The Importance of clean Number Plates

The idea of Number Plates, even personalised ones, is primarily to act as an identifying mark for your car. If you’re involved in an accident, or are the victim of a crime such as car theft, or even when you’re just renewing your insurance, your number plate is necessary to make sure your car can be tracked and ensures that everybody is on the same page. In certain weather conditions, however, that may become harder, as your license plate can become obscured by a whole number of factors.

One that becomes a particular problem in the winter months is snow and ice. If you have too much of either of these, sticking to your license plate then it can be much harder for people to read it and for it to be seen on both still and moving images. It’s not just snow or ice sticking to the plate that you have to worry about in cold months though. If the roads were covered in snow that have now melted, or they have been gritted and this has mixed with some water, the slush can be sprayed over your vehicle by those that pass it or those that you are following. You’ll most likely have noticed this on your windscreen whilst you’re driving, but it’s worth making sure your number plates are still visible, either by pulling over and checking them on longer journeys or making sure you wipe them clean at the end of shorter ones.

It’s not just cold weather that causes problems with visibility though. Dry weather in particular, (when there is a lot of dust in the air) can also cause problems.

Everybody has noticed how their car can collect large amounts of dust sometimes, and this can obscure registration plates just as easily as the previously mentioned ice and snow.

If there is a large amount of rain, particularly after a dry, dusty period like that described above, then you may suddenly find your car caked in mud; mud which, rather unsurprisingly, can obscure your license plate. Again, checking your car repeatedly on long journeys and at the end of short journeys should ensure your plates remain visible.

Some people might see a benefit in having their number plates obscured, but if they are illegible, you’re driving illegally. For those with Cherished Number Plates there’s the added issue of other people not being able to read the plate, and then what’s the point of it?