Oregon's Mail Tribune reports that the Beaver State will now offer motorists a chance to warn other motorists not to run over bicyclists. For an extra $10 on top of the usual license fee, Oregonians can buy a plate with the design pictured here, safe in the knowledge that an undisclosed percentage of the proceeds go to Portland's Bicycle Transportation Alliance. If drivers don't want to share the road with anyone– Oregon is survivalist central after all– they can affix plates benefiting the Elks, Masons, square dancers and firefighters. Military vets also get their own plates: Purple Heart recipients, members of the First Marine Division, disabled veterans, former prisoners of war, and five others). Graduates of seven Oregon universities are also allowed to flaunt their education on their tags, but not if they went to Southern Oregon University (for some strange reason). All of which begs a question: whatever happen to having one damn plate design per state? Setting aside the law enforcement implications of multiple iterations, a single design with a single motto provided a unifying state identity for its residents. Anything for money, eh?
[A list of all 50 states' plates– without minor variations– here ]
Oregon can’t hold a candle to Georgia. Here’s a rundown of subjects and how many different plates are available under each:
College – 23
Government – 11
Military – 38
Motorcycle – 6
“Special Interest” – 61
Standard Plates – 7
Some of the more … uh … unusual plates include:
African-American History and Tourism
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Georgia Center for the Book
Race Car Hall of Fame
Thanks Mom and Dad
Official NASCAR Plate
Bobwhite Quail Restoration Initiative
Low Speed Vehicle
My favorite has to be the jacked-up pickups complete with gun racks and humongous SUVs running around here with “Give Wildlife a Chance” plates.
If it helps pay the bills and keeps other fees lower I’m all for this. I have a special edition plate on my car that benefited an organization and it lends a small amount of distinction to my car.
many of these special edition plates are easier to remember because the numbers are part of the plate name. that could be handy in some situations.
Its all about generating revenue for the state. Florida is the same way, I think we have at least 30 or 40 specialized tags. Every state university, many charities, save the manatees, support teachers, support adoption, support veterans etc. It does cause confusion because we no longer have a common state tag but its all about the money.
As someone who lives in downtown Portland, I wonder if this is due to the fact that people keep running down bikers and either seriously injuring them, or killing them …
I don’t have a problem with them because you aren’t exactly forced to have a specialty plate. Its pretty simple. Do you want one? No? Then don’t buy one.
Oh, and I want a Sons of Confederate Veterans Plate.
Wow, and I thought we here in BC were boldly going where no plate had gone before with our special 2010 Winter Olympic edition plate.
Now I find that we are way late and way underdressed at the party. Or maybe that is clean cut at the Joe Dirt mullet ‘n goatee hoedown.
I dunno about you, but I liked the Marine Corps plate that I had from the state of Florida. The Marines emblem was so big it took up a third of the plate while other states only give you this dinky little symbol. It’s enough to make me want to get my car registered in Florida again.
One would have to have been born around 1890 to qualify for a Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans plate. How many 117-year-old purchasers can there be? And Buick thinks it has a problem with its market dying off!
The People’s Republic of New Jersey does few things right. But I think the way our MVC (Motor Vehicle Commision, renamed from DMV for no apparent reason) handles vanity plates is correct. All plates, vanity or regular, are the same reflective white/yellow with black text. They all say New Jersey, with the ‘Garden State’ motto being replaced with whatever group/college/org motto you’re paying for. The left most part of the plate is allowed a small graphic, but the overall color/text scheme amongst the plates is the same. You can pick out a Jersey plate, regardless of it being vanity or regular, instantly.
Contrast this to neighboring Pennsyltucky, where the Keystone states various vanity plates come in all different colors and designs. One of their wildlife plates looks just like a NJ plate, save for the tiger graphic on it. It defeats the purpose of rapid evhicle identification.
But on a completely different and flame worhty topic, why do we allow traitors to the union (Confederates and other Nazi-esque groups) to display their disloyalty? Don’t plates have to be non-offensive. Myself and a decent sized percentage of the country do find the stars and bars offensive. Shows the problem of allowing organizations outside of colleges, FOP, and military specialty plates.
morbo,
I completely agree that some of the plates really obscure quick identification. The multiple colors and designs are overboard.
Now as far as “sharing the road” I just don’t think so in my parts. (flame suit on as well) In crowded suburban sprawl with 40-55 mph lanes, there should be dedicated bike paths. I fully understand the frustration of bikers and the lack of safety with stupid drivers but the antagonism goes both ways. There are just as many bad bikers in the chicago suburbs and the city. Case in point are 3 guys who notoriously ride side by side blocking traffic on a 50 MPH two lane road every warm day. I won’t mention what goes through my mind …
None of that is as bad as when California allowed icons to be part of the plate character set. They allowed a star and a hand to be characters. How on earth are the police supposed so find a “hand” symbol on the keyboard?
“What’s a Motto with You?”
Groan, boo, hiss.
“What’s a Motto with You?”
Robert, you been watching the Lion King over Xmas break?
“Share the Road”.
Screw that — there’s a bunch of Olympic wannabes that road ride here in Pittsburgh; often taking up half a lane. I’ve nearly been flattened riding my motorcycle (going the opposite way, over the crest of a hill) by cars going into my lane to give those idiots a wide berth. No bike lane, no bike! Pitch in to build a velodrome or something.
sssssssss!
One of the PA “wildlife” plates displays an otter with the “preserve wildlife” (or whatever) — it should say “Pennsylvania: You Otter Try It”.
Particularly fitting for the guy who got motored down in front of me during the last STP. He was hit by a drunk driver @ 9.30 in the a.m. I’m doubtful that this license plate would have helped.
I like all the different options too. It’s a cheap way to add a unique touch to your car. Virginia has “more than 200” different plate designs. I chose this one because I thought it would look much better on my light blue car than the standard-issue plate, which is white.
Washington state used to have a pretty classy looking standard license plate. Red, White and Blue with embossed blue letters/numbers on a background depiction of Mt. Rainier. We’ve had personalized plates on all our vehicles for years.
Until now.
The basic plate retains the same appearance but on personalized plates, the embossed blue lettering/numbering has been replaced with shiny black letters/numbers that look like they’ve been applied with a cheap stencil kit.
Oh, and by law, your plates must be replaced every 7 years so even if you have the old style now, you’ll have to give them up eventually.
I guess the silver lining is that we’ll save a total of over $200/year by reverting to standard issue plates on all our vehicles as the plates age out.
There isn’t an attractive plate in all 50 states. Nothing like bolting on a crappy piece of tin on a nice car. We are using the same trashy looking pieces of tin designed in the early 1930’s just now with stupid pictures and your favorite special interest for sale.
States should just do away with license plates and use RFID technology. If law enforcement wants to know something about a particular vehicle they would simply point a radar type gun at it to get all of the same info that they would get if they were to call in the plate number over the radio. Elminate the tin and clean up my car.
We (Texas) win. We have almost 200 (I counted 191, but there are some duplicates in the list). From http://rts.texasonline.state.tx.us/NASApp/txdotrts/SpecialPlateOrderServlet :
# Colleges and Universities (26)
* Austin College
* Baylor University
* Lubbock Christian University
* Prairie View A&M University
* Rice University
* Sam Houston State University
* Southern Methodist University
* Southwestern University
* St. Mary’s University
* Stephen F. Austin State University
* Sul Ross State University
* Texas A&M University
* Texas A&M University, Commerce
* Texas Christian University
* Texas Southern University
* Texas State University
* Texas Tech University
* University of Houston
* University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
* University of North Texas
* University of Saint Thomas
* University of Texas at Arlington
* University of Texas at Austin
* University of Texas at El Paso
* University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
* West Texas A&M University
# Military and Veterans (26)
* Airborne Parachutist
* Armed Forces Reserve
* Congressional Medal of Honor
* Desert Storm Veteran
* Disabled Veteran
* Distinguished Flying Cross Medal
* Enduring Freedom Veteran
* Former Prisoner of War
* Gold Star Mother
* Korea Veteran
* Legion of Valor
* Marine Corps League
* Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Pearl Harbor Survivor
* Purple Heart Recipient
* Texas Guard
* Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol
* U.S. Air Force
* U.S. Army
* U.S. Coast Guard
* U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
* U.S. Marine Corps
* U.S. Military Academy – West Point
* U.S. Navy
* Vietnam Veteran
* World War II Veteran
# Organizations (60)
* 4-H
* Air Force Association
* American Quarter Horse Association
* Animal Friendly
* Be A Blood Donor
* Big Bend National Park
* Big Brothers Big Sisters
* Boy Scouts of America
* Coastal Conservation
* Cotton Boll
* Ducks Unlimited
* El Paso Mission Valley
* Fight Terrorism
* Girl Scouts
* Go Texan II Combination
* Go Texan II Farm Trailer
* Go Texan II Farm Truck
* Go Texan II Farm Truck > 1 Ton
* Go Texan II Farm Truck Tractor
* Go Texan II Token Trailer
* Go Texan II Trailer
* Go Texan II Truck > 1 Ton
* Go Texan Passenger Car or Truck
* God Bless America
* God Bless Texas
* Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
* I Love Texas
* Keep Texas Beautiful
* Knights of Columbus
* Lone Star Proud for Kids
* March of Dimes
* Marine Mammal Recovery
* Native Texan
* Organ Donor
* Read to Succeed
* Red Grapefruit
* Share The Road
* Smile Texas Style
* Space Shuttle Columbia
* Special Olympics Texas
* State Capitol
* State of the Arts
* Texans Conquer Cancer
* Texas Aerospace Commission
* Texas Lions Camp
* Texas Master Gardener
* Texas Music
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Bluebonnet
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Horned Lizard
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Largemouth Bass
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Whitetail Deer
* Texas Reads
* Texas Realtors
* Texas State Rifle Association
* Texas Young Lawyers
* Texas.-It’s Like a Whole Other Country
* United States Olympic Committee
* United We Stand
* Urban Forestry
* YMCA
# Professional Sports Teams (6)
* Dallas Cowboys
* Dallas Mavericks
* Dallas Stars
* Houston Astros
* Houston Texans
* Texas Rangers
# Public Servant and Other (21)
* Cotton Vehicle
* Disabled Person
* Disabled Person ID Placard (Mobility-Impaired)
* Disabled Person ID Placard (Non-Mobility-Impaired)
* Emergency Medical Services
* Farm Trailer/Semitrailer
* Farm Truck
* Farm Truck Tractor
* Fertilizer Truck
* Forestry Vehicle
* Former Military Motorcycle
* Former Military Vehicle
* Log Loader
* Parade Vehicle
* Peace Officer
* Permit
* Professional Fire Fighter
* Radio Operator
* Replacement Affidavit
* Texas Constable
* Volunteer Firefighter
# Antique and Classic (6)
* Antique Motorcycle
* Antique Vehicle
* Classic Auto
* Classic Motorcycle
* Classic Travel Trailer
* Classic Truck
# Motorcycle (16)
* Airborne Parachutist
* Antique Motorcycle
* Big Bend National Park
* Classic Motorcycle
* Dealer (Personalized)
* Disabled Veteran
* Enduring Freedom Veteran
* Fight Terrorism
* Former Military
* God Bless America
* God Bless Texas
* Native Texan
* Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Personalized
* Purple Heart Recipient
* Vietnam Veteran
# Trailer (9)
* American Quarter Horse Association
* Classic Travel Trailer
* Go Texan II Farm Trailer
* Go Texan II Token Trailer
* Go Texan II Trailer
* Personalized Token Trailer
* Personalized Trailer
* Personalized Travel Trailer
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Largemouth Bass
# Personalized (13 – Some duplicates)
* City Bus
* Combination
* Dealer (Motorcycle)
* Dealer (Passenger Car or Truck)
* Moped
* Motor Bus
* Motorcycle
* Passenger Car or Truck
* Private Bus
* Token Trailer
* Tow Truck (Large)
* Trailer
* Travel Trailer
# Souvenir (Not for vehicle use I think)
* 4-H
* Air Force Association
* American Quarter Horse Association
* Be A Blood Donor
* Big Bend National Park
* Big Brothers Big Sisters
* Cotton Boll
* Dallas Mavericks
* Emergency Medical Services
* Fight Terrorism
* Go Texan
* God Bless America
* God Bless Texas
* Houston Astros
* Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
* Keep Texas Beautiful
* Lone Star Proud for Kids
* Lone Star State
* March of Dimes
* Native Texan
* Organ Donor
* Share The Road
* Smile Texas Style
* Texas A&M University, Commerce
* Texas Christian University
* Texas Lions Camp
* Texas Music
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Bluebonnet
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Horned Lizard
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Largemouth Bass
* Texas Parks and Wildlife Conserv – Whitetail Deer
* Texas Rangers
* Texas Reads
* Texas Tech University
* Texas Young Lawyers
* United States Olympic Committee
* United We Stand
* University of Saint Thomas
* University of Texas at El Paso
* University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
* Urban Forestry
# Government (8)
* Affidavit for Regular License Plates Used on Exempt Vehicles
* Application for Exempt Registration for an Emergency Medical Services Vehicle
* Application for Exempt Registration of a Fire Fighting Vehicle Owned Privately or by a Volunteer Fire Department
* Application for Standard Texas Exempt License Plates
* Exempt Vehicle Affidavit Driver Education
* Honorary Consul
* Leased Vehicle Affidavit
* Public School Transportation Services Verification
Important plot point about Texas Plates: Many different causes raise money with these plates because a portion of the proceeds goes to them.
Why the state needs to do this? I dunno.
Keeps the prisoners happy, all of that variety.
Oregon is NOT “survivalist central”, I believe that Idaho holds that title. Now there are those who refer to Portland as “Beruit on the Willamette”.
As an Oregon resident and driver, this posting reminds me of all that is wrong with my state. The bicyclists take priority over all drivers (at least in Portland). They are some of the rudest people you will ever come across by riding in city streets, sometimes where cars cannot pass. To top that they believe they are superior because they are riding a bike, while the 1 million other people in the city are “evil” because we are harming the environment by driving.
To top all other things. One day a year, the city closes a majority of the major bridges (I believe 4 of 9) for Bridge Pedal. Of course these Bike Nazis (as I call them) do not pay taxes to keep up the roads they ride on and do not carry insurance. So if one falls on your car as you are carefully passing, guess who can be held liable?
I hate Portland bicyclists and this is just the icing on the cake!