The allure of ‘vanity plates’

Everybody can own a car right? So how do you stand out in traffic? Simple!

Have a customised number plate announcing your arrival or exit wherever you go.

This habit is peppered in irony as the car windows are usually heavily tinted and they drive on the “fast lane” but they still want you to know who just passed you on the highway or who is behind or ahead in traffic.

Celebrities and the rich are ever in a complicated relationship with anonymity or modesty. They did not work that hard to be in the limelight just so that they can walk or drive past you unnoticed.

These aficionados of “cherished numbers” or “vanity plates” a British euphemism for the Americans, are undoubtedly an egotistical lot and it is what got footballer McDonald Mariga in trouble with the law last week.

Police detained his Hummer for bearing personalised number plates instead of the official registration number issued to him by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

Traffic Commandant Patrick Lumumba said that the offence is punishable under Section 12 of the Traffic Act, which outlines all prescribed number plates, and added that police launched a crackdown in February following concerns raised by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.

He clarified that although Section 12 of the Traffic Act was amended in 1977 to “allow for what we call personalised number plates, these rules have not been gazetted to operationalise that amendment.”

People came up with their own theories that the government is after Mariga since he threw a tantrum and refused to play for the national team over airfare.

But Mariga is not alone when it comes to vanity plates. There are many cases in Kenyan roads with personalised number plates starting with his teammate and Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech’s Chrysler 300C SRT-8 series which has the plate “OLIECH”.

Makadara MP Mike Sonko’s cars bear his street-now-turned-official-name “Sonko”. Flamboyant Juja MP Wilfred Kabogo cruises with cars that flaunt his name. Even media personality Jeff Koinange is said to have a personalised number plate.

You can spot Kigegeu hit singer Jaguar on the road thanks to his “Jaguar” plates, which has replaced the boring yellow Kenyan registration numbers.

Personalised number plates have had an irresistible allure for decades with the price at which the few letters and numbers embossed on to a plastic rectangle are sometimes sold enough to buy you an extremely nice car, have an exotic holidays for the rest of your life or, buy a decent house.

From the Queen to prince, boxers to footballers, actors to musicians, the plates aficionados are quite a crazy bunch.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney proudly displays WAZ 8 (Waz is from the nickname “Wazza” given to him by his red devils teammates) on his £174,000 Aston Martin.

Former England captain David Beckham has already acquired DB 7 while Emile Heskey would not wait to buy HE51 KEY.

So do Rio Ferdinand and Roy Keane. Gold medalist Iwan Thomas, a 400m runner, has R400 RUN displayed on his car.

The DB6 Volante that Princes Charles lent Prince William for his post-reception drive out of the palace gates had the plate Just Wed.

In 2007, actress Melanie Griffith who already has a heart shaped tattoo in honour of his husband actor Antonio Banderas purchased personalised number plates MG ‘hearts’ AB plates for her black BMW in yet another public romantic gesture.

Kylie Minogue’s first became so popular prompting the registration number KYL 111E.

According to the US Federal Highway Administration, in 2005 there were 242,991,747 privately owned and commercial registered automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles in the U.S., which means that 3.83 per cent of eligible US vehicles have vanity plates.

Controversies on the personalised private number plates can be funny.

In Swaziland, the AG’s office is investigating allegations that the ministry of public works and transport issued a vulgar personalised number plate after a Member of Parliament Mfanawemakhosi Dlamini raised the issue.

In the State Government of Victoria, a mother of two autistic sons was left astonished after an application for the personalised number plate AUTISM was rejected for being offensive.

Both her sons are suffering from Autism and she said that she intended to use the number plates as a way of raising attention towards the condition.

In 2010, Sweden rejected a request for the issue of the number plate ‘LUCIFER’ by 40-year-old Annsofie Tedfors who claimed that she, “just wanted to pick a memorable name.”

In 2009, the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency was forced to withdraw personalised number plates F4 GOT and D1 KES from an auction after complaints that they were offensive to the gay community.

Those pushing for the withdrawal argued that F4 GOT when displayed on a car, can be read as a derogatory term used to refer to gay men while D1 KES could be similar to the insulting term used to label lesbians.

Others considered for withdraw included 054MA which could be seen to resemble the first name of Al Qaeda mastermind Osama Bin Laden, H057 AGE (Hostage), MA56 ACA (Massacre), HE58 0LA (Hezbollah) and BU58 0MB (bus bomb) and plates starting with JE and ending HAD which could be interpreted as ‘JIHAD’, the Arabic term for holy war.

Away from the controversies, the plates also make big money for those who buy or sell them.

A licence plate with nothing but the number 1 on it has been sold for a record £7m. It was auctioned for charity in the United Arab Emirates, beating the previous record of £3.5m for a plate featuring the number 5.

The successful bidder said he bought it because he “wants to be the best in the world”.

Saeed Khouri, a member of the wealthy Abu Dhabi family, added: “I bought it because it’s the best number.”

The plate VIP 1, which originally belonged to Pope John Paul II’s Popemobile, was sold in 2004 for £62,000 in 2004 and two years later Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought it for £285,000.

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