More getting the N.C. plate special
As drivers sport their interests, some
worry trend is out of hand
BY ANDREW PARK, Staff Writer
Remember when people who wanted the world to know what was on their minds would slap a bumper sticker on the backs of their cars? These days, it seems only a special license plate will do. That is, if one wants to keep up with, for instance, the Folk Round Square Dance Federation of North Carolina. The tag issued to federation members is among 52 group plates put out by the state Division of Motor Vehicles and manufactured at Central Prison in Raleigh. More elaborate and harder to come by than a personalized tag or vanity plate, a special plate has alogo or design that is unique to a college, cause or club. So many special tags have beenauthorized in recent years that some DMV officials and law enforcement personnelare worried about where the trend is headed. Adding to their concerns is thewillingness of the General Assembly to approve bills allowing groups that don'tqualify under the rules to get special plates. At least 10 such bills have been introducedduring the current session. Motorists who have special plates say they like being able to spotkindred spirits on the road. "We decided that we needed something to identify square dancers," said Steve Riggio of Lumberton, president of the square dancefederation. Any college, pro sports team or tax-exempt, nationally recognized civicgroup can get its own special plate. The square dance federation didn't fit into those categories, so the legislature passed a bill authorizing its plate. This year, it also approved special license plates for countysheriffs and members of the 82nd Airborne Division. "It's getting to the ridiculous,"said Rep. BillyCreech, a Clayton Republican and critic of the special plates. Creech's colleagues are still considering bills that would allow special tags for magistrates, Vietnam Veterans, spouses of Purple Heart recipients, Native Americans, supporters of the March of Dimes, soil and water conservationists and admirers of the state's scenic rivers. Creech, who serves on the Transportation Committee, was one of the few legislators who spoke out against a plate for the spouses of Purple Heart winners. He said he fears more special tags would increase the burden on the beleagueredDMV. "We keep adding more and more workevery time we create a new license plate," said Creech, who is eligiblefor a special tag issued to members of the General Assembly. "We need to get DMVsquared away before we put more work on them." 300 members and afee Despite the criticism, the state continues to stamp new plates. On Friday, the Knights of Columbus became the latest civic group to qualify without special legislation. In addition to civicorganizations, the state also puts out tags that support wildlife conservation and historic sites such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It takes 300 members to apply and pay the extra $10 to $30 fee. Part of the proceeds go to the collegeor club or to conservation or preservation funds. The remainder goes to the DMV. Among groups waiting to get enoughmembers to sign up are the Rotary Club, the Future Farmers of America and theUnited States Power Squadron, which calls itself the world's largestprivate boating organization. A host of colleges are stilltrying to get their own plates, including Meredith College, Shaw University andUNC-Wilmington. Some law enforcement officers saythe proliferation of tags with different designs and numbers makes it moredifficult to distinguish North Carolina tags from other states' plates. Already 29,048 vehicles in North Carolina sport one of the 52 special tags, on top of the nearly 174,000 personalized vanity plates that are out there. Carol Howard, who heads the DMV's vehicle registration section, said the unique letter and number combinations on each special tag cause problems for the agency, too. She said she wonders where the trend will end. "It seems to be getting out of hand," she said. Howard said she would support anoutright moratorium on special tags, or at least a requirement that the statereceive a higher number of applications before issuing the tags. Some states require500 or 1,000 members to apply before a custom plate is produced. For years, the DMV issued specialtags for amateur radio operators, government officials, former prisoners of war and members of the National Guard. But an explosion of interest began after the 1991 General Assembly passed the first laws to allow the DMV to issue special plates adorned with logos, nature scenes and historic attractions, along with special prefixes and suffixes and numeric combinations. When square dancers Jimmy and Janie Roberson saw how many plates were being produced, they saw an opportunity to proudly display their hobby. Help from alegislator In 1994, the Robersons submitted to theDMV signatures from 600 federation members who wanted special square danceplates. Eventually, though, the Attorney General's Office determinedthat the federation didn't qualify as a civic club. So the Robersons, who live inOxford, asked Rep. James Crawford, an Oxford Democrat who attends theirchurch, for help. In 1995, Crawford was successfulin getting his bill for a square dance plate approved and the Robersons got the veryfirst one. So far, 534 of the club's nearly5,000 square dancers have got them, according to the DMV. And two or three times amonth, the Robersons see another car that sports the red, white and blue licenseplate with the square dancing couple and the "SD" suffix. "I don't think the lady at the DMVthought we would get enough [applications]," Jimmy Roberson said."I didn't have any doubt."