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AAA hosting free license plate replacement events

By Mike Jones newsroom@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Drivers on the road may be starting to notice an increasing number of damaged or illegible Pennsylvania license plates on vehicles around the state. Some are rusted or faded, while on many others the laminate coating is peeling away, making the plates unreadable and therefore illegal.

Replacing them is free but somewhat cumbersome because it requires vehicle owners to have a police officer inspect the plate and then sign a form to have the state Department of Transportation send a new one to the motorist.

In response, the Pittsburgh area American Automobile Association is offering free license plate replacement events at several of the motor clubs’ offices in Allegheny County in the coming days.

“It’s something new we’re trying … in an effort to make it very convenient,” AAA spokesman Jim Garrity said.

AAA is authorized to perform such motor vehicle services on behalf of PennDOT, but the motor club will also have an Allegheny County police officer at the offices on various days to inspect and sign the proper forms on the spot. The vehicle’s same registration information will be used on the new plate.

“If they deem they’re eligible for a replacement, they’ll sign off,” Garrity said.

The AAA office in Robinson Towne Centre will host its event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, while a similar one is scheduled at the AAA office in Bethel Park across from South Hills Village Mall on June 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The events are free and open to the public regardless of whether or not the motorist is an AAA member or resident of Allegheny County. This is the first of its kind program for AAA, Garrity said.

“I wouldn’t say there is an impetus about a rapid increase in (damaged) license plates. We saw it as an opportunity for (people) in the area who are in need of this, and for good reason … to bring the convenience to the branch,” he said. “It’s just a new idea on our part.”

But there does appear to be a growing number of damaged or unreadable Pennsylvania license plates, some of which have been in use since 1999, when the state went to its current format. Some that were manufactured in the mid-2010s appear to have defective laminate in which the letters and numbers are literally melting off the metal plate due to wear and tear.

It’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a license plate that cannot be read from 50 feet away. A police officer can stop a vehicle and write the driver a warning or citation, while requiring them to request a new plate. An inspection can also fail a vehicle if the license plate is in poor condition.

While it might not seem like the most pressing issue, it can cause problems, especially with cashless tolling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and other toll roads in which high-resolution cameras are used to read a vehicle’s registration information and send the bill to the driver.

State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, hasn’t noticed an overwhelming number of damaged or unreadable license plates when she’s on the road, and it doesn’t appear to be on the agenda right now for state officials.

“Does the state want to reissue plates to everyone? No. That’s not cost-effective. I don’t know how you enforce it,” Snyder said. “Our state police are bogged down with a lot of issues, and I don’t think license plates are a top priority.”

Snyder did not think the state House’s transportation committee was looking into the matter, although she admitted it could be a problem for the Turnpike if tolls are going uncollected. PennDOT officials did not respond to phone messages seeking comment on the number of license plates the department replaces each year and whether it’s seeing an uptick in requests.

Snyder said her district offices in Greene County also assists residents in getting new license plates for free, but she was happy to hear AAA was having the events to make it more convenient for people.

“That’s awesome. That’s a great thing they’re doing,” Snyder said.

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