Digital License Plate

[Bmyers]

Been reading articles that Michigan is the third State to allow digital plates.

Michigan Approves Digital License Plates; Texas OKs for Commercial Use Only

Digital plates for cars, trucks, and fleets are already approved for sale in California and Arizona. Their clean looks come with a hefty monthly subscription fee.

www.caranddriver.com

They sound interesting, but for the high cost (I think the low cost is $19 a month) and that is just the plate cost. You still have to pay the State their fees. I don't see one of these in my future anytime soon.

Was just curious if anyone had one and is there any actual value to them?

 

[mcfarmall]

Nope. I'm not paying $19-$25 per month for an additional way to track my every movement.

 

[DustyRusty]

All cars should have digital license plates issued by the states. If you don't have insurance, then you don't have a license plate. Sure would take a lot of cars off the roads. Probably will never happen, because the people that don't have insurance still have the right to vote, and politicians will never do anything that might affect their re-election.

 

[Dieseldonato]

It's just another money grab. All police cars got plate scanners the other year around here, they don't have to call or type anything to know if your registered or have insurance. This is utter stupidity on all accounts. Just like getting your car plugged into for emissions, car can't pass inspection with a engine light for any thing emissions related. Why on earth do we need a separate machine to tell us what the vehicle already tells us? More money in the states pocket, thays why.

 

[radas]

I can see it now... Some guy cuts you off and your tech savvy kid uses his phone to hack the license plate to read "ASSHAT" for all the other motorists to see.

 

[torch]

It's just another money grab. All police cars got plate scanners the other year around here, they don't have to call or type anything to know if your registered or have insurance.

I get pulled over fairly often because of those scanners.

Decades ago, Ontario plates were owned by the province and assigned to a particular vehicle. Every February you lined up around the block to get a new plate. The plate had the year of issue stamped into it. If you sold the car, the plate went with it.

In 1981, the province decided metal plates were expensive and switched to annual stickers. You still had to line up every February, but now you got a sticker with the year and a serial number to put on your plate. New plates no longer had a date stamped on them.

In 1983, the province switched to a "plate to owner" system. Now you had to buy the plate, but you kept it and stuck it on your new vehicle when you sold your car. Now the stickers were tied to your birth month, so the lines were shorter and spread out evenly through the year. As a one-time transitional move, the province gifted existing plates to existing owners. It was legal to keep using those plates indefinitely, so long as they were continually transferred from one vehicle to the next.

In 1980, the last of the dated metal plates, motorcycle plates had 4 digits. In 1983, they went to 5 digits. I have owned at least one motorcycle since I lined up for my last dated metal plate in 1980 and kept that plate active ever since. 20 odd years ago, the ministry computerized the system. The boy genius who wrote the programming knew that motorcycle plates have 5 digits. (To be fair, it is possible that I have the last 1980 motorcycle plate left in the province.) Ever since, I have had a problem with getting my new sticker each year because when they type in my plate number, the system can't find it -- until the girl at the window adds a leading 0. Then the computer is happy.

Plate scanning cameras in police cruisers can't add a leading 0.

On the plus side, I've had the opportunity to meet many of the local LEOs.

 

[mikester]

I'm guessing we'll all eventually get digital license plates and they will start charging us by the mile/km for the roads we use. They will be put on our electric cars that we have to pay a monthly subscription to keep using...even if you "bought" the car outright. Depending on the subscription you pay for determines which roads and routes your car can drive on. If you buy the cheap subscription plan every route your car takes drives past McDonalds and Walmart.

 

[Bmyers]

I'm guessing we'll all eventually get digital license plates and they will start charging us by the mile/km for the roads we use. They will be put on our electric cars that we have to pay a monthly subscription to keep using...even if you "bought" the car outright. Depending on the subscription you pay for determines which roads and routes your car can drive on. If you buy the cheap subscription plan every route your car takes drives past McDonalds and Walmart.

My fine State had already proposed it, but the backlash was so great that they decided to drop it. They were wanting to charge 21 cents per mile.

https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article226481525.html

 

[lynnmor]

My fine State had already proposed it, but the backlash was so great that they decided to drop it. They were wanting to charge 21 cents per mile.

https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article226481525.html

I would like to read your linked article, but I don't have the proper "license."

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[Bmyers]

I would like to read your linked article, but I don't have the proper "license."

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Interesting, it comes up for me and I'm not a subscriber.

Here is a link to the bill that was tabled after the backlash

https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2864&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=119167&SessionID=108&GA=101

 

[aaluck]

This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Pay an extra $25 a MONTH for this? What is the benefit? My metal plate has been on my truck(s) for 15 years and still looks as good as the day I got it.

 

[DustyRusty]

I would like to read your linked article, but I don't have the proper "license."

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I wouldn't believe anything that that newspaper writes! Just look at the name....

 

[DustyRusty]

Rhode Island already doing this, by putting overhead toll collectors (ez-pass) on all the state highways.

 

[dlsmith]

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I've still got my MC plate... 'T0666', last rode in 82 (red sticker on plate..)
Those digital plates are 'silly tech'. Unless totally sealed Ontario winter saltywater will destroy them. They do allow anyone to track them and they KNOW your speed and GPS data as well....