Why can’t our registration plates be more like the American ones? For a small fee US drivers can have their name, company or personal message emblazoned on their car for everyone to see. In the UK on the other hand, anyone with a personalised number plate is treated like a big loser and show-off. But that isn’t my main concern.I have a confession to make. My name is Ann Laffeaty, and I'm a number plate addict. It all began in 1995 when my five-year-old son became bored and grizzly during the return drive home from holiday in Scotland. I suggested we play a game: we should look for a car with a registration plate containing the number 1 (such as BMW 1), then a registration plate with a number 2, and so on. Not surprisingly our son quickly became tired of this lame pastime. I, on the other hand, decided to carry on on my own for a while. And I did. For about 15 months. I was up to 254 then realised it was time to stop when I found myself automatically scanning cars on the way to my Dad’s funeral. I was so horrified with myself that I ended the game there and then. So that was that – until I confessed to this former addiction some years later during a visit to a friend. He remarked idly that the game would soon be obsolete, anyway, what with today’s numbers denoting the year of sale (056, 07 etc) instead of the old random number system. So on the way home I idly began playing the game again to see whether it was, in fact, still viable. That was three years ago, and I am now up to 315. I foresee several wasted years ahead visiting car pounds and knackers’ yards to see if I can reach 999. Or perhaps someone can suggest a cure?
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