Personalised Plates Announced

THE Ministry of Public Works and Transport has proposed introducing personalised license plates in Cambodia next year in a bid to raise funds for the government and road safety projects, officials said.

“We have a draft to make personalised licence plates available for clients, but we need the government to approve it first,” Preap Chanvibol, the director of the Ministry’s Department of Land Transport, said on Tuesday. “But now we plan to make money for the government by collecting funds from personalised licence plates.”

According to the proposal, clients would be able to place any name or number on a personalised licence plate. Half the revenue would go to the state, while the other half would go towards road safety projects, Preap Chanvibol said.

Sann Socheata, road safety programme manager at Handicap International, confirmed that a meeting had taken place yesterday with ministry officials to discuss details of the proposed project.

“The funding will go to road safety projects in general, including public education, enforcement and capacity building programmes,” Sann Socheata said yesterday, adding that the plan, if approved, will be incorporated into the Cambodia National Road Safety Action Plan 2011-20.

“It has been submitted to Prime Minister Hun Sen for approval and should be implemented early next year in March or April, but no one can confirm the exact date as we are still waiting for approval,” Sann Socheata said.