Car registration license plate stickers no more

[DeminPennswoods]

Starting Jan 2017, PA drivers will no longer get a registration sticker for their license plate. I'm a little surprise because local law enforcement complained loudly about this making it harder for them to stop unregistered vehicles. They could get plate scanners, but can't afford them.

Probably the easiest way to solve the problem is to go back to matching a car's inspection date with its registration renewal date. That way cops need only look at the inspection sticker inside the windshield to know if the car's registered since you need both a valid registration and insurance for the yearly inspection.

On the plus side, it's one less money-making tool local cops will have in their toolbox. They'll probably just set up more speed traps to fill the coffers.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Can't they just input the license plate into their

computers? Surely they have computers in the cop cars, yes?

Although why PA drivers will no longer get the registration sticker for their plates seems completely dumb. It's what most other states do.

[TexasProgresive]

2. Have to have probable cause.

Texas has done away with plate stickers years ago. We had 2 windshield stickers, safety inspection and registration. That has been changed to one sticker that is actually both. You have to get inspected before you go to the tax office.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I doubt they need any kind of probable cause to input license plate #,

at least if they have a in-car computer.

One time I was driving along an interstate, a patrol car came up behind me and hung back for a few minutes following me, and I'm sure he was checking my plate. Because after a bit he passed me, caught up with the vehicle ahead of us, and did the same.

So simply running your plate must be okay.

And I thought that the fee we paid for renewals covered the cost of mailing us the stickers.

I live in a state that doesn't require inspection. And I can renew my tags two years at a time, which is nice.

[DeminPennswoods]

3. Not all cop cars have computers

Police services are so fragmented here, many depts are tiny with maybe 1 fulltime cop and part-time cops who also work at other jurisdications. These municipalities are already struggling with salary, benefit and pension obligations to cops, so they don't have extra money laying around for all the tech, incl laptops in each car.

Not printing/mailing stickers is supposed to save 3M/yr. That's what our R controlled legislature likes and they wrote the bill so there was no grant money set aside to help by plate readers. For municipalities that want to buy the readers, it will just mean local property tax increases which is ok because state Rs can then say they haven't "raised taxes".

[Johnathan146]

4. Seems like the easiest way is to remove the cops from the equation

Have a 60 day grace period, then have the dmv charge a few when it does get renewed, that way the DMV is handling all that.

[DeminPennswoods]

5. Local cops can't make $ that way

I'm sure looking for expired tags and writing citations with fines is one way small local police depts bring in revenue. That and speed tickets which are then dropped down to 5 mph over the limit so no points to the driver, but still a significant fine that's split between the town and the court.

[Johnathan146]

6. I guess the solution is to renew your plates and not speed then.

[Freddie]

8. The sticker thing saves the state lots of $$

You can now do your registration totally online and they don't have to snail-mail the sticker to you. (Plus I'm a pro at losing the damn things.)

[DeminPennswoods]

9. 3M is the projected savings

I'm doing my registration online, too. I'm not sure when the 2 yr registration kicks in, but if it's an option now, I'll do that as well.