The million dollar registration sticker – For DMV a small change saves big bucks
In 1903, Connecticut was among the first states in the nation to require a vehicle to be registered,
As of August 1, vehicle owners in Connecticut will no longer be required to have a windshield registration sticker on their vehicles
and in 1937, it began annually using a different colored metal insert on license plates, the predecessor of the affixed registration sticker we see on today’s roadways. As of August 1, however, vehicle owners in Connecticut will no longer be required to have a windshield registration sticker on their vehicles. The sticker removal is part of an attempt at customer-service improvements the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is making in the vehicle registration system.
“Stickers are an unnecessary step in the registration process and eliminating them is part of creating a 21st Century DMV that is more modern and efficient by improving service to customers,” said DMV Commissioner Robert M. Ward. “[W]hen I became DMV Commissioner, I focused on looking at ways to improve services to customers by streamlining how we do things. This is another step in that direction,” he added.
Major technological changes now make stickers unnecessary because registration enforcement can be done through computer checks.
The DMV provides law enforcement with electronic information, allowing police officers to check the va- lidity of a marker plate from a patrol car. The DMV has also worked with law enforcement to set up marker-plate readers in some departments around the state. These readers capture an image of a plate from a camera on the patrol car. Up-to-date registration information from the DMV goes to law enforcement to use with these readers.
Discontinuing stickers will save the state nearly $400,000 annually, an important savings during a time when the state faces a multi-billion-dollar deficit.
In addition, the DMV plans a second registration improvement that is expected to save an additional $400,000 yearly, bringing the total savings to about $800,000 annually for this project.
The second part of the DMV’s customer service project will provide an online look-up to determine the validity of a vehicle’s registration. It will let customers know whether their registration payments were processed and their registrations renewed.
The change, which may begin in September, will eliminate mailing a renewed registration certificate to customers. Instead, they will receive their certificate as a tear-off part of the registration application that will be mailed to them 60 days prior to its due date.
Furthermore, those either renewing or applying for a new registration will only receive the official paper registration, which still must be carried in the vehicle at all times.
The agency plans a public awareness campaign through various mediums, including lists of frequently asked questions on the DMV website, a newly designed general-purpose envelope that highlights the change and an advertisement on an electronic bulletin board in DMV offices.
Customers can learn more about the changes through a special DMV web page, available at ct.gov/dmv/regstickers.
