New Maryland tag: Star-spangled yuck
Maryland recently changed its standard license plates to introduce a design commemorating the War of 1812. Donna Beth Joy Shapiro of Baltimore is among those who are not proudly hailing the new tags.
I've had vanity tags for 20+ years on every daily driver and antique and/or pleasure vehicle. Now that the MVA has dumped Maryland's black-on-white plate - definitely the perfect canvas for a vanity tag - in favor of the Star Spangled Banner plate as the new standard, certainly I am not the only Marylander who will no longer gladly fork over the vanity plate surcharge to adorn our beloved rides. I am curious how many fewer vanity tags on average have been ordered since the switch. Also, who are the public officials (with email addresses, if possible) that might be best contacted?
I liked the dilemma of chosing between the old standard and the agricultural license plate designs for my CHEVRE (French for goat or goat cheese) tag (though, as usual, I went with the serene uncluttered look). The Star Spangled Banner plate is wonderful as an option, but it never should have replaced the perfect (sorry to repeat myself, but there's no other way to describe it) license plate design.
In case you are curious just how bad, cluttered, or possibly inappropriate a vanity statement can look on the Star Spangled Banner, agricultural, and Chesapeake Bay plates, please go to https://secure.marylandmva.com/emvaservices/VRR/Create_Plate.asp
Thanks in advance for your help and your reply.Best,
Donna Beth Joy Shapiro
I can thing of nobody better to register complaints with than John T. Kuo, head of the Motor Vehicles Administration, at jkuo@marylandmva.com.
UPDATE: According to MVA spokesman Buel Young, the new plates made thheir debut in mid-June. He said that from June 14 to June 30, the MVA sold 454 vanity plates. Foor May 14-30, it was 334. So it apearrs that vanity is still alive and well in Maryland.
Certainly one month does not a trend make. And even the ugliest plate in the world can probably sell when it's brand new. But so far, no evidence it's a drag on sales.
Comments
Can't say I was a fan of the old black & white, but I'm definitely not a fan of this clip art. Fortunately the State has some beautiful alternatives in the Bay & Farm plates.
Posted by: Bossi | July 30, 2010 9:19 AM
Maryland has gone from having the best license plate of all fifty states to the worst. Is there any way to get this situation changed?
Posted by: Jim | July 30, 2010 10:10 AM
Seriously?!? Wow, maybe someday I can fixate on the color scheme and cluttered design of license plates to the point where I'm looking for someone to complain to about them, but given other more pressing concerns, I doubt it. How did something that used to be simple regulatory display for law enforcement become a fashion accessory that shouldn't clash with a vehicle?
Posted by: Adam | July 30, 2010 12:53 PM
The report that more Star Spangled Banner vanity plates were sold in June than the black-on-white vanity plates in May begs the question: how many more cars were sold in June than May? Also, why not make the black-on-white plates available as an option listed with the Chesapeake Bay and agriculture plates? Then those of us who want it for vanity plates get to enrich the MVA coffers twice-over.
Posted by: Donna Beth Joy Shapiro | July 30, 2010 7:52 PM
As Jim says the tag is a simple regulatory display for law enforcement , but then he ridicules car owners for fashion conscientiousness why doesn't he go to the heart of the problem which is the tag. If it's a simple regulatory display why the red white and blue cheesy clip art? Make it a SIMPLE DISPLAY. White with black letters, state name and small seal was right on target. Government bureaucrats always thinking it's all about them. It's not, please try to be as insignificant as possible.
Posted by: WelfareState | October 22, 2010 11:10 AM
New plate is really bad. Old plates were classier. I doubt the suburban DC set will like these gaudy plates on their Mercedes and BMWs.
Posted by: Mark | October 22, 2010 12:38 PM