Judge frowns on driver's use of clever word play
Hong Kong drivers may have to say goodbye to their witty licence plates, with the letter of the law pouring cold water on clever word play.
Numbers and letters spelling simple words such as 'HELLO' are a no-no and displaying a licence plate in a 'hip, witty, or sensational' way to attract the attention of other people is illegal, according to a High Court ruling yesterday.
The ruling upholds an appeal lodged by the Department of Justice against a magistrate's decision last year in which a BMW driver, with car registration number 'HE 1107', was found not guilty of displaying his licence plate as 'HE110 7', making it resemble 'HELLO 7'.
But it seems 'HELLO' is a popular number plate.
Winnie Yu, deputy chairwoman of Commercial Radio, has a number plate, HE 110, that reads as 'HELLO' on one of her cars, a black Porsche.
The Transport Department yesterday said the new ruling sent a clear signal to vehicle owners. 'They must separate the letters and numbers so that the registration number can be easily recognised,' a spokesman said, adding that the department would decide on further action after reading the court judgment.