New vehicle registration system being launched in Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands Government is currently in the process of switching to an electronic vehicle registration system which will include enhanced security features.
The new system is slated to be launched in late January or early February 2017 and will allow the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing (DVDL) to make its own plates.
In the interim, customers are being issued with laminated paper registration plates as part of the change-over process.
Under the new system, vehicle owners will be able to request personalised number plates, which can be embossed in numeric or alpha format, or both, with an anticipated turnaround time of just 24 to 48 hours.
The new permanent plates will be affixed to vehicles in a tamper-proof kit which will be destroyed if an attempt is made to remove it illegally. They will also be embedded with radio frequency chips which allow police to track the vehicles if stolen or used in criminal activities.
The windscreen coupons that will be introduced will also be tamper-proof with three-layered foil preventing them from being removed from one screen and transferred illegally to another. They are designed to prevent forgery as they cannot be scanned or duplicated,
Working with the National Roads Authority, the new system has the potential to assist with future traffic management flow and patterns. Additional modifications can be made to the system to monitor speed zones, issue electronic speeding tickets and other alerts.
The electronic vehicle registration system will also have revenue implications as it will allow police to track vehicles not up-to-date with licence fees, and can be modified to allow the issuing of tickets for this offence electronically. In addition, there will be financial savings from creating licence plates in-house rather than ordering from overseas as has been the case previously. Once online, DVDL will be able to better manage its inventory levels of registration plates, before and immediately after a natural disaster.
“We are looking forward to the new electronic vehicle registration system being fully up-and-running early in the New Year,” said DVDL Director David Dixon. “There will be many benefits as we modernise the process and we ask that all our customers bear with us during the transition period.”
END
