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Why you Should not Drive your Car with Temporary License Plate?

​When it comes to road safety, the safer is always better. To ensure maximum safety of the citizens, the government of India has certain rules and codes of conduct that are compulsory to be followed by every vehicle owner. Whether you like it or not, it is beneficial for everyone. 

In India, all the vehicles of the country need to be registered under the Motor Vehicles Act (1988) and Central Motor Vehicle Rules (1989). This is to ensure that all vehicles are registered with the national vehicle register. Possession of any unregistered motor vehicle is downright illegal. Along with the norm of registration, there are some other rules that are a must to follow on the Indian roads. 

One of such rules that frequently cause confusion and ambiguity is about the license plates. People got away with driving around with A/F marked number plates for months, even years before getting a permanent one. But it would no longer be the same. Recently, the Ministry of Vehicle, Road, and Highways issued a notice clarifying that temporary license stickers marked 'A/F' are illegal and will continue to be so.   

Read on to find out why. 

A/F stands for 'Applied For' for the registration number. This sticker was supposed to be used in place of license plate in the passage between buying a car and getting the registration number. Temporary license plates are used for the same purpose. This provision was made because years ago, it took a month to get the registration number and a permanent license plate. However, that span has been reduced to a week, hence eliminating the need of using these temporary fixes. 

Moreover, people had started exploiting this freedom and flaunted these temporary license plates for unlimited periods. Some people also started using such cars for criminal activities and smuggling goods. The anonymity made the car non trackable. 

To end these activities and ensure uniformity in the cars, the ministry made it illegal to use A/F stickers or temporary number plates on Indian roads. This rule also states that any individual found bribing the police or making excuses regarding the number plate will be heavily fined, and might even be imprisoned. 

It is the primary responsibility of the dealers to only hand over registered cars to the new owners. In fact, doing so may attract legal actions against the dealer. Once your registration process is over, you can take your car on a spin without any worries. Registration of your car and a permanent number plate will also make you eligible for insurance according to the car insurance policy. You can even buy car insurance online, hassle-free.   

Registration of your car and getting a permanent license plate is an absolute must in India. You can enjoy the perks that come with the registration and ensure safety by cutting down crime rates. Follow the rules and encourage others to follow them too! 

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