A Malaysian TikTok influencer, @Kakak Saga, posted a traffic ticket on Facebook that she had gotten while refuelling her car at a petrol station. The comments underneath were overwhelmingly negative. Some people think she deserves it, while others believe it's because of her popularity attracting unnecessary attention and trouble.

In the post shared by the influencer, it says: "The disadvantages of driving during the day... I usually don't like driving during the day."

As soon as the post went up, netizens were in a frenzy! After all, getting a traffic ticket for refuelling is indeed quite rare!

Netizens speculated about the reasons. One suggested it might be due to the logo issue, where the original Proton logo was replaced with the MYVI logo. Others guessed it could be a problem with the license plate, asking if the size didn't comply with regulations or if something inappropriate was attached.

It turns out the license plate was altered!

It is understood that the vehicle's number plate is like an ID card for every roadworthy vehicle in Malaysia. Many people, in pursuit of aesthetics or uniqueness, like to make "changes" to their license plates. However, using non-compliant plates is illegal. If caught, you can face a fine of up to RM 3,000, which is a serious consequence.

Many people spend a lot of money to purchase specially arranged license plate numbers and then customize the plates to make them even more unique. However, this violates Section 14(4) of the 1987 Road Transport Act. According to the regulation, if your license plate is dirty, blurred, too fancy, or violates other specifications, authorities can issue fines ranging from RM 300 to RM 3,000. Additionally, the vehicle owner will receive a notice prohibiting the use of the vehicle (PG 1) and must change back to a compliant plate within 10 days. The vehicle also needs to be inspected by the authorities.

Authorities have specific regulations for the arrangement, size, and font of license plates. For example, in terms of visibility, the regulation requires that the license plate of a car should be visible at 75 ft (22.86m) during the day and 60 ft (18.288m) at night. The arrangement of the letters and numbers on the license plate is also limited to two types: letters at the top, numbers or additional letters at the bottom in two rows, or letters and numbers in the same row forming a rectangle. There are also requirements for the height of letters and numbers (70 mm), a 10 mm black border around the top, bottom, left, and right of the plate, and a 30 mm gap between letters and numbers.

Authorities enforce these regulations for a reason. Fancy or blurred license plates can hinder investigations into speeding, hit-and-run, or criminal cases because they may make it difficult to identify the vehicle. Therefore, everyone should comply with the regulations to avoid fines and financial losses.