The inspection stickers placed on our windshields are about to move, getting out of the way of sensors and other coming technology often related to self-driving vehicles.
Starting Oct. 1, the stickers will move from behind the rear-view mirror, a location chosen to keep them from blocking the driver’s view, to the corner of the windshield on the driver’s side.
“In conversations with manufacturers, we’re told that some things are going into rear-view mirrors and in the future that will be a location to mount things like radar that looks out or (sensors) for warning signals, autonomous emergency braking,” said Larry Crowe, public information officer for the Division of Motor Vehicles.
The stickers are also being redesigned to a horizontal shape with all relevant information visible from the outside, including the year as well as the month of expiration, and the last four digits of the car’s Vehicle Identification Number, so it can be easily compared with the number on the VIN plate to ensure they match.
They will have some new security features including a hologram backer.
“As long as we were moving them, we were just kind of doing everything at once,” Crowe said.
Motorcycles will continue to use the current inspection stickers.
Other stickers located in the driver’s side corner of the windshield, such as for parking areas, may have to be moved if they are in the way of the new stickers, Crowe said.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
