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License plate survey: Illinois about as vain as Virginia
By Dena Potter
Associated Press
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RICHMOND, Va. -- URSOVAIN Virginia. You, too, New Hampshire, Illinois, Nevada and Montana. A state-by-state survey of the popularity of vanity license plates has found that car and truck owners in Virginia are the vainest of them all.

Out of the 9.3 million personalized plates on the roads of America, about one in 10 are in Virginia, according to rankings provided to The Associated Press by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

That’s 16 percent of the plates issued by Virginia. New Hampshire came in second with nearly 14 percent. Illinois had about 13.4 percent, but that amounted to nearly 1.3 million plates, the most of any state.

“If you’ve got 9.3 million people across the U.S. sporting vanity plates, you’ve got a cultural phenomenon,’’ AAMVA spokesman Jason King said.

Texas had the fewest, with only about a half percent of drivers personalizing their plates.

Kathy Carmichael drives around with the plate COFENUT, although she is down from eight to 10 cups of java a day to just three.

“It’s a personality thing,’’ said Carmichael, 58, a real

estate agent in Mechanicsville. “You get to know something about the person in front of you or who passes you.’’

Stefan Lonce calls it “minimalist poetry in motion’’ — telling a story in eight or fewer characters.

Lonce — author of the upcoming book “LCNS2ROM-License to Roam: Vanity Plates and the Stories they Tell’’ — worked with AAMVA to survey vehicle licensing agencies in each state.

“I think a lot of people have stories to tell and they really want pieces of those stories out there,’’ said Lonce, who admits he initially thought it was silly for people to spend extra money to personalize their license plates.

Ion Bogdan Vasi, an assistant sociology professor at Columbia University, calls people who personalize their plates “the narcissistic-materialist poets of the iGeneration.’’

“Most people buy personalized plates simply because they want to tell the world they are special,’’ Vasi said in an e-mail. “They wrote an ode to themselves and they want to share it with everybody on the highway.’’

Some plates are cryptic, like Brittany Diaz’ EN PWANT. It’s a reminder of the summer when she studied ballet in New York and her French teacher pronounced the “en pointe’’ style of dance as “en pwant.’’

“Most ballerinas get it, and those who don’t dance I figured would be entertained because pwant is just a funny thing to say,’’ said Diaz, 17, of Midlothian.

Others are personal, like those of Ally and Rudy Masry of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. She donated a kidney to her husband in 2003, so her car has the tag DONOR and his reads DONEE.

Some offer quirky takes on professions, like EYEMAN and 2THDR. BYTE1 reflects the computer science degree held by Vonn Campbell of Greenville, S.C., but he also chose it “to provide a somewhat abrasive message to those individuals who follow too closely.’’

But why does Virginia have so many personalized plates?

“It’s only $10. You can do it online with little effort. You can get a new one every month if you wanted to,’’ said Benjamin Mace, a Virginia Beach Web designer who started CoolPl8z.com, where people post pictures of their vanity plates.

However, some other states are just as cheap. And Illinois has the largest total even though it charges $78 per year.

Take a look
Brittany Diaz does a point as she holds her personalized license plate, "EN PWANT" French for point, in front of her car in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. A nationwide survey shows Virginia drivers are the most vain, with a higher percentage of personalized, or vanity, license plates than any other state, the District of Columbia or even Canada. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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Reader comments on this story - 14 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

too high wrote on Nov 12, 2007 7:23 PM:

" As far as I am concerned, the cost of license plates is outrageous. But hey, I have to drive, so I have to pay. They keep raising the prices and the roads don't get any better. I wish I could sue the government everytime i hit a pot hole and it breaks a belt in my tire or busts a shock. sometimes you just can't avoid those blasted holes. lmao j/k "

GO DEERE wrote on Nov 12, 2007 5:53 PM:

" I have had GO DEERE on my car for many years now and I love it. It is worth the extra money to be unique. People start up conversations with me about it, people tell me when they have seen me out and about because you can be sure that GO DEERE is me. Plus, as the plates say, GO DEERE! "

To Personalized vs. vanity plates wrote on Nov 12, 2007 2:06 PM:

" I disagree with you on the price of plates. I have a vehicle with vanity plates on it that has 4 letters and 2 numbers and it cost me $85 every October for a new sticker. I have another with regular plates and it cost me $78 every September for a new sticker. "

LittleMac wrote on Nov 12, 2007 1:21 PM:

" "Costanza": O.K.: I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you're driving a Taurus. I just want you to share the experience. "

Costanza wrote on Nov 12, 2007 12:55 PM:

" The B-N community seems like it has an inordinate high percentage of personalized/vanity plates. Drives me nuts. If you're driving a Taurus, do you really need "taurus" on the license plate? What are you saying? I can SEE that you're driving a Taurus idiot!!!! "

You are incorrect... wrote on Nov 12, 2007 12:54 PM:

" Please check the cyberdriveillinois website. personalized plates USED to be free. There now is a $47 fee to get the plates and a $7 annual renewal fee on top of the normal fees... "

To What?? wrote on Nov 12, 2007 12:03 PM:

" Why isn't it news? It is nice to read something that isn't bad news for once. "

Personalized vs. vanity plates wrote on Nov 12, 2007 10:55 AM:

" This article fails to mention that in Illinois, personalized plates do NOT have a higher fee than random plates. There are also "vanity" plates in Illinois, which have slightly different rules (you don't need to use a number, for example), which DO have an additional fee. Of course Illinois will have a higher percentage of personalized plates when they are free. If more states had free personalized plates, then the numbers would likely increase in those states as well. This article says, "Illinois has the largest total [of personalized plates] even though it charges $78 per year." That statement is misleading because the $78 annual fee is for ALL plates whether they are personalized or not. Personalizing costs you $0. "

What?? wrote on Nov 12, 2007 10:55 AM:

" Why is this news???? Why is this important?? "

Rolling Eyes wrote on Nov 12, 2007 9:38 AM:

" I don't have vanity plates on any of my vehicles. I don't want to be easily remembered. "

PK wrote on Nov 12, 2007 8:18 AM:

" I have a personalized plate because a random string of numbers is boring and hard to memorize. Back in Pennsylvania, the state issued plates have three letters followed by four numbers. At least this gives your brain something to toy with while you're driving. "Hmm... I wonder what I can create from AEM 8228. How about... alligators eat monkeys? Yeah!" "

Man wearing a brown paper bag over head wrote on Nov 12, 2007 8:10 AM:

" I would pay the extra fee!If I could get personally made plates by Ex Governor George Ryan. Will 6years2go fit? "

Narcissist wrote on Nov 12, 2007 6:56 AM:

" It makes it easier to find my car at the mall without memorizing a 6-digit number. "

Andrea wrote on Nov 12, 2007 6:10 AM:

" The reason Texas had the fewest is because if they choose to personalize their plates, they get a plain license plate. The regular one is colorful and has a night sky with a space shuttle and an open field with a man on a horse. The personalized ones are dull. "
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