Published: Friday, November 6, 2009
NEW LICENSE PLATE FORMAT
State makes sensible U-turn
DOH! That's the personalized license plate the Washington Department of Licensing issued itself after having to reverse its plan for the state's new seven-character plates set to debut soon.
Originally, and inexplicably, the DOL wanted the new configuration to intermix numbers and letters, for example, 2B22BBB. This would allow for 350 million distinct possibilities. Which could be important if we were required to buy a new license plate every six months.
Now the format will be three letters followed by four numbers — BBB2222 — the way other states with seven characters handle it.
In October, Herald columnist Julie Muhlstein questioned the logic of the plan. DOL spokesman Brad Benfield told Muhlstein that the agency consulted with law enforcement agencies when devising the configuration.
This week, however, in announcing the reversal, the DOL said it made the change after “consulting with law enforcement agencies,” which felt that the new format would be easier to remember.
“We carefully considered all of the comments we received and decided, with the help of our law enforcement partners, to change the plan,” Licensing director Liz Luce said.
Evidently, not all law enforcement partners were in on the original talks.
Muhlstein's column, in which State Rep. Mike Sells, a member of the House Transportation Committee, expressed concern with the plan, likely spurred some of those comments. Muhlstein also quoted Michael Wiener, co-author of “The Official License Plate Book,” who “vehemently opposed” the idea.
“I guarantee that lives will be lost and crimes will go unsolved,” he said.
Wiener worried about the ability of witnesses to recall plates, and of law enforcement to rapidly track them.
This all stems from the requirement to replace plates every seven years, which is necessary, according to the DOL, “because the reflective coating on the plates only has a 5-year guarantee. This coating helps law enforcement officers easily identify vehicles in poor weather conditions. Proper care of plates won't prevent this coating from breaking down over time.”
Hmmm. Perhaps the state needs to rebid its “reflective coating” contract. In this day and age, there isn't a material that lasts longer than five years? Would a plastic cover protect plates for a lifetime? Is that stuff really the point? A more likely reason may be the specter of —CSHFLOW.
A Missouri driver came up with “negative cash flow” plates, which wouldn't work here because plates can't contain “unusual characters,” such as “—”. In any combination. Even if you offer to pay more. (Meanwhile, the ampersand and question mark are suing the state for defamation for being labeled “unusual characters.”)
Originally, and inexplicably, the DOL wanted the new configuration to intermix numbers and letters, for example, 2B22BBB. This would allow for 350 million distinct possibilities. Which could be important if we were required to buy a new license plate every six months.
Now the format will be three letters followed by four numbers — BBB2222 — the way other states with seven characters handle it.
In October, Herald columnist Julie Muhlstein questioned the logic of the plan. DOL spokesman Brad Benfield told Muhlstein that the agency consulted with law enforcement agencies when devising the configuration.
This week, however, in announcing the reversal, the DOL said it made the change after “consulting with law enforcement agencies,” which felt that the new format would be easier to remember.
“We carefully considered all of the comments we received and decided, with the help of our law enforcement partners, to change the plan,” Licensing director Liz Luce said.
Evidently, not all law enforcement partners were in on the original talks.
Muhlstein's column, in which State Rep. Mike Sells, a member of the House Transportation Committee, expressed concern with the plan, likely spurred some of those comments. Muhlstein also quoted Michael Wiener, co-author of “The Official License Plate Book,” who “vehemently opposed” the idea.
“I guarantee that lives will be lost and crimes will go unsolved,” he said.
Wiener worried about the ability of witnesses to recall plates, and of law enforcement to rapidly track them.
This all stems from the requirement to replace plates every seven years, which is necessary, according to the DOL, “because the reflective coating on the plates only has a 5-year guarantee. This coating helps law enforcement officers easily identify vehicles in poor weather conditions. Proper care of plates won't prevent this coating from breaking down over time.”
Hmmm. Perhaps the state needs to rebid its “reflective coating” contract. In this day and age, there isn't a material that lasts longer than five years? Would a plastic cover protect plates for a lifetime? Is that stuff really the point? A more likely reason may be the specter of —CSHFLOW.
A Missouri driver came up with “negative cash flow” plates, which wouldn't work here because plates can't contain “unusual characters,” such as “—”. In any combination. Even if you offer to pay more. (Meanwhile, the ampersand and question mark are suing the state for defamation for being labeled “unusual characters.”)
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