License Plate News

[kalvado]

But not onto the plates themselves.  The plates only serve to identify the vehicles.

Mike

Well, it depends on what is the keyword for you - "validation sticker" itself, or its location "on a license plate" 
A discussion on whether that glass is half full or half empty...

There may be some difference for enforcement as windshield sticker may be harder to see from a patrol car on the road, but probably that's it.   

Several decades ago, New York (state) was having a problem with the annual validation stickers being physically cut off of license plates and then illegally used for faking the renewals on other cars' plates, primarily in NYC.  The state's solution was to then put all of the annual stickers on the inside of the windshield, leaving the plates themselves behind for the sole purpose of identifying the vehicle from a distance.  In NYS, the 'official' 'plate' is the main window sticker - if it's not there....

Mike

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

[hotdogPi]

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

[kalvado]

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

And I am not sure if that "able to see" is an advantage or disadvantage. With many police cars having license plate readers to check things out on the fly, probably it matters even less than it used to be anyway

[mgk920]

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

Of course, one of the very main tenets of all of the 'law' is that you can do whatever you want to - as long as no one else calls you on it.  That said, if you are diving along and you see a police car innocently ambling along in the mirror behind you, assume that your car's plates have already been automatically 'run' and checked for being valid and current as well as for any outstanding warrants. In reality, that does negate the need for annual renewal stickers and is why Pennsylvania eliminated them as a cost and hassle saving measure several years ago.  I'm a bit surprised that this isn't a much more common thing.

Mike

[SD Mapman]

Georgia uses your birth month. With the ad-valorem tax, it is referred to as a birthday tax.

Michigan goes by your birthday. Mine is in June but I have July tabs because somehow I got my mom on the registration her birthday is in July.

As does New Hampshire and Florida. New Hampshire also does vehicle inspections based on birth months.

South Dakota does it by first letter of your last name, so like A-C are in January, etc, so all your cars are up for renewal at the same time. Nebraska does it by the month you got the plates, so the cars have to be renewed at various times of the year.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

And I am not sure if that "able to see" is an advantage or disadvantage. With many police cars having license plate readers to check things out on the fly, probably it matters even less than it used to be anyway

I think Inspection Stations are supposed to flag faded plates (visible within a certain distance) when vehicles obtain their annual inspection stickers.

[kalvado]

I know of some people who drove with expired sticker for a while. I guess it is not "if it is not there" but "if they catch you when it is not there"...

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

And I am not sure if that "able to see" is an advantage or disadvantage. With many police cars having license plate readers to check things out on the fly, probably it matters even less than it used to be anyway

I think Inspection Stations are supposed to flag faded plates (visible within a certain distance) when vehicles obtain their annual inspection stickers.

It's not about "readable", which is obviously a must. It is about plate relaying additional information - county of issue, registration status. 

[SidS1045]

On my walks, I would say that about 1 in 100 Massachusetts cars have an expired registration sticker, and a similar proportion have no front plate when they're required to have one (there are also some illegal New Hampshire no-front-plate cars). As I said before, it's very easy to see if registration is expired from a distance; you just need the last digit of the plate and the color of the sticker square, although the blue and the green are occasionally hard to tell which is which.

They extended the registration renewal deadlines by a few months during the worst part of the pandemic, for the benefit of those owners who couldn't renew online.  Apparently some vehicle owners took that to mean "don't bother, they won't enforce it anyway."  I see expired plates all the time too.  Massachusetts is one of the few states that I know of, which will immediately confiscate plates on any vehicle with an expired registration and call for a tow if the vehicle is on a public road, but apparently enforcement is still lax enough that lots of people don't bother.

[thenetwork]

The results are in:  Two New Colorado plate designs will be available for about 4 years:

https://www.cpr.org/2023/03/01/colorado-150th-anniversary-license-plates/

BTW, the one displayed on the right I'm very tempted to get on the next renewal.

As far as the Pikes Peak or Bust plate on the left, they still need to tweak it in order to be legible!

[CtrlAltDel]

The results are in:  Two New Colorado plate designs will be available for about 4 years:

https://www.cpr.org/2023/03/01/colorado-150th-anniversary-license-plates/

BTW, the one displayed on the right I'm very tempted to get on the next renewal.

As far as the Pikes Peak or Bust plate on the left, they still need to tweak it in order to be legible!

Yeah, while I generally don't like busy plates, I could get behind the Pikes Peak one if they made the text white.

[frankenroad]

The results are in:  Two New Colorado plate designs will be available for about 4 years:

https://www.cpr.org/2023/03/01/colorado-150th-anniversary-license-plates/

BTW, the one displayed on the right I'm very tempted to get on the next renewal.

As far as the Pikes Peak or Bust plate on the left, they still need to tweak it in order to be legible!

Yeah, while I generally don't like busy plates, I could get behind the Pikes Peak one if they made the text white.

They definitely need to make the text white. 

[thenetwork]

It also looks like the state dropped the Colorado tri-colored "C" from the top left corner from the winning design.  Don't know if that made the plate look "too busy", but thats what really made the design cool in the first place.

[jakeroot]

The plate on the right needs bigger numerals

The plate on the left appears to be a piece of artwork that had numerals added to it as an afterthought. It is unusably bad in its current state, IMO.

[7/8]

Just found out through licenseplates.cc (a website to track the highest licence plate issues by state/province) that PEI has a new licence plate as of December 2022. They're notably jumping up to a six character format.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-new-licence-plate-1.6653795


I like the look of the new standard issue plate (top left). It's clean, easy to read, and uses the classic green colour associated with PEI. I'm not a fan of the "Food Island" plate though, something about the food icons looks lame to me.

[kphoger]

Yeah, the standard one looks pretty classy.

[mgk920]

I saw a new Wisconsin sports-specialty plate while driving around Appleton today - In addition to license plates for the Packers, Bucks ('Fear the Deer!'), the Brewers (two different logo designs) plus a few more at the NCAA level, WisDOT is now offering special plates for the Road America race track.  It is black with white letters and numbers plus a simplified track logo.  Are any other racetracks nationwide so honored?

Mike

[jakeroot]

Just found out through licenseplates.cc (a website to track the highest licence plate issues by state/province) that PEI has a new licence plate as of December 2022. They're notably jumping up to a six character format.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-new-licence-plate-1.6653795


I like the look of the new standard issue plate (top left). It's clean, easy to read, and uses the classic green colour associated with PEI. I'm not a fan of the "Food Island" plate though, something about the food icons looks lame to me.

One of the best new plates in years. I love the border in particular.

Well done, PEI!

[Ted$8roadFan]

Just found out through licenseplates.cc (a website to track the highest licence plate issues by state/province) that PEI has a new licence plate as of December 2022. They're notably jumping up to a six character format.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-new-licence-plate-1.6653795


I like the look of the new standard issue plate (top left). It's clean, easy to read, and uses the classic green colour associated with PEI. I'm not a fan of the "Food Island" plate though, something about the food icons looks lame to me.

Yes, love the new PEI standard plate, the best one IMO since this one:

http://www.15q.net/cdn/pei73.jpg

[formulanone]

I saw a new Wisconsin sports-specialty plate while driving around Appleton today - In addition to license plates for the Packers, Bucks ('Fear the Deer!'), the Brewers (two different logo designs) plus a few more at the NCAA level, WisDOT is now offering special plates for the Road America race track.  It is black with white letters and numbers plus a simplified track logo.  Are any other racetracks nationwide so honored?

Mike

Alabama offers one for Barber Motorsports Museum, which is on the site of the Barber racetrack.



I feel you'll never be able to talk your way out of a speeding ticket if you have a racing-inspired plate.

[DRMan]

I saw a new Wisconsin sports-specialty plate while driving around Appleton today - In addition to license plates for the Packers, Bucks ('Fear the Deer!'), the Brewers (two different logo designs) plus a few more at the NCAA level, WisDOT is now offering special plates for the Road America race track.  It is black with white letters and numbers plus a simplified track logo.  Are any other racetracks nationwide so honored?

Mike

Alabama offers one for Barber Motorsports Museum, which is on the site of the Barber racetrack.



I feel you'll never be able to talk your way out of a speeding ticket if you have a racing-inspired plate.

Arizona has a plate for Phoenix Raceway, and another for Barrett-Jackson auto auctions.

[SP Cook]

Are any other racetracks nationwide so honored?

https://www.in.gov/bmv/registration-plates/license-plates-overview/license-plate-designs/

Little place in Indianapolis, you may have heard of it. 

[thenetwork]

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/01/30/blackout-plates-popular-in-other-states-may-be-headed-for-minnesota

Minnesota might get "blackout" plates, which are hugely popular in Iowa.

The article mentions Colorado having blackout  plates -- FALSE!!!  Although there is a small independent petition drive going on on the internet to persuade the state to offer one.

I stand corrected...

Just in the past week and a half, I have seen 2 separate sets of white-on-black Colorado plates.  The state is also offering white-on-blue and white-on-red plates as well.  So that is an actual thing now here in the Rockies!!!

[Ted$8roadFan]

Maine is contemplating replacing their Chickadee license plates, on the road since 1999.

https://www.wabi.tv/2023/02/14/bye-bye-chickadee-maine-proposes-new-license-plate/

[MATraveler128]

Maine is contemplating replacing their Chickadee license plates, on the road since 1999.

https://www.wabi.tv/2023/02/14/bye-bye-chickadee-maine-proposes-new-license-plate/

Not a bad time to consider it since Maine is reaching the end of its 1234 AB format sometime this year. I've already seen some ZQ plates on the road and I wonder what they'll do once they reach ZY.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Maine is contemplating replacing their Chickadee license plates, on the road since 1999.

https://www.wabi.tv/2023/02/14/bye-bye-chickadee-maine-proposes-new-license-plate/

Not a bad time to consider it since Maine is reaching the end of its 1234 AB format sometime this year. I've already seen some ZQ plates on the road and I wonder what they'll do once they reach ZY.

It is a good time, after 24+ years of hot summers and very cold winters and the current numbering format nearing exhaustion.