GearBits

Successfully Merging Government and Technology

Ohio is infamous for being a bit overzealous with its enforcement of speed-related traffic laws. Speeding tickets are handed out by the thousands every day from the Ohio state patrol, county sheriffs, city police, village police, township police, constables, detectives, park rangers (yes, really) and who knows who else. It's no wonder the Escort, Passport and the Valentine 1 were all invented here in the Buckeye state.

Ohio has a deadly efficient money harvesting system built around automobile law enforcement and thankfully, this efficiency has translated into something useful instead of harassing for Joe Citizen. Enter oplates.com....

In the bad old days when you wanted a customized plate for your vehicle, you went to the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) office (Argh!) and waited in line to ask for an application. You then filled out this application with your top three choices for a plate and mailed it off to Columbus. Weeks and weeks later you would either get your plates or a letter telling you your choices were not available or not approved. Try again.

A slightly better system emerged a few years back. You still had to go the BMV office (Argh!), but perched on their countertop was a rickety, old CRT that allowed you to enter your choices for a plate and get instant feedback. If you found a combination that clicked for you and the state, you stood in line for an application, filled it out and then waited weeks and weeks for your plates.

Oplates.com has done away with all that silliness. With this clean, efficient website you can instantly check availability of your custom plates on a multitude of snazzy plate backgrounds and then see a representation of the finished product. A few clicks later you enter your credit card, get a confirmation and in one week(!) your plates show up in the mail.

Now that's what I'm talking about!