Got my number

Some kind soul drove into the front of our car this last week. Like all minor incidents it's more of a nuisance than anything else. For the first time I had to buy new number plates. The shop had to follow government regulations for such things, of course, so I needed to prove first that I was legitimately buying the plates and second that I am me. The first trip was not successful in that I took an old V5 form, not the new one. About five years ago I just stuck the new V5 form in a file and didn't destroy the old. A V5 is the certificate of registration for a car in UK and names the registered owner and keeper. I did take my driver's licence and passport, the former being sufficient for the second proof. All this regulation is, presumably, to minimise illegal activity by a minority in this country. For the rest of us it's just another layer of rules and regulations that crop up after kind souls do the damage.