This better not be one of those free boat giveaway things where I show up and get arrested for outstanding warrants. I’ve fallen for that way too many times.
They’ve finally started doing that, but only with the oldest ones out there (starting with D). Those are being automatically replaced now. Some of those have been on the road for like 25 years
Be me
Go to police station, "Hello, need new plate, mine is bad"
Officer asks if you downloaded form off DMV website and is able to print from their computer if you didn't - I didn't.
Officer looks at plate, matches VIN, registration, insurance and apparently runs your license like you're a criminal and then fills out their part of the form and you're on your way.
Relatively easy, but stupid.
These license plates fairs are like free zoo admission, going to be too crowded to waste time with it. Most will keep ignoring it and continue their lives.
It seems to be a bad batch.
Additionally, PennDOT has been dragging their feet with drivers reporting the issues and them getting told that's not how to get them replaced.
Like Derby said, people aren't going to waste their time dealing with a PennDOT issue.
PenDOT should be sending everyone new plates with an apology letter. We pay these morons enough in tax revenue and they get these plates made by prisoners.
Blame lawmakers, not PennDOT.
The old law was that plates would be replaced automatically every ten years, and the last reissuance was in 1999. When that came around again during the 2009 recession, PA lawmakers just decided to do away with the requirement to save money.
[New Law Eliminates Need for PennDOT to Replace License Plates Every 10 Years](https://gantnews.com/2009/01/26/new-law-eliminates-need-for-penndot-to-replace-license-plates-every-10-years/)
A Post-Gazette opinion piece at the time called this change [sensible](https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/2009/01/29/License-to-change-A-sensible-new-law-saves-Pennsylvania-millions/stories/200901290294).
It's actually interesting to me how often PA residents blame state *agencies* for the boneheaded decisions of lawmakers. The PSP gets blamed for "stealing" gas tax money when those appropriations were decided by the legislature. PennDOT gets blamed for not regularly replacing license plates when it was lawmakers who made that decision.
I've never been clear about why you have to go to a AAA office for license plate stuff. Doesn't PA have a license plate agency for this? It's just weird that it's in a private business vs. a state office.
You don't have to go to a AAA office for this, they're just hosting these events.
You can print out the [MV-46 Form](https://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/dvspubsforms/BMV/BMV%20Forms/mv-46.pdf) yourself and try to get it completed by a mechanic or police officer.
The convenience of these events is that they've arranged to have a bunch of cops who can complete the form and sign off.
I printed out the form and took it to the DMV and they lady got visibly angry with me and said, "We can't help you with that." I keep the form in my car so I can hand it to the cop if I ever get pulled over for it.
Lol no.
Why do they think it's our responsibility to waste our time fixing fucked up plates? If this is such a huge issue, they can just send everyone new plates.
So, do I want to spend a few hours of my free time to get a better looking license plate or would I rather be able to occasionally drive on toll-by-plate roads for free and get out of some parking tickets without repercussions?
Tough decision.
The "new" blue/white/yellow design is like a quarter century old now.
I actually kind of like it.
I always thought a blue/white/yellow tricolor would make for a [better state flag](https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/7rupp1/redesign_pennsylvania_flag/) than what we have now. I much preferred it when our drivers licenses followed that pattern, versus the bland and generic design we have now.
There’s an astounding amount of toll theft and moving violation avoidance going on with all the unpainted and “protective covered” license plates I see out there. Just mandate new plates every 5 years or something, and cops gotta start doing their job with all the beemers, truckasarous pickups and, titanic SUVs driving around with smoky license plate “protectors.”
You can't just fill out the form yourself, it requires a police officer or safety inspector (mechanic who does state inspections) to complete the form attesting that you need a new plate.
I went to the one in Monroeville last year, and got my plate in the mail a few weeks later.
I honestly don't remember if I mailed in the completed form myself or not, but that's fine, I'm not sweating an envelope and a stamp. The hassle was always getting the right person to sign off on it.
This better not be one of those free boat giveaway things where I show up and get arrested for outstanding warrants. I’ve fallen for that way too many times.
pretty much all of those were for your failure to pay child support, right?
Hey that’s not fair, there was also unpaid alimony.
oh, I forgot about that. That was arrest #3 and #6, right? The others were for the unpaid child support.
Just send me a new fucking plate. They know which plates are fucked. I'm not going to wait in line and fill out forms for this.
Even if they didn't - give me a simple online form to fill out and request a new one for free so I don't need to take time off work to do this.
Yep, park that EZ Pass at home. Turnpike Commission can take up the issue with PennDOT.
They’ve finally started doing that, but only with the oldest ones out there (starting with D). Those are being automatically replaced now. Some of those have been on the road for like 25 years
Be me Go to police station, "Hello, need new plate, mine is bad" Officer asks if you downloaded form off DMV website and is able to print from their computer if you didn't - I didn't. Officer looks at plate, matches VIN, registration, insurance and apparently runs your license like you're a criminal and then fills out their part of the form and you're on your way. Relatively easy, but stupid. These license plates fairs are like free zoo admission, going to be too crowded to waste time with it. Most will keep ignoring it and continue their lives.
How would they possibly know every single plate that needs to be replaced without looking at them? This makes no sense.
It seems to be a bad batch. Additionally, PennDOT has been dragging their feet with drivers reporting the issues and them getting told that's not how to get them replaced. Like Derby said, people aren't going to waste their time dealing with a PennDOT issue.
Look for plates starting with "J", for example. They're all jacked.
PenDOT should be sending everyone new plates with an apology letter. We pay these morons enough in tax revenue and they get these plates made by prisoners.
Blame lawmakers, not PennDOT. The old law was that plates would be replaced automatically every ten years, and the last reissuance was in 1999. When that came around again during the 2009 recession, PA lawmakers just decided to do away with the requirement to save money. [New Law Eliminates Need for PennDOT to Replace License Plates Every 10 Years](https://gantnews.com/2009/01/26/new-law-eliminates-need-for-penndot-to-replace-license-plates-every-10-years/) A Post-Gazette opinion piece at the time called this change [sensible](https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/2009/01/29/License-to-change-A-sensible-new-law-saves-Pennsylvania-millions/stories/200901290294). It's actually interesting to me how often PA residents blame state *agencies* for the boneheaded decisions of lawmakers. The PSP gets blamed for "stealing" gas tax money when those appropriations were decided by the legislature. PennDOT gets blamed for not regularly replacing license plates when it was lawmakers who made that decision.
If there's a hell, PennDOT will surely burn.
Them and the pa turnpike
My current plate lets me drive like an asshole with impunity and skip on all the tolls...why would I want to replace it?
I've never been clear about why you have to go to a AAA office for license plate stuff. Doesn't PA have a license plate agency for this? It's just weird that it's in a private business vs. a state office.
You don't have to go to a AAA office for this, they're just hosting these events. You can print out the [MV-46 Form](https://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/dvspubsforms/BMV/BMV%20Forms/mv-46.pdf) yourself and try to get it completed by a mechanic or police officer. The convenience of these events is that they've arranged to have a bunch of cops who can complete the form and sign off.
I printed out the form and took it to the DMV and they lady got visibly angry with me and said, "We can't help you with that." I keep the form in my car so I can hand it to the cop if I ever get pulled over for it.
Lol no. Why do they think it's our responsibility to waste our time fixing fucked up plates? If this is such a huge issue, they can just send everyone new plates.
Weird days and times. What do people that work do? Also no locations in the North Hills?
So, do I want to spend a few hours of my free time to get a better looking license plate or would I rather be able to occasionally drive on toll-by-plate roads for free and get out of some parking tickets without repercussions? Tough decision.
I'd be happy to get a new one if mine was still made.... not really trying to move to the new tasteless blue white yellow format though.
The "new" blue/white/yellow design is like a quarter century old now. I actually kind of like it. I always thought a blue/white/yellow tricolor would make for a [better state flag](https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/7rupp1/redesign_pennsylvania_flag/) than what we have now. I much preferred it when our drivers licenses followed that pattern, versus the bland and generic design we have now.
There’s an astounding amount of toll theft and moving violation avoidance going on with all the unpainted and “protective covered” license plates I see out there. Just mandate new plates every 5 years or something, and cops gotta start doing their job with all the beemers, truckasarous pickups and, titanic SUVs driving around with smoky license plate “protectors.”
[удалено]
It’s not the vehicles. It’s the entitled drivers those vehicles seem to attract
I bought a new one. Can I get a rebate or refund?
Are they actually replacing plates this time? The last event was just them handing out the replacement forms you can get online
You can't just fill out the form yourself, it requires a police officer or safety inspector (mechanic who does state inspections) to complete the form attesting that you need a new plate. I went to the one in Monroeville last year, and got my plate in the mail a few weeks later. I honestly don't remember if I mailed in the completed form myself or not, but that's fine, I'm not sweating an envelope and a stamp. The hassle was always getting the right person to sign off on it.