The move will also make it easier for the authorities to track down drivers who do not settle traffic summonses while putting an end to those who insist on sporting fancy number plates despite it being against the law.
In an article appearing in International Business Times, which quoted the Sunday Mail, a high-ranking government source said the move to microchip vehicles would have a “multiple impact”.
“It would put an end to fancy number plates produced by accessory dealers with absolute disregard to guidelines and specifications,” the source added.
According to the Sunday Mail report, the microchip will carry information about the vehicle owner, the driver, the vehicle engine, chassis number, colour as well as model.
“These are plates which regular traders like us cannot produce as it requires precision equipment,” said an accessory dealer.
Also interviewed for the article was Road Transport Department enforcement director V Valluvan Veloo, who said microchipping would put an effective end to the issuance of fancy number plates.
“We are putting a stop to these non-standard plates, which can be used as a tool for criminal activities, such as snatch theft,” he said, according to the report.
Fancy number plates are a trend despite it being illegal. Between 2013 and 2016, a total of 184,664 motorists were issued summonses for sporting one.
Of that number, 24,623 offenders were from Selangor, followed by Penang (25,093) and Kuala Lumpur (15,458).