What is a Smart Number Plate?
Smart number plates are an innovative advancement in vehicle identification technology.
These plates, also known as smart plates, feature embedded barcodes that can be scanned by police and traffic authorities.
The barcode technology enhances efficiency in law enforcement and traffic management by providing instant access to vehicle information, which includes registration details, owner information, and other relevant data.
Smart plate numbers contribute to streamlined processes for monitoring and regulating traffic, aiding in quick identification of vehicles and ensuring accurate record-keeping.
The integration of barcode scanning technology into license plates represents a modern approach to enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement and improve overall road safety.
Smart Number Plates in Transvaal
The Transvaal provincial authorities have not begun with the implementation of the intelligent number plate system.
A spokesman for the Transvaal Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works Louise Ngo confirms that implementation of the project has not begun.
Announced in 2007 by the committee for public transport the full implementation of the number plates project was scheduled for January 2009, but it has since been subject to several delays.
The electronic smart number plate system will place a number validation label on the rear window of vehicles, along with a bar code that traffic authorities will be able to scan. Number plate makers will also have to be accredited and plates screwed onto vehicles with tamper-proof bolts, to prevent theft.
The fraud-proof plates also form part of the province's R75 million integrated safety and security system. The department hoped the system would curb cases of "vehicle cloning", where standard number plates are fraudulently duplicated and registered, or where fraudulent vehicle registration documents are issued.
The MEC announced the number plate system in his 2006/7 budget speech, saying the system would "increase efficiency and effectiveness in all areas of operation" and "enhance the integrity of vehicle registration compliance and effective law enforcement".
He also stated the government was using technology to provide "an accurate and secure method of vehicle identification and verification to sanitise the current vehicle registration information system".
Ngo also announced the testing of the audit trail of the new number plates � a process which would involve manufacturers and embossers � will be conducted as a six-month pilot project, starting in August 2007. "Full-scale implementation is scheduled for the 1st of January 2008," he stated.
Ngo also warned motorists that there would be additional costs � saying they would have to pay for a new set of smart registration number plates when the new system was introduced, along with a bar code and security feature called the Number Validation Label.
The department also stated it would phase out the current number plate system "over a period of time".