MotorMad

Confused Over Current Style Number Plates?

Around three-quarters of us still don’t understand the new car registration plate system, according to a survey by Post Office car insurance. 27 per cent of those questioned, mistakenly thought that new numbers being introduced on 1 September 2005 would be 05 when they will actually be 55. A further 45 per cent did not know what the new numbers would be at all, while a quarter thought the two letters at the beginning of the plate referred to the area in which the driver lived. Some people even thought the two letters represented the driver's initials or the make of the vehicle. Women were more confused about the plates than men, with 81 per cent of females confused by the new format.

Lorry Overtaking Ban to Start on M42

Lorries are to be banned from overtaking on a three-mile stretch of the M42 to cut congestion in an 18-month pilot project by the Highways Agency. Starting on 10 October, the scheme is supposed to cut traffic jams and the risk of accidents caused by slow-moving vehicles between the northbound junctions 10 and 11.