urbanSTL

^^ It isn't ideal - but its better than the "simple" early 90s brown and white one Missouri used to have.... http://www.pl8s.com/ps-photos-3/3635.jpg I only wish they would have county names (or "The City of St. Louis") to where the car is registered.

tbspqr wrote: I only wish they would have county names (or "The City of St. Louis") to where the car is registered.

I've noticed this on other states' plates. What's the point of listing the county anyway? What difference does it make?

FYI - Indiana used a NN L NNNN format, such as 85 C 3456. The first two numbers indicated the county in alpha order (2 was Allen County (Ft. Wayne), 85 is Wabash County etc.). The letter generally indicated the city. In Wabash County "A" was Wabash, "B" was North Manchester and "C" was unincorporated. Numbers higher than 92 were used for Indianapolis or whever more plate numbers were needed. I don't know what the practical purpose is, but it was always fun to know where the car in front of you was from. Last year someone pulled over and asked me for directions as I was walking down Taylor Ave and as he pulled away I looked at the plate and realized he (or at least the plates) were from a town 15 minutes from where I grew up in Indiana. So that was fun.



BTW - I liked that Indiana only required a plate on the rear of the car. I haven't put my front missouri plate on and was actually pulled over in Ladue for this. I had to explain that I'm a Hoosier and I'm waiting for when I need an oil change so that the Honda dealer and put a license plate frame on the front of my Civic. The jack*$$ said he'd give me a break "this time" and let me go!



Good stories, huh?

steve wrote:

tbspqr wrote: I only wish they would have county names (or "The City of St. Louis") to where the car is registered.

I've noticed this on other states' plates. What's the point of listing the county anyway? What difference does it make?

Because in places like Indiana they always ask what county youre from, kinda like in STL when everyone you meat asks you what high school you went to.

everyone you meat asks you what high school you went to.

Pastrami High, after matriculation from Liverwurst Elementary.

^...What a ham...

^ Maroon?

judge for youself the color... but i dont think many people want to go back to the (fill in the blank on 'that' color) plates....

^ I don't know. I think I'd rather have the old maroon plates than the new bluebird plates. I'm no fan of that shade of maroon by any means, I just like how the plates emphasized function over form, since too many states get carried away with graphics, and since law enforcement is the main reason we put license plates on our cars in the first place.



The color of the old plates may have been ugly, but IMHO the formula was right: State name, registration number, and slogan. And the renewal sticker in the center makes sense from a visibility standpoint. Although we're the only state with a space for renewal stickers there, many countries (including Germany and Sweden) use the center of the plate for renewal and emissions stickers as well. Which reminds me, I don't know of many (if any) license plates with graphics outside of North America.



I still think it's strange that the highway patrol is so Hell-bent on plates that are more visible, yet one of the designs they signed off on and the one that online voters approved is the busiest design of all.



If a plate must have graphics, IMHO they should be (1) simple and (2) something that symbolizes the whole state. Of plates that have graphics, Colorado plates have always been my favorites.



I wouldn't mind having county names on plates. Not only could I show my pride for city living, I could also spot confused outstate drivers and aggressive St. Charles motorists racing toward their vinyl palaces and give them a wider berth on our highways. (Grover, I didn't know that the unusual format of Indiana plates contained county codes. Cool.)

^I like Colorado's plates too because theyre reallly simple AND attractive. They dont even have "designs" on them, theyre just Green with the white stamped mountains and letter/number. So simple. So good.



We now have a bird on our licence plates.

wheelscomp wrote:


We now have a bird on our licence plates.

Most ppl probably wouldn't even know that bluebird is the state bird. A lot of ppl would probably think the cardinal.

Exactly where are all these bluebirds?

marc buxton wrote:Exactly where are all these bluebirds?

I think they are endangered, actually.

As for the whole "tab" issue: why even have them? If the police want to run your plates, let them. That check displays whether the plates are current or not. It's an easy solution to the tab-theft problem.

^ I'm sure cops insist on it (especially in your average St. Louis County hamlet like Shrewsbury or Bella Villa) because it's easier to spot an expired plate without having to go to the trouble of running the plate number.

ThreeOneFour wrote:^ I'm sure cops insist on it (especially in your average St. Louis County hamlet like Shrewsbury or Bella Villa) because it's easier to spot an expired plate without having to go to the trouble of running the plate number.

Yeah, you're right. It's just frustrating as a city resident, b/c this is such a major issue with residents. After the smash-and-grabs, this has to be the biggest nuisance crime, which is a serious hindrance to getting more residents. If only there was another way. . .

^ As someone that's been a victim of renewal tab theft multiple times in the last few years, I know what you mean.



Last year, thieves cut my plates twice- once in the summer and again on Christmas Eve.



I usually go to City Hall or the South Kingshighway license office for any DMV-related transactions, but when thieves cut my plates last summer, those offices were closed for whatever reason and I wound up going to Deer Creek. Sure enough, on the way there, Shrewsbury police pulled me over for not having a front plate. When I showed the cop my mangled front plate sitting in the passenger seat, he let me go, but the whole process is frustrating nevertheless.



(I waited several weeks the last time I had to replace my plates, because I was due for renewal anyway. I just avoided Shrewsbury and the various South County fiefdoms with overzealous cops.)



Hopefully the revised plates and tabs will curb tab theft. But I still hate the new design. I'd like it much better if they'd just lose one of the following odd elements: the bluebird, the state outline, or the oddly-positioned Show Me State text.

It might be better if the renewal sticker were actually a decal that goes on the inside of your window. In order to steal it, you would have to be inside the car (or break the rear windshield).

^ Texas, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York use windshield stickers for proof of renewal and/or emissions testing.



Of course, rural legislators have resisted efforts to switch to windshield stickers here in Missouri. Just like every other time, it's to hell with anything that might benefit Saint Louis and/or Kansas City.

Tysalpha wrote:

marc buxton wrote:Exactly where are all these bluebirds?

I think they are endangered, actually.

It would then be both tragic and ironic to accidentally hit a bluebird while driving... making all future accidents involving Missourians... ironic.

Don't mean to bump an old thread from the dead, but it looks like the new plates will start circulation on June 18, 2008. I wonder if they will continue with the current number/lettering system i.e. 1DC 88K or will they reset it back to AAA 001?

Missouri's newly designed license plate will be introduced June 16 and ready for issue for all Missourians whose plates are due for renewal in June or are titling or registering a new vehicle, the Missouri Department of Revenue announced Friday.



In addition to the new graphics, the new plate configuration will include the month of expiration with the first alpha letter representing the month of expiration and the tab color will indicate the expiration year. The Department of Revenue said those elements will enable law enforcement to quickly identify proper registration of all vehicles.



Last year, Missourians were able to vote on the design. More than 258,000 votes were cast, with more than 56 percent selecting a new standard Missouri license plate depicting a bluebird sitting on a hawthorn branch. The new design can be seen at the department's Web site at www.dor.mo.gov.



The department was required by law to issue a new license plate by 2009.

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... rround=lfn