Best and Worst U.S. License Plates

[kphoger]

I see more Sinaloas than Bajas, which is sort of surprising. In limited border-area  travel, it seems like the Mexican strategy with the US is just to drive north until you hit a city, never moving east or west.

I wonder, then, why so few out-of-state plates in Baja.  Are there onerous travel restrictions on Mexicans with Mexican-registered vehicles attempting to drive around in Mexico?  I don't know of anything beyond the occasional military or internal-frontier checkpoint, at which I figure a Mexican citizen could say "soy Mexicano", and not have any further questions once his car was deemed free of contraband.

The entire Baja peninsula is in what Mexico calls their 'Border Zone', where a whole lot of rules are different than they are in the interior.  Crossing those border zone/interior checkpoints, especially going towards the interior, is like crossing into the USA.  Note that crossing from the USA into Mexico is ridiculously easy.  It's when crossing the checkpoints farther inland that the customs hassles begin.

I know of no restrictions on Mexican-plated vehicles driving to border-zone regions of northern México (or, for that matter, the southern zone near Guatemala and Belize).  In fact, when we drive north from Monterrey towards Nuevo Laredo, we usually don't even see officers working the northbound passenger traffic lanes, just the commercial lanes.  What is your source of information for stating that driving north of the interior checkpoints is like going to the USA?  FWIW, the only checkpoint I've run across coming back north into the USA at Colombia is a mobile military checkpoint, and they're checking for guns, not paperwork.

[Occidental Tourist]

I agree. I don't mind it. I still think it could use a little something though. Maybe a combination of the old sunset plate + current writing

Like this?

[bugo]

Could do without the yellow, but it is a tasteful plate.

I take it you would have liked Oklahoma's old base... about the same, just white with green embossing with "Oklahoma" printed at the top, "Native America" at the bottom, and a printed Osage shield from the flag in the middle. It was designed well enough but it got pretty boring after a while.

They were way better than the current asymmetrical design.  Which reminds me that I need to apply for the US highway 66 tag.  I thought they were discontinued but I found out that they still make them.

[Scott5114]

Could do without the yellow, but it is a tasteful plate.

I take it you would have liked Oklahoma's old base... about the same, just white with green embossing with "Oklahoma" printed at the top, "Native America" at the bottom, and a printed Osage shield from the flag in the middle. It was designed well enough but it got pretty boring after a while.

They were way better than the current asymmetrical design.  Which reminds me that I need to apply for the US highway 66 tag.  I thought they were discontinued but I found out that they still make them.

I disagree. I find the current design to be a lot more visually interesting than the old one. Never did like the chunky font Oklahoma embossed into the old plates, either.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

I agree. I really like the new Oklahoma plates. Very Oklahoma of it.

I would nominate this plate as a "worst":

This applies to all NM veteran plates. I just don't like the fonts used (the design fonts, not the serial). If they could use a better font, then I could tolerate this. This plate would also be rather hard to recognize, as seen by my sighting of this plate in that parking lot in Seaside...

[Scott5114]

The font is actually a calligraphy font called Chancery Cursive. Many digital versions of it exist under different names, but most frequently "Zapf Chancery". It's horridly stretched in the words "Armed Forces Veteran". It probably doesn't belong on license plates in any case, but certainly isn't really appropriate to designate a veteran tag.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Another reason why I hate plate frames:
Earlier this week, I saw what I believe is a Chihuahua plate parked in the parking lot. I say that because I couldn't see the state name on the license plate. At least Chihuahua is the only Mexican state that uses the state shape as a divider, but I'm not really sure without a state name.

My question is, what states have banned plate frames that cover the state name? (I know Arizona does)

[kendancy66]

Another reason why I hate plate frames:
Earlier this week, I saw what I believe is a Chihuahua plate parked in the parking lot. I say that because I couldn't see the state name on the license plate. At least Chihuahua is the only Mexican state that uses the state shape as a divider, but I'm not really sure without a state name.

My question is, what state have banned plate frames that cover the state name (I know Arizona does)?

I have heard that DC parking police are overzealous on giving tickets for license plate frames that do this, even if the state name is only partially obscured by plate frame. This extends to giving tickets to cars from other states.  They also give tickets to cars from other states for expired inspection stickers.

[Alps]

License plate sticker discussion has been moved to Off-Topic.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=6791.0

Not because it's not interesting (it definitely is), but it's a bit too far from roads.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Is it just me or I just realized that these plates indeed look similar to each other?

Even with the similarity, they still both look very nice.

[Michael in Philly]

Illinoisians (sp?):  is this genuine?  http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=92839340&postcount=5265

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Illinoisians (sp?):  is this genuine?  http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=92839340&postcount=5265

That truly is genuine. That plate is for vehicles older than 25 years old and has limited use.

[Michael in Philly]

^^Cool.  Thanks!

[bjrush]

Arkansas.  "The Natural State".  WTF does that even mean?

I didn't think it was a hard concept to grasp??

[cpzilliacus]

Another reason why I hate plate frames:
Earlier this week, I saw what I believe is a Chihuahua plate parked in the parking lot. I say that because I couldn't see the state name on the license plate. At least Chihuahua is the only Mexican state that uses the state shape as a divider, but I'm not really sure without a state name.

My question is, what state have banned plate frames that cover the state name (I know Arizona does)?

I have heard that DC parking police are overzealous on giving tickets for license plate frames that do this, even if the state name is only partially obscured by plate frame. This extends to giving tickets to cars from other states.  They also give tickets to cars from other states for expired inspection stickers.

License plate frames can get ticketed, but they especially target vehicles license plate covers (usually not fully clear anyway), which are illegal under D.C. law (and users of such covers are probably trying to evade the numerous photo radar and red light cameras anyway).

Vehicles with Virginia registration plates had better have a current inspection sticker before they park on a District of Columbia street, for they will be ticketed if that sticker is expired.

I believe I recall reading that those frames are now expressly illegal in North Carolina, but I don't have a source to provide proof.

[tvketchum]

Indiana has a ban against license plate frames which cover the state name or any part of the registration number. Enforcement is another issue. Also, I have yet to see any of the plates with an FOP emblem covering part of the registration number get a ticket.


Worst plate ever was the 1970 Michigan plate- white numbers on a light gold background. You could not read the plate from 15 feet away.

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/autoshow/l_plates/1970.html

[SidS1045]

Worst ever right now are some of the few remaining green-on-silver Massachusetts plates, which were first issued in 1977.  The law is that if your plate is illegible you are supposed to get it replaced, you can be stopped and cited by police and your vehicle will supposedly fail the state inspection.  In spite of that, I repeatedly see plates from that series that don't even come close to being legible at 100 feet, the standard according to law.

Funny thing is, some other plates from that series look like they're almost new.



They claim they don't have the money to get the rest of these plates replaced with "Spirit of America" plates, but at this point in time I can't imagine there are more than maybe 2000-3000 vehicles left on the road with the old ones.

[agentsteel53]

I just spotted a green Mass. out here in CA a few weeks ago.

[deathtopumpkins]

I don't believe for a second there are only 2000-3000 green plates left in use. I'd say easily 30% of the cars I see on the road everyday have green plates.

[SidS1045]

I don't believe for a second there are only 2000-3000 green plates left in use. I'd say easily 30% of the cars I see on the road everyday have green plates.

Did a bit of Googling (is that even a word?) and found that you're much closer to the mark than I was.  According to a January 2011 article on boston.com, there were less than 325,000 of the "greenies" left, out of 10 million originally made.

Also, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the legibility distance is 60 feet, not 100.

Here's what a bad one looks like.

[kphoger]

Question:  Why does a license plate need to be legible at a distance of 60—100 feet anyway?  It's not like the cops run your plates before pulling you over.  I just don't get it.

[signalman]

Question:  Why does a license plate need to be legible at a distance of 60–100 feet anyway?  It's not like the cops run your plates before pulling you over.  I just don't get it.

Not true.  At least not here in NJ.  Most cops randomly run plate numbers as they pass on the road, then if something comes up (unregistered vehicle, warrant(s) out for the registered owner, etc) they go after the car and execute a stop.

[Quillz]

I have to say I love Oregon's license plates. Probably my favorite out of all the states.

[agentsteel53]

Not true.  At least not here in NJ.  Most cops randomly run plate numbers as they pass on the road, then if something comes up (unregistered vehicle, warrant(s) out for the registered owner, etc) they go after the car and execute a stop.

I thought that was universal behavior.  follow the vehicle, and make an excuse to pull them over.

"you drove onto the double yellow for a fraction of a second.  oh look at that, your car's stolen.  what a coincidence."

[1995hoo]

I was stopped at a red light this morning and saw an unfamiliar plate on a truck in the next lane. Looked closer and saw it was one of these. I'd never seen one of these before!