As authorities in an increasing number of states approve digital license plates, motor vehicle associations will be  critical partners for everyone from individual drivers and fleet owners to license plate manufacturers. Because these are the bodies responsible for registration and the related laws, their input will play a major role in digital plates’ expansion across the U.S.

The License Plate Standard, issued by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Associations (AAMVA) sums up the current feelings of the agencies on a number of license plate best practices. In a major turning point for digital license plates, the most recent edition of the standard specifically mentions the technology.

The Rise of Digital Plates

As authorities in an increasing number of states approve digital license plates, motor vehicle associations will be critical partners for everyone from individual drivers and fleet owners to license plate manufacturers. Because these are the bodies responsible for registration and the related laws, their input will play a major role in digital plates’ expansion across the U.S. The License Plate Standard, issued by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Associations (AAMVA) sums up the current feelings of the agencies on a number of license plate best practices. In a major turning point for digital license plates, the 2023 AAMVA License Plate Standard specifically mentions the technology. Over the past decade plus, Reviver has worked on digital license plate technology. Those efforts reached their first major milestone in 2016, when numerous governmental bodies in California came together to collaborate with Reviver on a pilot project. The group included the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Highway Patrol and state lawmakers.

That approval proved critical, and in the years since, similar groups of stakeholders have come together in Arizona, Michigan and Texas to make digital license plates a reality. As more states approve these devices, they’ll need rules to manage their correct usage. This is where the AAMVA comes in.

“AAMVA is the gold standard when it comes to developing best practices for Motor Vehicle Administrators and Law Enforcement,” says Neville Boston, Founder and CSO at Reviver. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be selected as a Technical Advisor for the last two License Plate Standard Working Groups. It’s an honor to partner with AAMVA in any capacity that they deem necessary.”

Digital License Plate Benefits: The AAMVA Perspective

In the current education of the AAMVA License Plate Standard, the organization lists several sources of potential value associated with digital plates. These include:

• Extra revenue for motor vehicle associations due to digital license plate registration fees.
• Lower operating expenses around maintaining plates — for instance, no postage upon registration renewal.
• The ability to display public safety alerts or other information on digital plates, such as Amber Alerts, stolen vehicle warnings or notification of lapsed registration.Real-time global positioning system tracking capabilities on equipped vehicles to help law enforcement during emergencies.
• Historical archives of GPS data associated with specific license plates, assisting with court orders or search warrants.
• Toll assessment, parking payment and other remote communication capabilities through radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in plates.

The AAMVA also noted challenges and adjustments that will come with more widespread use of the plates, such as the need for automated scanners to evolve to scan plates that are not retro-reflective.

To achieve the true potential of digital license plates at the state level, motor vehicle associations will need new policies. The AAMVA lays out some standards concerning:

• Personally identifiable information management between manufacturers, drivers and the association.
• Visibility of the plate, through illumination in the plate itself or an external light source.
• Standardization of the letters displayed on digital license plates.
• The use of official letters so that law enforcement personnel around the country will be aware that the plate is legal.

A Technology on the Rise

The thought that the AAMVA has applied to the correct oversight of digital license plates shows that the technology has taken hold. This organization and its members have drawn a path for the continued adoption of digital license plates in more states, a rollout set to continue over the next few years.