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SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah drivers replace the annual registration decals on their vehicles, the Division of Motor Vehicles is urging them to check the condition of the month stickers on their license plates.
In an issue that has been ongoing since 2012, the DMV has found that the red dye used on the month decals tends to fade in the sun and weather to the point that they're unreadable. Under contract into 2017 with the company that prints the decals, however, the DMV has chosen to keep issuing them until the supply runs out.
"We know it's an inconvenience to those involved. We're doing everything we can to resolve that," said Charlie Roberts, spokesman for the Utah State Tax Commission, which oversees the DMV.
The red ink, while weaker, is the color preferred by law enforcement because it's easier to read.
Over time, most Utah law enforcement has opted to issue warnings rather than fines for drivers with faded month decals on their vehicles. Both Unified and Salt Lake police say their priority is to alert drivers to the issue rather than punish them.
"It is the practice of UPD to hold those responsible for the problem accountable, so we would usually only write a 'fix-it' ticket or give a verbal warning to get a new sticker," said Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell, noting that, for the most part, officers only check the tags in conjunction with other concerns.
Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden said the majority of drivers are genuinely surprised to learn their decals have faded.
While the DMV has chosen to live with the issue for the interim rather than change out the decals, Roberts said there is no noticeable cost to taxpayers.
The printing company, RR Donelley, covers the cost of providing replacement month decals, which are given to drivers for no charge, Roberts said. Replacements are mailed out accompanying many annual registrations, along with a letter advising drivers of the problem, and the expense of those mailings are rolled into the agency's regular operating costs.
"Anecdotally, there seems to be fewer (people unaware of the problem) than there has been, and I think that's because we're taking a proactive measure, sending the replacement red tags out with renewals," Roberts said.
Drivers can also request a new month decal at any time and at no cost by stopping by any DMV office or one of the state's 700 "on the spot" renewal stations, Roberts added. New decals can be requested by phone at 801-297-7780.
Ultimately, it's the owner's responsibility to make sure the tags on his or her vehicle are readable, Roberts said.
"We're doing whatever we can to get people the red (month) tags and make it as convenient as possible to replace them," he said. "What we can't do is make them put them on. It's in their hands."
In 2012, the DMV ran into the issue of red year decals fading in the sun, Roberts said. Because the annual decals are on a four-year rotation, all 2016 tags are also red, but so far the state hasn't received complaints about the stickers fading.
"It's early, so we'll see what happens in the winter, if we have a problem with that," Roberts said. "We'll see what happens over time."
