Drivers use many ways to change license plates to avoid fines

A fine is a form of handling violations after a certain period of time has passed. With this form of fine, the owners of the violating vehicles are not immediately handled, but the images of the violation will be recorded by a camera system installed on the street and sent to the processing center.

Therefore, drivers use white paint, tape, decals, paper clips, mud, medical masks... to partially cover or change information on license plates. This is an act that some traffic participants are doing to avoid being fined by cameras. They often hide license plates by changing the letter F to E, the number 0 to 8, or the letter C to O.

This causes a lot of difficulties for the authorities in the process of sending violation notices to vehicle owners. In particular, it also poses many unpredictable dangers for security and order investigations (criminal tracking) and traffic accidents. And below are images of vehicle owners trying to hide license plate information, in order to avoid responsibility for traffic violations.

Dissatisfied with this phenomenon, Mr. TB, residing in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi, said: "Cases like this need to be severely punished because from the moment they intentionally put up black tape and decals to hide their real license plates, they have shown contempt for the law. There have even been some cases where drivers covered their license plates, caused accidents and then fled, making it difficult to find the culprit even with recorded images. Indeed, this is an irresponsible act towards the community."

Sharing the same opinion, Ms. PH, a member of a famous domestic auto forum, said: "If this situation continues, many people will have to spend time explaining traffic violations that they did not cause. Even if they cannot prove it, they will face the risk of being held responsible for this behavior."

Since the beginning of this year, the fine for "modifying" license plates has also increased compared to the original. According to Clause 9, Article 2 of Decree 123/2021/ND-CP, drivers of cars (including trailers or semi-trailers towed along) and vehicles similar to cars will be fined from 4,000,000 - 6,000,000 VND if they drive a vehicle without a full license plate or a license plate in the wrong position; a license plate with unclear letters or numbers; a license plate that is bent, covered, or damaged; paints or adds stickers that change letters, numbers, or change the color of letters, numbers, or the background of the license plate.

Although Decree 123/2021/ND-CP took effect from January 1, 2022, some drivers still unintentionally violated it and some were subject to the highest fines. Therefore, drivers need to ensure this regulation to ensure traffic safety for themselves and those around them.