The famous Defective Vehicle (DV) plates, popularly known simply as DV plates, are often seen on unregistered vehicles driven by individuals for personal use, an illegal practice, instead of being used for their intended purpose.

DV plates are meant exclusively for car dealers. Their use, along with DP plates, is governed by the Road Traffic Act 683/04 (as amended by Act 761/08) and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).

Like DP plates, DV plates must be accompanied by a logbook detailing the vehicle’s movements and the driver’s particulars. This logbook must be carried at all times.

In recent times, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has tightened the distribution of DV plates to ensure they are used strictly for their intended purpose.

However, this has reportedly created a “shortage” in the system, pushing many people to acquire the plates from unauthorised sources.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, more than 30,000 fake DV plates have been affixed to vehicles across the country.

He revealed that these counterfeit plates were manufactured by cartels operating from Lapaz in Accra.

“Our investigations reveal that over 30,000 fake DV plates have been illegally introduced into the system,” he said.

Based on the official DV plate cost of GH¢417.25, the estimated street value of these fake plates exceeds GH¢12.5 million.

Kotey warned that the use of fake DV plates poses a serious threat to national security, adding that the DVLA compliance team will apprehend offenders.

He urged the public to avoid middlemen, commonly known as “goro boys,” and instead access DVLA services directly at official offices.

SA/MA