Many Malaysians have become accustomed to getting themselves fancy and customised number plates for their vehicles, and now, JPJ Malaysia (Road Transport Department) is apparently going to enforce the use of standardised licence plates for vehicles in the second half of 2016.
According to the Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi, JPJ will implement a centralised production scheme for the licence plates, using metal plates that are stamped. This installation will be mandatory for new vehicles soon, and will later be compulsory for existing vehicles within the next five years.
There are at least 18 million active registered vehicles in Malaysia, and authorised agents in every district will ensure that the number plates are produced in accordance to JPJ’s specifications. These agents will also have to use JPJ’s MySikap online registration system to ease supervision of the production and facilitate better management.
New vehicle buyers will get the new licence plates at no extra cost, and JPJ is reportedly requesting for government funding to cover the licence plate replacement costs for existing cars.
This move is done in the interest of road safety, public security, and errant motorists who have slipped past the Automated Enforcement System (AES) camera detection, according to Aziz.
