License Plates

License Plates

Everyone dreads the time of year when his or her license plate needs to be renewed. Visions of long lines, rude employees and weary customers come to mind when thinking of visiting the license bureau.

Meet Jane Smith. Jane is a resident of St. Louis, Missouri. Jane currently drives a 2003 Jeep Cherokee. Jane's license plates are renewed annually during the month of March. Jane always dreads completing this task because it is so time consuming. Jane has come up with a friendlier and faster renewal system that she is going to suggest to the State of Missouri.

In Jane's ideal system, all Missouri residents would receive a license renewal reminder two months before their renewal is due. The reminder would contain very specific and explicit instructions on procedures and requirements in order to renew license plates successfully.

In this system, all Missouri license plates have a bar code on them. This bar code identifies vehicles in the state's licensing database. By having a bar code on the license plates, the garage in which the safety checks are completed and the emission test stations can use hand-held barcode readers to identify the vehicle being tested. This barcode reader is programmed into a computer, which is connected to a state database that holds the registration/licenses for all of the vehicles in Missouri. Once the test is complete, the attendant/mechanic can input the results from their computer. The barcode system has two advantages. The first advantage is error control. By reading a barcode, the attendant/mechanic will input the needed information with the correct vehicle. The second advantage is speed. The barcode reader allows for instant reading and results.

After receiving the reminder notice, residents need to schedule a safety check-up with a state approved car dealership or garage. A website and telephone number are posted on the reminder notice. On this website and telephone system are lists of state approved dealerships/garages that can do the safety check. Both the website and telephone system have the ability to be searched by zip codes. All state approved dealerships/garages are required to enter information directly into the state database directly after the safety check is performed. By having the dealership/garage enter the information into the database, there is less of a wait time for the customer and the state can assure that a safety check was performed.

Emissions testing are also a requirement in order to renew license plates. Emissions testing facilities are also listed on the same website and telephone system as the dealerships/garages that performed the safety checks. The emissions testing facility also enters the test results and any other pertinent information into the state database.

After the safety check and emissions test is completed,