Is This The Future of Personalised Number Plates

Reg Plates Article

Is This The Future of Personalised Number Plates

Drivers in Dubai may soon be using digital number plates under new plans.

In a trial starting next month, vehicles will be fitted with smart plates with digital screens, GPS and transmitters.

The new plates will be able to inform emergency services if a driver has an accident.

Dubai has recently spearheaded a number of new transport initiatives as it seeks to become an international technology hub.

What are the advantages of the plates?
According to Sultan Abdullah al-Marzouqi, the head of the Vehicle Licensing Department at Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the plates will make life easier for drivers in Dubai.

As well as contacting the police and ambulance services if the vehicle is involved in a collision, the technology allows real-time communication with other drivers about traffic conditions or any accidents ahead.

The number plates can also change to display an alert if the vehicle or digital plate is stolen.

Payment for fines, parking fees or renewing registration plates will be automatically deducted from users' accounts. Number plates can also be changed using the RTA's app or website.

What is being tested?
According to Sultan Abdullah, the trial will work out any potential technological glitches caused by Dubai's desert climate.

It is not clear how much the plates will cost, with Sultan Abdullah saying that the final cost of the project will only be known after the trial ends in November.

However, the technology allows the transport authorities to track drivers, raising potential issues surrounding privacy and information security.

Dubai is continuing its drive to become one of the most advanced cities in the world when it comes to transportation.

As well as pioneering the use of taxi drones, the metropolis is also looking at extending communications technology in standard cars.

Under new plans, digital licence plates could be fitted to cars in order to automatically inform the emergency services in case of an accident.

The plates would be connected to GPS transmitters inside the car and inform not only emergency services and the police in the event of an accident, but also other road users to warn them of traffic disruption.

Sultan Abdullah al-Marzouqi, the head of the Vehicle Licensing Department at Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said that the plates will make life easier for drivers in Dubai.

Automatic parking fine payment
The digital number plates would be synced up to a user's account so that any outstanding parking fees, road fines or licence plate renewals would be automatically deducted.

The plates could also change to display a special alert or some other form of warning if they're stolen.

It's not clear how much the plates will cost, but according to Sultan Abdullah, they are currently being tested. The trial is set to run until November and will find out how the technology works with Dubai's desert climate.

Naturally, there are some privacy concerns as the plates could possibly be used by the authorities to track drivers.

So what are the top selling number plates in the UK? The DVLA has been selling private plates to UK motorists since 1989. During this time, there have been a number of records set, but most of the top 10 have been bought in the past 15 years. Here’s what currently makes the list:

25 0 – A Ferrari dealer bought this for £518k in 2014. It is now on a £10 million Ferrari 250 SWB.
F 1 – A businessman, Afzal Khan, bought this for £440k in 2008 and put it on his McLaren-Mercedes SLR.
S 1 – This was bought in 2008 for £404k by an anonymous buyer.
1 D – Businessman Nabil Bishara bought this plate in 2009 (before One Direction was formed, so it is not a reference to the band) for £352k.
M 1 – Businessman Mike McCoomb bought this number plate in 2006 for £331k, apparently for his son, who was 10 at the time.
VIP 1 – Chelsea owner and businessman Roman Abramovich bought this plate for £285k in 2006.
51 NGH – This number plate, which looks like the surname Singh, was sold in 2006 for £254k.
1 RH – Businessman Robert Haverson bought this in 2006 for £247k.
K1 NGS – This reg plate, which looks like the word “kings”, was bought anonymously in 1993 for £231k.
1 0 – This very simple but striking number plate was bought anonymously in 2009 for £170k.

These are large amounts of money, but they are all small compared to the top-selling number plates found in other parts of the world. Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, has the record for the most expensive number plate ever sold. That number plate was a simple “1”. It was bought in 2008 by businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri for £7.25 million.

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