Tuam man's unlucky 13 warning prompts change in car reg policy

By TONY GALVIN A BALL set rolling by Tuam-based motoring journalist Gerry Murphy is set to change the face of Irish motoring, at least the face presented to the world via car registration plates . It was Gerry, as chairman of the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA), who first set off the alarm bells over the unlucky 13-reg plates and the impact they could have on car sales next year. Now the Government has acted in response to the campaign he prompted. The story began when Gerry was looking for material for his inaugural speech as newly elected chairman of the IMWA, which he delivered last year at the SIMI Car of the Year Awards. He set the cat among the pigeons by warning that the industry could hit even more serious problems in 2013 if the number of superstitious people he encountered was an indicator. He told the SIMI gathering that his brother, Joe Murphy of Tuam Motor Works, spoke to a Corofin man who changed his car every two years but would be skipping his 2013 model because he was superstitious and didn't want unlucky 13 on his number plate.[private] He said he did an impromptu survey and found that the Corofin man was not alone and a fair percentage of people he spoke to would also be avoiding the 13 reg. His fellow motoring correspondents latched on to the story and, as he says himself, it went viral. As a result, the Government is now preparing to introduce twice-yearly registration plates from January 1. Cars registered between January and the end of June will display the new number 131 instead of just 13 as would have been the case up to now. Vehicles registered between July and December will display 132 plates. The motor industry has lobbied for the change on the grounds that it might spread out the buying season for new cars throughout the year. Gerry Murphy said he believed the worry over the unlucky 13-reg plates prompted the move but it also made practical sense. 'The psychology of the Irish buyers has to be taken into account. People are locked in on the year of the car and pay much less attention to other important factors such as condition, service record and mileage. It will take a few years to wean them off the habit of buying a new car in January. This distorts the car market and leaves sales staff twiddling their thumbs after about June. The new system should help to break this system,' he said. He added that he thought it would take a few years to catch on but it would make for a healthier car market than the current lop-sided one. 'The recession has cleared out many of the sales-court lightweights. Those who have survived are serious sales people and they need a bit of a break if the industry is not to take another hit. This change will introduce a bit of sanity to the Irish car market by allowing cars be sold on their merits, not just their registration year,' he told The Herald. 'It started out as a bit of a laugh, a yarn to liven up my speech. I'm glad to see some good has come of it but I'll tell you, I'll be more careful with what I say in the future. You never know where it will end,' Gerry concluded.[/private]