Personalised Plates

I always like to work out what a personalised plate is an abbreviation for. I’m not always that good at it though. When I lived in Island Bay, our neighbours had a number plate of 1CYRMU 1CYMRU. I spent literally several years wondering what it stood for. I could work out it was I See Why “M” Are You, but the M made no sense and almost every day as I walked past it, I wondered what the M meant.

Finally I discovered that CYRMU CYMRU is the Welsh word for Wales, and as the family was Welsh, it suddenly made sense!

Now the Dom Post today reports:

Threatening the police, insulting ACC and advertising drugs are out. But labelling yourself a killer, railing against the IRD and calling yourself “one badass” are still OK on the roads.

Personalised number plates pulled off cars for being too offensive include DRGDLR, QUICKE and RNUDWN, according to Transport Agency records provided under the Official Information Act.

If the Dom Post did not mention drugs, I am not sure I would have caught on to DRGDLR.

Potentially offensive plates have become more of an issue since 2001. when number plates began including three letters.

Since then, the NZTA has banned at least 25 three-letter combinations, including plates beginning with ARS, BUM, CUN, DUM, FAK, FAT and FUZ.

These were chosen “because they are considered as either likely offensive or undesirable by a large number of vehicle owners”, said NZTA transport registry centre manager Brett Dooley.

I wonder if one is allowed FRACK?