, ving registration marks such A123 ABC.
The following series of marks, Dwever, would last for at least ) years at 3m new registrations ar annum, yet have a
laximum of six characters in ach and be conveniently :table on the rear of lotorcycles.
Taking the county letter group A as an example, one would ,rm the three sub-series Al AA to Y99 YAA, AAA IAA to AA 9YY then AA1 AAA to YY9 AA.
The total pool of about 500 }unty letter groups would have be equitably distributed nong the regions for this :heme to have its maximum e-time.
Or else these marks could be sued from one centre in imerical and alphabetical -der for the whole of Great -itain so that the first and last ark issued each year would dicate the age of any vehicle ith marks thus issued. Cherished numberplates )uld be made transferable only new unregistered vehicles, 3m the stock of unused marks 3ril scrapped vehicles only. lus, marks no longer on :ensed vehicles; nor on :hides in museums
omputers should facilitate the orage of such archives) could I be made available as lerished marks.
If tradeplates always had a ro as the first figure, for :ample 01 AAA to 099 YAA and kA 01 to YAA 099, then regions ould be free to have available arks of types 1A to 9999A and kA to 9999AA as cherished arks. The administration of cherished marks would thus be simplified because they, like other marks, would be on one vehicle during its lifetime.
Foreign vehicles temporarily brought into Britain could continue to carry marks of the series QA1 to 0Y9999 in a very slow repeating cycle, begun in 1923, which has not yet begun to repeat itself. Such vehicles could also have marks Q1 to Q9999.
Diplomatic and consular vehicles could carry similar marks of the series AQ1 to PQ9999 and RQ1 to YQ9999.
All marks, including cherished' marks, could be engraved on a vehicle's chassis, to help to identify vehicles with false or missing numberplates. WILLIAM BAXTER Aberystwyth Dyfed