The Bureau of Motor Vehicles has proposed issuing a new plate to all vehicle owners who register their cars between Feb. 2025 and March 2026, citing an issue with the deterioration of old plates reducing the visibility of the identifying information.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in the BMV news release: “License plates serve not only to identify vehicles, but are a way of expressing our love for our state.” I can think of a lot more ways to express our love for our state than spending the money to manufacture and distribute new plates to every vehicle owner and generating all that metal waste.

License plates hold up for years before corrosion causes fading. If this law passes, I will be forced to replace the plate on my 2021 car. Ridiculous!

If reduced readability of license plates is a safety concern, why not require replacement of corroded plates to be part of the annual vehicle inspection? I’ve written our representatives and senators to ask that this legislation be amended.

Michelle Gregoire
Westbrook