License Plate News

[Scott5114]

Do you all have standard issue plates from your state, or have you helped fund the DMV annual Christmas party with a specialty?

I have the standard issue Oklahoma plate, and my wife has a Chickasaw Nation plate (issued through the state, but then we get a partial refund from the tribe because their registration fee is lower than the state's). We've talked about changing my car to the Chickasaw plate to save money, but I don't really like how it looks, and I disagree with a lot of decisions the Chickasaw government has made, so it hasn't happened yet.

On a side note, do any of you have your plate numbers memorized? I do not, but it is something that comes in handy every now and again, like at hotel check-ins and the like.

I have mine memorized, but that's because extremely easy: the letters form an onomatopoeia, and the number is a round number. It would be hard not to memorize!

[jakeroot]

Not gonna lie...I hate it.

[oscar]

In Kansas, the expiration date is based on the first letter of your last name, so it stays the same no matter what you do.

What happens if you change your last name?

[DJ Particle]

On a side note, do any of you have your plate numbers memorized? I do not, but it is something that comes in handy every now and again, like at hotel check-ins and the like.

My dad's plate number from 1973-83 is my cellphone unlock code  *heh*

[interstate73]

All standard NJ plates in my family, and I have them all memorized as I'm pretty good at retaining little strings of information. My mom had a personalized plate ages ago but got rid of it after an acquaintance came and found her in a store because they recognized her distinctive plate in the parking lot 
The only specialty plates I'd consider are the Shore to Please plate, or maybe the agriculture plate, but I'm a little too attached to the little New Jersey map in the middle of the standard plate to go for it!

[1995hoo]

On a side note, do any of you have your plate numbers memorized? I do not, but it is something that comes in handy every now and again, like at hotel check-ins and the like.

My dad's plate number from 1973-83 is my cellphone unlock code  *heh*

I use our old phone number from 1975—1983. (For all youngsters out there, back then it cost extra to keep your number when you moved within your local area, and you couldn't keep your number if you moved out of the local calling area, the latter because of how the system determined local versus long distance calls for billing purposes. We only moved a few miles, but my parents didn't want to pay to keep the number.)

[deathtopumpkins]

This is what I have.  I think it's the best looking specialty plate in CO. 

That's a pretty awesome plate design! I would definitely get that if I were in CO.

I have NH's moose plates on my car:

(not actually mine)

And I have memorized my plate number, but it helps that it's only 5 digits. Also have my fiance's plate number memorized, but it helps that ours are consecutive since we got them at the same time.

[kphoger]

In Kansas, the expiration date is based on the first letter of your last name, so it stays the same no matter what you do.

What happens if you change your last name?

Your registration date changes, I suppose.  When we got married, though, we lived in another state, so I can't speak from personal experience.

On a side note, do any of you have your plate numbers memorized? I do not, but it is something that comes in handy every now and again, like at hotel check-ins and the like.

My dad's plate number from 1973-83 is my cellphone unlock code  *heh*

I use our old phone number from 1975—1983. (For all youngsters out there, back then it cost extra to keep your number when you moved within your local area, and you couldn't keep your number if you moved out of the local calling area, the latter because of how the system determined local versus long distance calls for billing purposes. We only moved a few miles, but my parents didn't want to pay to keep the number.)

Long, long ago, at least in Kansas, people got to choose their own license plate number as regular common practice.  My grandfather always picked the same easy-to-remember five-digit number, and his garage was lined with license plates all bearing that same number.  It's now my door code to get into the building at work.

[DRMan]

Arizona now has 6 character standard plates again. 3 characters, a space, and 3 more characters. Random letters or numbers, with the purple cactus on the left.

SM-G975U

And it seems like there isn't any sequence, number/letter combos are just issued randomly?

I haven't noticed any specific patterns. They all seem so random now. In fact, all the plates Arizona offers now are random.

SM-G975U

This is from a license plate mailing list:

They went in December to the Tucson ADOT to register their former Minnesota
2 vehicles - got "E8A6DDA" for their first vehicle and "E8A8DDA" for their
second vehicle (Apparently on the on-line system someone got the E8A7DDA in
between their two vehicles)

So apparently the middle digit advances first. Then position 2 goes through the alphabet, then numbers. Then position 6 does the same. Then 1, then 5.

Interesting. This is what I've seen in AZ. For the standard plates, the third and the seventh characters are always A. The fifth character is sequential; they started at A and they now seem to be at D. (I don't know what they will do after Z, my guess is they will increment one of the As.) The fourth character is a random number, or at least I assumed it was until I read your post. And the other characters (first, second, sixth) are random numbers or letters. Speciality plates with six characters have their own pattern. They have been doing this since right before we moved to AZ this past summer, so there are many older plates out there.

[Roadwarriors79]

The few newer 6 character plates I've seen in Arizona seem to use the pattern of ABC 1DE.

SM-G975U

[DRMan]

Huh. My new 6 character specialty plate is ABC12D, with two numbers instead of one. And, yesterday I saw what you mentioned in your first post -- 3 random characters, space, 3 more random characters. Did they give up on their 7 character plates already?

[Roadwarriors79]

Huh. My new 6 character specialty plate is ABC12D, with two numbers instead of one. And, yesterday I saw what you mentioned in your first post -- 3 random characters, space, 3 more random characters. Did they give up on their 7 character plates already?

I don't know if they have or not. Of course, after I post about the 6 character standard plates, I have seen a few variations just yesterday. One was 12A 3BC, one was 1AB 2CD, and one was 1AB 23C.

SM-G975U

[Scott5114]

Huh. My new 6 character specialty plate is ABC12D, with two numbers instead of one. And, yesterday I saw what you mentioned in your first post -- 3 random characters, space, 3 more random characters. Did they give up on their 7 character plates already?

Do they not have separate number pools for specialty plates there? In Oklahoma, each specialty plate has its own subset of numbers. For example, the Route 66 plate is "RTE###" (or "###RTE"), the star-46 plate (using the design of Oklahoma's original flag) is "RF####", and so on.

[Roadwarriors79]

Huh. My new 6 character specialty plate is ABC12D, with two numbers instead of one. And, yesterday I saw what you mentioned in your first post -- 3 random characters, space, 3 more random characters. Did they give up on their 7 character plates already?

Do they not have separate number pools for specialty plates there? In Oklahoma, each specialty plate has its own subset of numbers. For example, the Route 66 plate is "RTE###" (or "###RTE"), the star-46 plate (using the design of Oklahoma's original flag) is "RF####", and so on.

There used to be separate number pools or separate alphanumeric sequences for specialty plates. When the changes happened to the standard plates, it looks like the changes took place across the board.

SM-G975U

[andrepoiy]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

[kphoger]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

I'd be fine with California's if they used dot separators.

7·JGN·930 instead of 7JGN930

But what I really dislike is jumbles.  Missouri's AB1-C2D format really bothers me, especially because they use zero.

I always imagine someone working at the vehicle import booth inland of the Mexican border, and then a car driving up with a license plate of XB2-L0F–having to figure out whether that fifth character is a letter or a numeral.

[jakeroot]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

British Columbia' new plates are a total jumble (I have the same problem as kphoger) and could learn from Ontario.

Before...



after...

[andrepoiy]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

British Columbia' new plates are a total jumble (I have the same problem as kphoger) and could learn from Ontario.

Before...



after...

I know that Ontario doesn't issue letter Os because it's too close to zero, so maybe in states where stuff is jumbled, they only issue one or the other (O or 0) and therefore there wouldn't be a problem?

[OCGuy81]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

I'd be fine with California's if they used dot separators.

7·JGN·930 instead of 7JGN930

But what I really dislike is jumbles.  Missouri's AB1-C2D format really bothers me, especially because they use zero.

I always imagine someone working at the vehicle import booth inland of the Mexican border, and then a car driving up with a license plate of XB2-L0F–having to figure out whether that fifth character is a letter or a numeral.

I totally agree about separating with a dot.

Not a fan of O or I being used on plates at all, but yes, especially in a jumbled format.

[vtk]

IMO alphanumeric serial numbers should consist of runs of 1—2 letters and 2—3 digits, with separators at letter-to-number transitions and/or at number-to-letter transitions. For example:

A234-E67
AB-345-FG
12CD-567
A23-D56-G

[kphoger]

I'm not a fan of serials that are alphanumeric mixes (like California's), and prefer when letters and numbers are separated (like Ontario's XXXX-000). I find it easier to read and remember, and making it easier to remember is useful in accidents or whatnot.

I'd be fine with California's if they used dot separators.

7·JGN·930 instead of 7JGN930

But what I really dislike is jumbles.  Missouri's AB1-C2D format really bothers me, especially because they use zero.

I always imagine someone working at the vehicle import booth inland of the Mexican border, and then a car driving up with a license plate of XB2-L0F–having to figure out whether that fifth character is a letter or a numeral.

I totally agree about separating with a dot.

Not a fan of O or I being used on plates at all, but yes, especially in a jumbled format.

And you just proved my point.  That wasn't a letter O.  It was a zero.   

[zachary_amaryllis]

Do you all have standard issue plates from your state, or have you helped fund the DMV annual Christmas party with a specialty?

Of our two cars, we have a standard Oregon fir tree plate, and my wife's car has the Smokey the Bear plate that Oregon offers.

I currently only have standard plates. Here is one specialty plate I would consider in the future...

SM-G975U

the matrix is in arizona now?

pretty cool, tho.

[kphoger]

When Mexican states started issuing their own graphic plates in the late 1990s, they kind of ran amok after a few years.  They came up with some designs that look really cool on a computer screen (and some that don't), but those designs don't translate well into the real world of actually reading them.  So, when the SCT issued new guidelines four years ago or so for license plate designs–most notably requiring that there be NO graphic design behind the serial number–it's my opinion that they did the right thing.  The most recent issues from Mexican states are better, in my opinion, even if they aren't as eye-catching.

As it relates to the conversation around plate design:

I absolutely hate overdone license plate designs. If it were up to me, every plate would be black on white, or a similarly contrasting color, and nothing in the background. The only design would be the state name on the top, which I suppose you could do up in some graphically appealing way.

Mexico's new rules are very inspiring.

Nearly anything you want to know about the recent standards for Mexican license plate design can be found in this SCT publication from June 2016 (.pdf warning).

The section pertinent to our discussion has the figure below to go along with it:



And my translation of the heading:

The area for alphanumeric characters on the plate series shall be exclusive and free of figures, emblems, or legend that hinder its legibility, by visual or electronic means, as shown in Figure 'D'.

You can see how states have implemented these rules to a varying degree of strictness below (sample):

[wanderer2575]

On a side note, do any of you have your plate numbers memorized? I do not, but it is something that comes in handy every now and again, like at hotel check-ins and the like.

I always have.  I have a custom plate now so I know I won't forget.

Mrs. wanderer has a University of Michigan specialty plate (with the block M) and she also picked a custom number that uses the M as the first letter of the phrase.  Whenever she gives her license plate number she always includes the M, and I always have to remind her that's not part of the plate number.

[OCGuy81]

Speaking of formats, where do you predict your state goes after its current sequence??

Oregon has a number of years before they exhaust the current 123-ABC format. They'd previously used ABC-123 so I'm thinking they'll go 1AB-C23 starting with 1AA-A01.

I don't think they have the population to do 7 digits.