Kwesi Busia, CEO DVLA
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has made a windfall from its new vehicle plate management system.
The authority had recorded over 60% increase in the number of DV plates distributed between January 2 and February 7, 2020, five weeks after adding security features in the form of holographic stickers into the DV plate administration, a source at the DVLA told the media.
The DV plate is normally given to owners of new and unregistered vehicles who are in the process of repairing their vehicles or preparing them for sale to third parties. Until the introduction of these security upgrades, however, the process was largely insecure and prone to counterfeiting and theft.
The security upgrades on the DV Trade plates included optical security features such as micro-text and laser readable hidden images, creating difficult-to-counterfeit labels that also allowed for critical information such as serial numbers to be read with the naked eye, the media was told.
From January to December last year the DVLA generated less than GH¢4.0 million from the sale of 15,544 DV plates.
Management suspected that there were weaknesses and massive leakages in the current DV plate administration and decided to introduce extra security features together with robust management software for the distribution of the DV trade plates, the source said.
Between January 2 and February 7, 2020 of the upgrade, five weeks, the authority has distributed about 25,000 DV plates, pointing to expected revenue of over GH¢6.0 million representing an increase of over 60% over total plates distributed between January and December, 2019.
This massive improvement, according to the authority, is a justification to continuous investments in innovation. The DVLA has encouraged the general public to desist from patronizing services from unauthorized persons and purchase their DV licenses and other driver and vehicle related services directly from the authority or its registered representatives to avoid falling victim to criminal activities. In addition, all DV plates issued by the authority are verifiable. Clients who are in doubt of the DV plates in their possession may visit the nearest DVLA office for authentication the source advised.
According to the authority, motor vehicle license plates and for that matter DV plates are critical elements in ensuring vehicle registration security hence the need to innovate.
“They are essentially the identity card of a vehicle and it is important to ensure the authenticity of these plates and to protect them against counterfeiting and theft something which was rampant until the innovation which has stopped the malpractice,” it stated.
The feat the DVLA explained to DAILY GUIDE “is the outcome of a technology using laser-burn information such as serial numbers, into self-destructive chromium-based hologram stickers.
In a related development, the Licence Plate Manufacturers Association has commended the leadership of the DVLA for sustaining the collaborative relationship between the two organizations.
The association recalled how it had given thought to the improvement of the administration of the DP Plate.
With the application of the enhanced technology the association would have cause to celebrate with the DVLA the chalked feat since after all, for them, it is dream come true.