The Punjab Excise and Taxation Department has proposed introducing new, larger number plates specifically designed for SUVs and other big vehicles, citing poor visibility and readability issues with the current ones. Officials say the smaller plates currently in use are not easily legible, particularly for Safe City surveillance cameras and traffic enforcement systems.

According to department sources, Additional Director General (Excise) Rizwan Akram Sherwani has directed the preparation of a new, more visible design to address these concerns. The proposal also suggests replacing the traditional black-and-white design with colored number plates to improve clarity, recognition, and distinction between vehicle categories.

The redesign aims to enhance both road safety and security, ensuring that vehicle registration numbers can be easily read from a distance or captured by surveillance systems, especially during low-light or high-speed conditions. The department is expected to integrate advanced security features into the new plates, such as watermarks, QR codes, or holographic elements, to curb counterfeiting and misuse.

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Officials emphasize that the initiative aligns with modern traffic management and digital monitoring standards being adopted under the Punjab Safe City Project. Once the final design is approved, the Excise Department will begin the necessary regulatory and administrative procedures to implement the change across the province.

The move has been widely welcomed by traffic and security experts, who argue that improved visibility of registration plates is crucial for effective law enforcement, especially in cases involving traffic violations, hit-and-run incidents, and vehicle thefts.