Number’s up for some as DVLA bans iffy plates
THE DVLA has announced a new raft of rude and controversial number plates that it has banned from being used on British roads.
Every March and September, the organisation blacklists certain number plates to stop mischievous drivers from displaying swear words or rude phrases at the front and rear of their vehicles. Among those banned are references to Covid-19 such as “CO22 ONA” and those which could be deemed offensive.
More than 300 number plates in total have been banned by the Swanseabased DVLA, and the updated list comes as new rules are implemented regarding number plates in general.
Plates now have to abide by higher durability standards, meaning they have to be resistant to salt and dirt.
Meanwhile, two-tone number plates will be banned, enabling Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to pick up lettering more easily. And newly registered cars will now be given “22” plates, as opposed to “71”, as was the case previously.
Some of the number plates banned from the roads by the DVLA for 2022 include: BT22 CHY DR22 NK TU22 URD CO22 ONA CO22 VD YE22 WAR CO22 RNA SA22 TEN GO22 HLL A spokesman for the DVLA said: “The vast majority of registration numbers are made available but the agency holds back any combinations that may cause offence, embarrassment, or are in poor taste.
“Many people enjoy displaying a personalised registration number and there are over 50 million registrations available on our website with almost endless possibilities of combinations to suit a person’s taste, interests and budget.”