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License Plate News

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

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thenetwork

Quote from: allniter89 on December 08, 2011, 01:07:41 PM
I'd like to see every state have county names on their plates. Why not?

Back in the 1980s, when adding county names to the license plates was the rage, it took me a little while to realize that there wasn't a Wander County, Indiana...   ;-)

http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops/framptons/index.php?cat=Indiana_license_plates


SP Cook

Mississippi's new plate is interesting.  While the author of the website from the link states it an attempt at "geographic ballance" as the previous plates depicted things from central and then southern Mississippi, it clearly goes farther than that, as it acomplishes a racial purpose, as it is the first plate from that state with a black theme.

Ohio looks like some PC effort where nobody could decide on what the motto should be, so they went with all of them.  This is a list of the varrious backgound slogans, of which the top 20 or so out of an online vote will be the background.   I doubt many Ohioans could even get a 75% in telling what these things even are:

17th State
1st Electric Light Bulb
1st Professional Baseball Team
1st Traffic Light
40,948 Square Miles
Annie Oakley
Appalachian Plateau
Beautiful Ohio
The Buckeye State
Cardinal
Cleveland Orchestra
Cy Young
DiscoverOhio.com
Dunbar House
Edison
Est. 1803
First Ladies Library
Glacier Grooves
The Heart of It All
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Heisman
Hocking Hills
Home of Astronauts
The Horseshoe
Inventors
Iroquois for Beautiful River
Jesse Owens
Johnny Appleseed
Ladybug
Lake Erie
Manufacturing Leader
Marietta-1st Settlement
Mother of Presidents
Newark Mounds
Ohio Burgee
The Ohio Caverns
The Ohio River
Perry's Victory
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Put-in-Bay
Red Carnation
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Roller Coaster Capital of the World
Rubber Capital of the World
Serpent Mound
So Much to Discover
Spiegel Grove
State of Perfect Balance
Steel
Taft Museum
Tecumseh
Toledo Museum of Art
University Circle
West Side Market
White Trillium
With God All Things Are Possible
Woody Hayes
Wright Brothers
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

As to counties, it seems that most states that list county names have, or had, a system where the county clerk was involved in plate issuance and/or vehicle taxes varried greatly from county to county.


stormwatch7721

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on December 09, 2011, 04:11:15 PM
Quote from: stormwatch7721 on December 09, 2011, 02:04:10 PM
So what are the new Ohio plates supposed to look like or is it unveiled yet?




Oh wow. That is a not a bad license plate at all.

architect77


Alex


realjd

Quote from: Alex on March 29, 2012, 11:25:02 AM
New Texas general issue, possibly starting in August 2012.

http://licenseplates.cc/news/New-Texas-general-issue-for-2012

I like it. Nice and clean looking. I think my favorite TX plate was the blue-on-white ones with the flag at the top.

KEVIN_224

I guess anything is better than how New York went back to the blue-on-orange, kinda like what they once had in the 1970s and much of the 1980s. We here in Connecticut have a gradient blue design, with a tiny dark blue CT outline and "Constitution State" on it.

kphoger

Quote from: realjd on March 29, 2012, 12:49:50 PM
Quote from: Alex on March 29, 2012, 11:25:02 AM
New Texas general issue, possibly starting in August 2012.

http://licenseplates.cc/news/New-Texas-general-issue-for-2012

I like it. Nice and clean looking. I think my favorite TX plate was the blue-on-white ones with the flag at the top.

Agreed, the old Texas plate with the flag was a classic.  Is the upcoming one simple black on white, or is the picture just of poor quality?  If it's simple black on white, I applaud it.  While I enjoy the cool graphics the last couple of decades have brought us, especially in México, there's a je ne sais quoi about plain-jane design that I really miss.  Utah plates from the mid-1980s, for example, are plain as can be yet have an elegance about them.
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Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Quillz

Does anyone know if it's possible to request a specific license plate design? I remember my family had an old station wagon with a yellow on blue license plate, but all the newer cars I've had since then have had the standard blue on white. Is it possible to get yellow on blue, or was that an old California standard not made anymore?

formulanone

Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on July 15, 2011, 03:00:59 AM
One thing I think states, especially dual-plate states need to get off their asses and offer are euro clone plates.  They're available in some (all?) Australian states, so why not here?  It could be done on a contract basis, it'd take a little longer since they'd be made-up on demand to reduce wasted costs, but I'd have no problem waiting.

Some would think it's stupid, but for some (like me) who drive and are enthusiastic about our European cars, being able to legally make them look that much more 'at home' would be nice.

Edit:  Like this.


AL is a one-plate state so that's legal, but I'd love to be able to run one on the back as well.

With about 50% of the vehicles in the US being from domestic/North American facilities, very few of them can fit a rear Euro-width plate. Some of the world-car platforms from Ford might work, but not much else. So it might be 20 years until we see a rear plate like the European dimensions are; even Japanese license plates are roughly the same as ours.

Kind of miss the old Florida plates from around 1980 or so, green on white, very austere. The standard issue ones now are odd-looking (looks more like misteltoe), although some of the 50 "cause" designs aren't half bad. Personally, I like boring US Paratrooper one, but I don't deserve it, but it's a very clean and sharp design.

Scott5114

#135
Quote from: Quillz on March 29, 2012, 01:54:00 PM
Does anyone know if it's possible to request a specific license plate design? I remember my family had an old station wagon with a yellow on blue license plate, but all the newer cars I've had since then have had the standard blue on white. Is it possible to get yellow on blue, or was that an old California standard not made anymore?

Whenever you go to register a car, you get the newest plate. It's the easiest way for the DMV to run a database of who has what plate, since you don't have to contend with the possibility of two different people having blue A55 RGY and white A55 RGY. Some states will even force "general reissues", which is when everyone has to get new plates–generally this is done when the number scheme is nearing exhaustion and it is desired to definitively free up old plate numbers (which may still be in use, or belong to cars which have crashed or are otherwise no longer in service).

Given all of this it would be very difficult to get an older plate for active use. (You could have course get one to hang on the wall comparatively easily.) The only exception I could think of, which probably doesn't apply in all states, is for antique cars, which can sometimes be granted special dispensation to use period-appropriate plates. But that's probably considered easily handled since 1) antique cars aren't generally being driven daily and 2) in the unlikely event someone tries to use their car to Do Evil more attention will be drawn to the fact that it's a Model T in pristine condition than the license plate anyway.

Quote from: formulanone on March 29, 2012, 02:17:28 PM
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on July 15, 2011, 03:00:59 AM
One thing I think states, especially dual-plate states need to get off their asses and offer are euro clone plates.  They're available in some (all?) Australian states, so why not here?  It could be done on a contract basis, it'd take a little longer since they'd be made-up on demand to reduce wasted costs, but I'd have no problem waiting.

Some would think it's stupid, but for some (like me) who drive and are enthusiastic about our European cars, being able to legally make them look that much more 'at home' would be nice.

AL is a one-plate state so that's legal, but I'd love to be able to run one on the back as well.

With about 50% of the vehicles in the US being from domestic/North American facilities, very few of them can fit a rear Euro-width plate. Some of the world-car platforms from Ford might work, but not much else. So it might be 20 years until we see a rear plate like the European dimensions are; even Japanese license plates are roughly the same as ours.

Kind of miss the old Florida plates from around 1980 or so, green on white, very austere. The standard issue ones now are odd-looking (looks more like misteltoe), although some of the 50 "cause" designs aren't half bad. Personally, I like boring US Paratrooper one, but I don't deserve it, but it's a very clean and sharp design.

One would have to wonder if there would be enough people interested in the design to make up enough revenue to consider the investment that would have to be made in producing such oddly-proportioned plates. I imagine it'd be marginal.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

texaskdog

Texas has dozens of choices.  I can't decide between the Big Bend National Park plate or the hike & bike trail plate.  Neither one is visually very appealling and I'd like to support both.  $30 for either one.

signalman

Quote from: Quillz on March 29, 2012, 01:54:00 PM
Does anyone know if it's possible to request a specific license plate design? I remember my family had an old station wagon with a yellow on blue license plate, but all the newer cars I've had since then have had the standard blue on white. Is it possible to get yellow on blue, or was that an old California standard not made anymore?

No.  You would not be able to get the old color scheme for a new registration.  Old registrations are grandfathered in from old registrants who never let it lapse or had their priveleges suspended.  That's why you still see some in use. 

SteveG1988

I wish NJ adopted this style








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agentsteel53

Quote from: signalman on March 29, 2012, 03:34:57 PM

No.  You would not be able to get the old color scheme for a new registration.  Old registrations are grandfathered in from old registrants who never let it lapse or had their priveleges suspended.  That's why you still see some in use. 

you may use a vanity plate from your car's year of issue, but it's your task to find it.

my girlfriend has an '84 Mercedes with the classic '84 sunset plates because she managed to find a vanity pair secondhand in good enough condition for field use.

live from sunny San Diego.

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cpzilliacus

Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 29, 2012, 04:47:58 PM
Quote from: signalman on March 29, 2012, 03:34:57 PM

No.  You would not be able to get the old color scheme for a new registration.  Old registrations are grandfathered in from old registrants who never let it lapse or had their priveleges suspended.  That's why you still see some in use. 

you may use a vanity plate from your car's year of issue, but it's your task to find it.

my girlfriend has an '84 Mercedes with the classic '84 sunset plates because she managed to find a vanity pair secondhand in good enough condition for field use.



IMO, that might be the nicest-looking plate ever issued by the Golden State.
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agentsteel53

Quote from: cpzilliacus on March 29, 2012, 06:24:25 PM
IMO, that might be the nicest-looking plate ever issued by the Golden State.

indeed - had to have it!

before some threshold year (1961, I believe, but don't quote me on it) you can use not just vanity plates, but standard-issue plates on your old car as long as they match the model year, and are a pair in reasonable condition.  I know I've seen plenty of 30s and 40s vehicles out there with appropriate plates.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

The High Plains Traveler

Quote from: Alex on March 29, 2012, 11:25:02 AM
New Texas general issue, possibly starting in August 2012.

http://licenseplates.cc/news/New-Texas-general-issue-for-2012
Way to go Texas. Lose the interesting background while maintaining the butt-ugly font. About as festive as a U.S. Government plate. The only beneficial thing this change does is eliminate the weird letter-number sequencing.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

corco

#143
QuoteOne would have to wonder if there would be enough people interested in the design to make up enough revenue to consider the investment that would have to be made in producing such oddly-proportioned plates. I imagine it'd be marginal.

You could do something like Delaware does with their historic low-serial plates and allow you to buy one made from a private company, provided it wore the correct number and was built to proper specification- so the plate on Crazy Volvo Guy's Volvo would be legal on the rear as long as it matched the number of his actual registration.

YankeesFan

def ready for NJ to re-design our ugly as sin plates... :banghead:

1995hoo

Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 29, 2012, 06:32:36 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on March 29, 2012, 06:24:25 PM
IMO, that might be the nicest-looking plate ever issued by the Golden State.

indeed - had to have it!

before some threshold year (1961, I believe, but don't quote me on it) you can use not just vanity plates, but standard-issue plates on your old car as long as they match the model year, and are a pair in reasonable condition.  I know I've seen plenty of 30s and 40s vehicles out there with appropriate plates.

Virginia does something similar. A vehicle older than 25 years can be registered as an antique and can use either antique plates or older "vintage" Virginia license plates from the year of manufacture (you must provide the older plate yourself). But the "vintage" plates may only be used on vehicles manufactured prior to 1973 because that was the year when Virginia switched to the "sticker" system that's still in use. The "antique" plates come with a number of other restrictions, including a prohibition on driving the vehicle for everyday purposes (to include commuting) and a requirement that you certify that you have another non-antique vehicle available for daily use. Part of the reason for the strict requirements is that the registration fee for an antique is reduced. The odd thing is that you can register an older car and use "vintage" plates WITHOUT registering it as an "antique" if you choose.

I have a car that will be eligible for antique status in 2013 (an RX-7) and my brother has one that's eligible now (a '74 Beetle), but neither of us plans to register either car that way. We don't want our use of the cars to be restricted. If I were allowed to put "vintage" plates on the RX-7 I'd consider doing that, but it's not old enough.
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Crazy Volvo Guy

Quote from: YankeesFan on March 29, 2012, 11:10:51 PMdef ready for NJ to re-design our ugly as sin plates... :banghead:

Careful what you wish for.  You might end up with those stupid 3M "digital" flat plates, which means they'll likely be hideous regardless.
I hate Clearview, because it looks like a cheap Chinese ripoff.

I'm for the Red Sox and whoever's playing against the Yankees.

Crazy Volvo Guy

#147
Quote from: allniter89 on December 08, 2011, 01:07:41 PMI'd like to see every state have county names on their plates. Why not?

I wouldn't.

It identifies a general area where you live, should someone decide to start stalking you.  In states with geographically huge counties, like NV, AZ and UT, that's not a huge issue, but in TX or geographically smaller states, we have a problem.

It also allows the cops to very easily see you're from out-of-area in larger states, so they could single you out for stricter enforcement because they know it'll be easy money as you'll be less likely to come and fight it.

Ergo: I don't like county ID systems of any kind on plates.
I hate Clearview, because it looks like a cheap Chinese ripoff.

I'm for the Red Sox and whoever's playing against the Yankees.

kphoger

In Kansas, we have two-letter county code tabs at the top of our license plates.  But our van has a special-issue pink ribbon plate, and therefore does not have the two-letter code.  It's actually a bit of a letdown, sometimes.  Say I'm driving down the highway 600 miles from home and pass by another car from Sedgwick County.  Well, we two drivers might just feel a bit of a bond on the great asphalt ribbon.  But, wait, DOH!  My license plate is missing that little bit of information.  Good feeling gone.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

The High Plains Traveler

Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on March 30, 2012, 03:21:45 PM
Quote from: YankeesFan on March 29, 2012, 11:10:51 PMdef ready for NJ to re-design our ugly as sin plates... :banghead:

Careful what you wish for.  You might end up with those stupid 3M "digital" flat plates, which means they'll likely be hideous regardless.
Some of the digital flat plates look better than others. That generic font used by Texas, Wyoming and a few others is hideous. When Minnesota went to its flat plate, it maintained a font very similar to what was used on its embossed plates, which looks much better. It still isn't as crisp as a nicely embossed plate.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."



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