The Federal Road Safety Corps in Niger State on Monday said lamination of vehicle number plates by motorists to protect it from harsh weather was a traffic offence.
FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Corps Commander Ogochukwu Ugboma, who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent said the plastic lamination made it difficult to identify the markings on the plate.
“It is a traffic offence for unauthorised person to cover the number plate of his vehicle,’’ he said.
Ugboma said anybody covering his number plate without authorisation would be made to face the wrath of the law.
“It is only some individuals and organisations that are allowed to cover their number plates for security reason,” he said.
He explained that the number plates of vehicles on the road were supposed to be identified easily from a distance.
“The security challenges we have now is part of the reasons why number plates should not be covered,’’ he said
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The sector commander warned vehicle owners, especially commercial vehicles, to desist from the act or be ready to face the law.
He advised motorists to always use their seat belts while on the road, saying the measure had reduced road traffic crashes across the country by 50 per cent.
Alhaji Umaru Mohammed, a commercial driver at the Abdulsalami Abubakar motor park in Minna, who fixed the plastic on his number plate, told our correspondent that the plastic lamination protected the colour from fading out.