Strengthening inspection and handling of vehicles with fake license plates

 

 

​The dump truck with a counterfeit military license plate seized by the competent force for handling in accordance with the law.

Inspecting for violation to for detection of fake license plates

At 13:00 on September 8, the special task force of the Provincial Traffic Police Department detected a dump truck with the red number plate KP-2630 with signs of being oversized, overloaded, and unsafe for transport while on duty on National Highway 1K (the section passing Hoa An Ward, Bien Hoa City). Immediately, the competent force asked the driver to stop his truck for inspection, but he disobeyed and drove the vehicle towards Hoa An bridge.

Seeing the driver showed signs of opposition, the traffic police force proceeded the patrol vehicle to the front of the truck to signal it to stop. However, the driver continued to disobey and turned left into a nearby alley. Here, realizing the dead-end alley, the driver operated his truck to dump the rocks on the street and then escaped from the scene.

Immediately after that, the working group cooperated with Hoa An Ward Police to make records of the incident, the scene, violation, and vehicle temporary seizure; and cleared the rocks poured onto the road to ensure that other vehicles could join the traffic.

Also upon inspection, the working group also discovered a truck with the number plate KP-3380 (red plate background) in absence of driver's license and certificate of technical safety and environmental protection and so on. The working group proceeded to make records of violation and temporary detention of vehicles for handling in accordance with the law.

Right after the incident, the provincial police coordinated with the Provincial Military Command to verify that the two license plates above are not in the system for technical means by the armed forces of Military Region 7 and have been removed since 2011. Therefore, if these license plates are still in use, it is definitely a fake one.

In fact, in recent years, there have been many cases of drivers with fake license plates nationwide, especially automobiles with blue plates or using devices to change license plates to deal with functional forces. Therefore, the Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security has directed the national traffic police force to inspect, detect and strictly handle these acts.

A traffic police officer in charge of patrolling and handling traffic violations of the Provincial police said that, for many sophisticated tricks and counterfeiting technology, it is difficult to distinguish between real ones from fake ones with a naked eye. With real number plates (whether white, blue or red plates), the national emblem, surrounded by a blue star, is a clear ray of light, surrounded by a rice flower with clear print. Below the national emblem is a symbol like two inverted C-shapes. The national emblem is also embossed on the back, whereas fake number plates on the front are embossed but the back is not.

“However, only by directly comparing, checking and retrieving vehicle registration documents can it be distinguished. Even the functional forces have to resort to checking engine number and frame number in case of any question", said a traffic police officer.

Necessary to strictly handle violations according to regulations

The Law on Road Traffic 2008 stipulates and prohibits acts of fabricating, using, buying, selling and exchanging number plates of motor vehicles and motorcycles (in Clause 22, Article 8). In addition, Article 17 of the Government's Decree 100/2019/ND-CP dated December 30, 2019 stipulating the sanctioning of administrative violations in the road and railway traffic also provides specific penalties against vehicles with fake license plates.

Specifically, for motorcycles and motorbikes, offenders will be fined from 300 to 400 thousand VND without a license plate (for vehicles with compulsory license plates); inappropriate mounting with a license plate inscribed on the vehicle registration paper; and license plates not issued by the competent authority. In addition, registration papers and license plates will be also confiscated in contravention of regulations.

For automobiles, offenders will be fined 4-6 million VND mounting an inappropriate number plate as in registration certificates or license plates not issued by the competent authority. At the same time, any license plate that is not issued by the competent authority will be confiscated and offenders will be deprived of their driver's license for 1 to 3 months. In particular, cases of using fake license plates to commit illegal acts may be prosecuted for criminal liability in accordance with Article 341 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Under the direction of the Traffic Police Department, for cases of fake license plates, license plate flipping device, invalid license plates or registration certificates, when detected, the police force of traffic will temporarily seize the vehicle, and coordinate with the professional forces to investigate and clarify the motive and purpose for handling according to the provisions of law.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hai Duong, Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Police, said that motor vehicles are subject to registration and mounting of license plates issued by competent state agencies. Cases of license plates not in accordance with the ones registered in vehicle registration certificates, and license plates not issued by a competent authority, upon detection, will be recorded to handle as administrative violations and at the same time to confiscate number plates in accordance with the law.

Concerning this issue, Senior Colonel Le Quang Nhan, Deputy Director of the Provincial Public Security, said that the provincial police instructed the traffic police force to increase their patrolling and strictly handle cases of fake license plates upon detection according to regulations. At the same time, the police also coordinate with relevant agencies in propagating and educating people not to fabricate, use, or buy, sell and exchange fake license plates in contravention of the law.

Le Binh​