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Minimalist license plate sticker explained

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Illinois

* Many thanks to Marni Pyke for taking the time to check this out…

Simpler can be better. But not when it comes to the pared-down license plate stickers the Illinois secretary of state’s office is dispensing, some drivers think.

“What’s the deal with the new plate renewal stickers that only show the year of expiration?” reader Dale Maradei asked.

“The old ones showed the month, year and plate number. If you do not remember when your plate expires, you could be in trouble. Are they trying to save money on printing costs?”

It’s not printing costs creating sticker shock; it’s supply-chain dysfunction involving paper products.

Read the rest.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 3:28 pm

Comments

I noticed that…good to know. And they send out plenty of reminders so the “I won’t know when it expires” thing is pretty lame too.

Comment by Skeptic Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 3:45 pm
This year, I was sent a postcard reminding me to renew my sticker, which I did online. You can also request renewal notice by email.

Comment by Wensicia Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 3:46 pm
can we now go to an optional 2 year plate. please.

Comment by Blue Dog Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 3:49 pm
- If you do not remember when your plate expires, you could be in trouble. -

Yeah, that’s true even if the month is printed on the sticker.

Replaced mine over the weekend. Noticed the year only format. Didn’t care.

Just another example of why digital license plates make more sense.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 3:51 pm
Just got my one like this. I hope they stick on better than the old ones. One of my plates expire in December, I have to park in the garage to get it to stick on. It gets too cold to stay on when you first put it on.

Comment by Unionman Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:02 pm
===The agency found another source, but those stickers come in rolls and can’t be printed individually, hence the generic date===

I gotta be honest… this doesn’t explain much. Why not order some rolls for each month?

Comment by vern Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:02 pm
==can we now go to an optional 2 year plate. please.==

That’s a great question. is there any practical reason not to offer a 2 year option?

Comment by Sox Fan Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:02 pm
I think some people just look for things to complain about. If you can’t manage to figure out when your sticker expires (it’s on your registration) then you need more help than can be provided to you. And what difference does one year or two years make? So you’d pay double for 2 years? Or are you looking for that fee to stay the same for 2 years?

The only potential issue I see with the year only stickers is that law enforcement would not be able to readily identify those with expired plates until the following calendar year when they would notice they had the wrong color sticker.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:08 pm
Can you imagine how this generation would have reacted if SOS decided to bring back the old days of having to replace your license plates every year? Not the sticker, the actual plates themselves. With no guarantee that you would be able to keep your exisiting plate number.

Comment by Just Sayin Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:15 pm
I’m for 2 years because it can’t help but save the state money. I would gladly pay $151×2 as an option. And trailer plates, low GVW, should be offered for 5 years.

Comment by Blue Dog Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 4:57 pm
I notice more and more, things that Jesse would call: “Incorrect display”. I.E. smoked dark plastic plate covers that make the plate unreadable from even a few feet away… and people leaving the front plate off entirely. I understand that’s a thing in some other states but in Illinois it’s supposed to be plates on front and back.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 6:51 pm
Smells fishy to me.

Comment by Shemp Monday, Aug 8, 22 @ 8:49 pm
The last line of the article was interesting, in which the officer quoted seemed proud of the fact that officers at times use the sticker as a pretext for a stop.

Gosh, I wonder how that is used on a day to day basis.

Comment by Crash Tuesday, Aug 9, 22 @ 6:20 am
===One of my plates expire in December, I have to park in the garage to get it to stick on. It gets too cold to stay on when you first put it on.===

January for me, and I haaaaaaaaaaaate this. If the stickers won’t stick when it’s cold, can I PLEASE move my renewal to April or something? I will happily pay a fee to do so.

Comment by Suburban Mom Tuesday, Aug 9, 22 @ 8:50 am
I’ve noticed some other states issue plates with the month embossed or printed on the plate. Their renewal stickers show only the year of expiration. After what’s happened here in IL with renewal stickers this year, this approach seems to make some sense.

Comment by Zim Tuesday, Aug 9, 22 @ 9:10 am
No , it is NOT better. The Plate number on the sticker helped prevent all manner of shenanigans and aided law enforcement.

Comment by Jesse Tuesday, Aug 9, 22 @ 9:39 am