Kochi cracks down on trucks concealing number plates

Kakkanad: The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has launched a drive to nab goods lorries that conceal their rear number plates to escape after road accidents. This trick is meant to help drivers avoid identification and punishment after the hit-and-run incidents, officials said.

Many trucks entering Kerala from other states have number plates that are difficult to read. During a recent inspection in Kochi, officials caught two such vehicles with their rear number plates covered and imposed fines.

Officials said that the number plates are concealed usually after the vehicle registration. The crash guards fixed to the back of lorries are often used to obscure the plates — deliberately positioned so the numbers are unreadable, according to MVD officials.

A majority of trucks on national highways reportedly run with such hidden or partially covered rear number plates. This makes it difficult for police to trace vehicles involved in accidents, as only other physical clues are left behind. The numbers can be read only if the lorry is stopped and examined closely.

Another tactic is to cover the plate by installing decorative metal grills in front of it. The MVD is also taking action against vehicles which makes the number plates in style or artistically alter it, making digits like 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 hard to read, according to vehicle inspectors.

In view of these violations, the department has decided to intensify checks focusing on number plates. Since the fine under Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act is too low, officials have decided to invoke Sections 39 and 192, allowing fines ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.