STICKERS: You know those reflective stickers you get every year from the state to put on your license plate?
The instructions always say not to put them over last year’s sticker, but we always do. Every time. Until there is a thick pile of stickers protruding from the license plate.
Anyway, we won’t be getting those stickers anymore.
The reason is the change will save taxpayer money, said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. It’s estimated the sticker elimination will save $1.1 million annually, and the elimination of the associated mailing costs will be $2 million annually.
PennDOT explained that Penn State University did a study that concluded vehicle registration compliance won’t change if we don’t have stickers.
And, yes, you will still need to register your car. You will still receive a registration card that you’ll be expected to present to police officers should you get pulled over, and you’ll need the card when you get your vehicle inspected.
As PennDOT notes, law enforcement officials can access the PennDOT database electronically from their vehicles, so they can verify your registration that way. Some have electronic license plate readers.
By the way, the new sticker rule doesn’t take effect until Dec. 31, so put any stickers you receive in the next 17 days on your license plate.
Oh, and it turns out that layering your registration stickers makes them easier to steal, so don’t follow our lazy example. At least for the next 17 days.
LEANING TOWER: Remember when the Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed for several years so it could be made safer for visitors who didn’t want the tower to topple?
It’s been 15 years to the day since it reopened to the public.
According to www.leaningtower-ofpisa.com, it was sinking in the clay and sand soil under the tower that caused it to start leaning while it was still under construction. Construction started in 1173 — can you imagine?
We were looking at photographs of the intricate structure, and it’s amazing what humans could build without modern equipment.
