Your new Georgia License Plate... (cost, vs, moving)

[scguy89]

Originally Posted by neil0311

There are plenty of scenarios where having a front plate is necessary to ID the vehicle or makes the ID much simpler. Massachusetts switched from single plate to two plates back in the 1990s when I was living there, and I remember the press conference with police chiefs all in favor of two plates.

Ohio right now was thinking about going to one from two, and the police are against it. Here are some of the reasons cited by law enforcement in Ohio:

"School bus drivers use it to note cars that illegally pass buses loading and unloading students; surveillance cameras catch the front plate in convenience store robberies, gas drive-offs and other crimes; the reflective plate catches the eye of drivers to see cars that have gone off the road; and the front plate provides a second look for cops or witnesses trying to identify getaway cars, drunken drivers, hit-and-skip vehicles or others"

Another point to make is that when you look at countries throughout the world, with the exception of Quebec Province in Canada, I cannot think of another country where they don't have both front and back plates on cars, of some kind or another.

Do some people in Ohio elect to have two plates? My girlfriend's mother came down with a car she gave to my girlfriend and it had plates on the front and back.

[Craziaskowboi]

I saw the new license plate on a truck a few nights ago, and I honestly couldn't tell what state it was, which is a bad omen. It also looked kind of cheap without the stamping.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by scguy89

Do some people in Ohio elect to have two plates? My girlfriend's mother came down with a car she gave to my girlfriend and it had plates on the front and back.

They DO have two plates currently, and are now considering reducing it to one, which is being opposed by law enforcement.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

Maybe now is a good time to go to the barcode plate.
No pretty pastels, murals, or themes-
Just plain white background with black barcode.
They all look the same- no hapless number and/or letter combinations, no vanity, etc.
Equal opportunity dullness for everyone.

As ugly as these new plates are, I'm in favor of that.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

As ugly as these new plates are, I'm in favor of that.

Well you need a way for humans to report a plate number but there is no reason that RFID and bar codes that can be scanned by law enforcement couldn't also be incorporated.

These new diorama license plates are getting ridiculous. It's for identification of the vehicle, not to win an art contest.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

I saw the new license plate on a truck a few nights ago, and I honestly couldn't tell what state it was, which is a bad omen.

That's one of my problems with it as well. It seems like the numbers are really bold, while the state name and "Peach State" kind of fade into the background. If you're the type that puts a frame around your license plate, then I am sure that you would barely see the state name at all.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Well you need a way for humans to report a plate number but there is no reason that RFID and bar codes that can be scanned by law enforcement couldn't also be incorporated.

These new diorama license plates are getting ridiculous. It's for identification of the vehicle, not to win an art contest.

Well, my response was mostly tongue and cheek. Even barcodes are woefully out of date and RFID tech would probably be better from a law enforcement perspective.

From a everyday resident perspective you have a valid point and one that is complicated by the ugliness of the new plates. The ugliness in that regard is a huge distraction IMHO due to how "busy" the new plate is.

I totally agree that the goal of a license plate should be for identification and not to win an art contest. The folly of that is being seen on the new license plates across the state. Rather, we should just have a nice plain single color background with the State, county, and plate number in easy to read fonts.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Rather, we should just have a nice plain single color background with the State, county, and plate number in easy to read fonts.

That used to be one of the things that GA got correct. Years ago, everyone had the same plate. They were red/white, green/white, or black/white/peach and they were changed every 7 years. Everyone had the exact same plate at any given point in time

Today, with the different generations and the specialty plates, it's a mess.

[scguy89]

Originally Posted by neil0311

They DO have two plates currently, and are now considering reducing it to one, which is being opposed by law enforcement.

Thanks for the clarification. I misread.

[architect77]

I stand corrected: The standard alternative white plate looks awful in person. It's so cheap looking, like it's made out of paper.

When I need a plate, I'll probably get the busy orange peach field. It's much duller in person, not as tacky as expected.

Both plates are so shoddily made, I guarantee you that the paint/graphics will quickly fade off, forcing them to return to stamped letters and numbers.

It's sad, in this day and age, when a state with 10 million residents can't even spend enough money to stamp out sturdy license plates. Everything is being done in an effect to slash costs, even if it makes "the empire state of the south" the laughing stock of the south.