Kansas adopting new vehicle license plate design, jettisoning eroded embossed tags

[TexasTowelie]

TOPEKA — A Kansas license plate with dark text on a blazing yellow background will replace in 2024 the peeling raised-letter tags that years ago became an impediment to law enforcement officers trying to quickly identify vehicles.

“Many of the embossed plates out on the road have become difficult to read due to significant deterioration,” said David Harper, director of the vehicle division at the Kansas Department of Revenue. “Replacing these plates will not only help law enforcement, but ensure that drivers can be easily identified in case of emergency.”

The existing Ad Astra plate, anchored by the state seal with a light blue background, was released in 2008 under Gov. Sam Brownback.

Five years ago, the state began transitioning to digital production with a process that printed flat plates when ordered. However, embossed or raised-letter plates have remained on the road far beyond their anticipated life cycle. Embossed plates lose half of their reflectivity after five years, making them especially difficult to read at night.

Read more: https://kansasreflector.com/2023/11/22/kansas-adopting-new-vehicle-license-plate-design-jettisoning-eroded-embossed-tags/

[intrepidity]

1. What about other states? I've only ever had the raised embossed kind

Wonder if the issue is peculiar to Kansas and their manufacturing method?

[Mopar151]

3. NH, MA, Vt all have plates embossed + coated.

I have some over 30 years old, and they still clean up well! I've never seen plates that bad!

[LastDemocratInSC]

4. Another Brownback "innovation".

[OnDoutside]

2. I find it surprising there's no standard national US plates

In the EU while numbering is up to the individual country the general format of the plates are very similar.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_vehicle_registration_platew

In Ireland we have a straight forward system in the format

IRL on the far left, then

999 XX 999999

The left 999 stands for year and first six months or second six months

XX stands for County

999999 is a sequential number

So if you see

232 C 12765

It means the car is the 12765th car registered in Cork in the July to December period of 2023.

If it was Jan to June it would have been 231 instead of 232

[bucolic_frolic]

5. How many old plates do you have and what do you do with them?

I must have about 30. It was a family thing. For generations.

[BOSSHOG]

6. I have a couple hanging in the garage

Over 50 years old. And some we’ve kept throughout our various moves. I find them to be great collectors items. I find them in antique shops usually very cheap. They make great birthday presents for old brothers in law. A tag from the year of their birth. I have some of our old tags hanging in bars and grills in South Louisiana and South Mississippi. They make nice decor.