News:

Thank you for your patience during the Forum downtime while we upgraded the software. Welcome back and see this thread for some new features and other changes to the forum.

Main Menu

License Plate News

Started by Alex, February 04, 2010, 10:38:53 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

jeffandnicole

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 16, 2014, 09:42:04 AM
The sticker that WAS found to be distracting (in Virginia), and was discontinued, was in the very early 1980s there was an emissions inspection decal that was to go on the lower left (driver's side) corner of the windshield. That was quickly scrapped.

Since this is where many states with inspection stickers places their inspection sticker, how was it determined to be distracting?  It's so low and out of the way I never even give it a second thought.


1995hoo

#701
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2014, 11:30:37 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 16, 2014, 09:42:04 AM
The sticker that WAS found to be distracting (in Virginia), and was discontinued, was in the very early 1980s there was an emissions inspection decal that was to go on the lower left (driver's side) corner of the windshield. That was quickly scrapped.

Since this is where many states with inspection stickers places their inspection sticker, how was it determined to be distracting?  It's so low and out of the way I never even give it a second thought.

I don't remember, but I assume it was for the same reason I don't find the Virginia inspection sticker distracting but "SP Cook" does–people weren't used to it and kept noticing it out of the corner of their eye, whereas we're used to the inspection sticker. Of course, that begs the question of why the Commonwealth didn't just tell everyone to piss off because they'd get used to it soon enough.

(Edited to add: I just tried to find the information online and failed, but I did find the emissions inspection program–which applies only to certain counties and cities–was instituted in 1982, the same year when the safety inspection was changed from twice a year to the current once a year. So the decal I'm recalling would have been issued around that time. I know it was long gone by 1989, when I first got a driver's license.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

formulanone

#702
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 16, 2014, 11:02:51 AM
But it doesn't answer my question about moving to a different county if you get the county-name plate.

I've moved to different counties within Florida; there was no requirement to get new plates because the county was different.


Quote from: Brandon on July 16, 2014, 11:15:36 AM
Florida used to have the very popular "Lease County".

We also had "Restricted", "Permanent Trailer", and my favorite..."Indefinite" counties. That last one is tough to clinch. ;)

1995hoo

Quote from: formulanone on July 16, 2014, 01:29:23 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 16, 2014, 11:02:51 AM
But it doesn't answer my question about moving to a different county if you get the county-name plate.

I've moved to different counties within Florida; there was no requirement to get new plates because the county was different.

We also had "Restricted", "Permanent Trailer", and my favorite "Indefinite" counties... ;)

Thanks. That then raises the next question: Why have county-name plates if they don't necessarily reflect the county in which you live?
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

formulanone

Well, I suppose the yearly registration sticker probably included a county fee, or some portion of it went to your county of residence. Just a guess...not sure.

6a


Quote from: vtk on July 16, 2014, 11:06:44 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 16, 2014, 09:42:04 AM
But anyway, returning to the question of license plates with the county name: So I gather in those states if you move to another county, you have to get new license plates. Can you get the same plate number re-issued with the new county name or do they divide that up as well (no doubt this may vary by state, unless you have a personalized tag)? How about if you get a non-county design, such as the standard-design Florida plate that says "Sunshine State" instead of the county name?

I think in Ohio you can just wait until your birthday to renew your registration in the new county, then you get new county stickers to place atop the old ones on your existing license plate.  (Even the spelled-out county name was a sticker in Ohio, at least in the gold-gradient era.)
Also, since ohio can't be bothered to replace any of the old plates, you'll sometimes see an old gold plate with the county name AND the new white-on-red number on the same plate.

vdeane

Some counties in NY (downstate) have an additional tax on the registration fee yet we don't display the county name on the regular plates.  I'm very glad we don't have that.  If you're clinching a road in a bad part of town, you do NOT want your license plates to say you're not from the area!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

thenetwork

There are still quite a few Colorado plates with the county name embossed on them in the wild.  Not sure when or for how long these were issued, but the "periwinkle"-colored plates have a different Colorado logo than the current state plate logo.  I would love to get a set of these plates on my car. :biggrin:


jakeroot

Quote from: thenetwork on July 16, 2014, 10:06:24 PM


I usually don't like older plates but I really adore that one.

roadfro

Nevada has county taxes as part of vehicle registrations (which vary by county, with bigger counties even having supplemental government services taxes that also vary), but no sticker or county name on the license plate. Our old standard plate numbering scheme (phased out prior to 1982) used letters in the plate number to identify counties--Clark County (where Vegas is located) clearly made that sequence inefficient years ago.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

Scott5114

Quote from: SP Cook on July 16, 2014, 07:01:25 AM
Playing lists, I count Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, Mississippi, and Florida as spelling out the county name in full on standard plates.

Kansas does not spell the county name in full. Instead, it uses a two-letter county code sticker in the corner of its plates (Wyandotte County is WY, Johnson is JO, Sedgwick is SG, etc.)

Prior to the Oklahoma license plate refresh in 2007, the county was encoded in the license plate number by virtue of particular alpha ranges being reserved for counties. This was by no means straightforward; while some of the codes, like MLA through MLD for McClain County, made sense, but others less so, like pretty much every three-letter string starting with X for Oklahoma County. The current plate uses sequential codes, but law enforcement complained about the loss of county information, so new plates issued now have a Kansas-style county code printed on the date sticker (instead of "DEC" a Cleveland County plate will say "12 CL"). As of yet, I have not found a definitive list online of the new county codes, though they seem to follow the old ones somewhat (McClain is now ML).
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

tdindy88

Quote from: SP Cook on July 16, 2014, 07:01:25 AM

Playing lists, I count Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, Mississippi, and Florida as spelling out the county name in full on standard plates.  Ohio went from that to a sticker with each county numbered a few years ago.  Alabama and Nebraska indicate the county in the number itself in some way, while Virginia has a county or city tax sticker that goes next to its (weirdly and distractingly in the milddle of the windshield) inspection sticker.



You can count Indiana OUT of that list. We did have the county name along with the number for five years on the previous plates, but the new plates (which everyone must get every five years) only features the county number in the corner (printed on the plate, not a sticker.) All specialty plates and the always "popular" In God We Trust plates feature the county number in the same location. You have to know the code to figure out where the vehicle is from. I hail from 49.

ski-man

Wyoming does not spell out the county name but does use the county number before the bucking cowboy figure on all plates. Fun to drive through the state and see where evryone is from, or if you see them out of state.

Road Hog

I lived in Oklahoma before sequential numbering. I remember Lawton got the letter U.

The High Plains Traveler

Quote from: thenetwork on July 16, 2014, 10:06:24 PM
There are still quite a few Colorado plates with the county name embossed on them in the wild.  Not sure when or for how long these were issued, but the "periwinkle"-colored plates have a different Colorado logo than the current state plate logo.  I would love to get a set of these plates on my car. :biggrin:


Issued in the late 1990s, those were the second iteration of the "designer" plate replaced by the current design in 2001. The original design was a six-character version with the colors reversed (blue on white). In addition to bearing the county name, the two letters were also drawn from the two-letter county-letters combination list; i.e., JB is an El Paso County license combination from the pre-2001 issued plates. Ironically, the plates from that series issued to trucks had only one letter, which did not correspond to any pre-existing list of letter combinations issued to counties, but at the bottom it only said "TRUCK". Thus, you couldn't tell what county a truck was from using the old county-letter combination lists.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

6a

You're correct those truck plates didn't follow the existing county system, but there was a very basic system in place.  What blows my mind is some counties were allocated 50 truck plates!


Alex

New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

jakeroot

Quote from: Alex on August 29, 2014, 08:35:00 PM
New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

Very sad to hear of its replacement...I've always admired the simplicity of Delaware's license plates. Definitely a favorite of mine, right behind the new Ohio plates.

oscar

my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

catch22

After only one year, Michigan has revised its Mackinac Bridge speciality plate after complaints about legibility in dim light conditions:

http://fox17online.com/2014/10/09/state-switches-color-of-text-on-bridge-plate/

The old white-character design is just about impossible to read at night if the plate has any dirt on it at all.


renegade

Quote from: catch22 on October 11, 2014, 05:55:54 PM
After only one year, Michigan has revised its Mackinac Bridge speciality plate after complaints about legibility in dim light conditions:

http://fox17online.com/2014/10/09/state-switches-color-of-text-on-bridge-plate/

The old white-character design is just about impossible to read at night if the plate has any dirt on it at all.



I've only seen one of these out in the field since the state began issuing them.  I figured there were going to be readability issues with the previous design.  I have the ones with the white serial on my vehicles, and it's easy to tell when I am being followed by law enforcement.  They get up close and turn on high beams or spotlight so they can read it.  The police chief of my small town has stated publicly that he hates that design.  I think the new design screams, "welcome to New Jersey!"   :eyebrow:
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Molandfreak

Quote from: jake on August 30, 2014, 12:50:13 AM
Quote from: Alex on August 29, 2014, 08:35:00 PM
New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

Very sad to hear of its replacement...I've always admired the simplicity of Delaware's license plates. Definitely a favorite of mine, right behind the new Ohio plates.
Yuck! Seriously? You probably like the white circle and white square state route shields, too. :P
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 05, 2023, 08:24:57 PM
AASHTO attributes 28.5% of highway inventory shrink to bad road fan social media posts.

corco

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 11, 2014, 08:07:03 PM
Quote from: jake on August 30, 2014, 12:50:13 AM
Quote from: Alex on August 29, 2014, 08:35:00 PM
New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

Very sad to hear of its replacement...I've always admired the simplicity of Delaware's license plates. Definitely a favorite of mine, right behind the new Ohio plates.
Yuck! Seriously? You probably like the white circle and white square state route shields, too. :P

It's simple and iconic, way better than the generic screen printed plates most states have that could pretty much identify any state.

jakeroot

Quote from: corco on October 11, 2014, 08:33:49 PM
Quote from: Molandfreak on October 11, 2014, 08:07:03 PM
Quote from: jake on August 30, 2014, 12:50:13 AM
Quote from: Alex on August 29, 2014, 08:35:00 PM
New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

Very sad to hear of its replacement...I've always admired the simplicity of Delaware's license plates. Definitely a favorite of mine, right behind the new Ohio plates.

Yuck! Seriously? You probably like the white circle and white square state route shields, too. :P

It's simple and iconic, way better than the generic screen printed plates most states have that could pretty much identify any state.

Yeah, it's a simple, timeless design, like nothing else available anymore. All these over-designed license plates nowadays, they're way too complicated and eventually become difficult to read (like the above Michigan plate). Delaware's, on the other hand, have great contrasting colors that I'm sure are easy to read from a distance.

I'm definitely a fan of European plates, if only because they're dead simple and get the point across quickly.

And yes, for the record, I do like square route shields (though they should have round corners). :)

vdeane

Quote from: jake on October 13, 2014, 04:50:24 AM
Quote from: corco on October 11, 2014, 08:33:49 PM
Quote from: Molandfreak on October 11, 2014, 08:07:03 PM
Quote from: jake on August 30, 2014, 12:50:13 AM
Quote from: Alex on August 29, 2014, 08:35:00 PM
New look for 'Dull-aware' license plate?

QuoteThe Delaware license plate might get a makeover, ending its record as the longest-running plate design in the country.

QuoteThe Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles has no timeline or mandate for the project, and a decision on whether to go through with a facelift is likely months away.

Very sad to hear of its replacement...I've always admired the simplicity of Delaware's license plates. Definitely a favorite of mine, right behind the new Ohio plates.

Yuck! Seriously? You probably like the white circle and white square state route shields, too. :P

It's simple and iconic, way better than the generic screen printed plates most states have that could pretty much identify any state.

Yeah, it's a simple, timeless design, like nothing else available anymore. All these over-designed license plates nowadays, they're way too complicated and eventually become difficult to read (like the above Michigan plate). Delaware's, on the other hand, have great contrasting colors that I'm sure are easy to read from a distance.

I'm definitely a fan of European plates, if only because they're dead simple and get the point across quickly.

And yes, for the record, I do like square route shields (though they should have round corners). :)
You'd love NY's Empire Gold plates; there's nothing distinctive about them other than the NY state outline character (which is treated like a letter/number) in the middle of the plate number.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.