‘Blue Wave’ or Newport Bridge? State unveils R.I. license plate design finalists

FIVE RHODE ISLAND license plate designs have been chosen as finalists in the state's RI State Plate Design Contest. / COURTESY R.I. DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES
FIVE RHODE ISLAND license plate designs have been chosen as finalists in the state's RI State Plate Design Contest. / COURTESY R.I. DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES

PROVIDENCE – The majority of state-issued license plates going forward could have images of the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge on it. Or, they could still have a modified version of the current “blue wave” image on them.

But, Rhode Islanders over the next two weeks will decide online what they want on their license plates. Gov. Daniel J. McKee and R.I. Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator Walter R. “Bud” Craddock announced Monday at the Statehouse that five designs have been selected as finalists for the RI State Plate Design Contest.

The contest was launched in December 2021, giving residents the opportunity to come up with a design to permanently replace the current “Blue Wave” design that has been in use since 1996. The RIDMV wanted to come up with a new plate design, as well as engage the public in the process.

Craddock said Monday that, by statute, the license plates are supposed to be redone once every 10 years. “We’re a little bit behind,” he said.

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Once the submission window closed on Jan. 7, Craddock said the RIDMV received close to 940 designs from 369 different individuals to be considered. Of the five plates, two of them have images of the Newport Bridge. Two other designs have small blue waves going across the bottom half of the plates as a “tribute” to the current wave plate, Craddock said. One plate shows blue water going across the horizon.

McKee said the winning license plate will represent the state “to the rest of the country,” especially with Rhode Island discussing how to better market the Ocean State to the rest of the U.S.

“This license plate will be seen throughout the country and it’s going to make an impression on the people who we want to visit Rhode Island,” McKee said. “The license plate is another way to market the state of Rhode Island in a way we can all be proud of.”

The voting period on choosing a new plate began Monday and residents will have until March 28 to vote. Residents can select their favorite plate by visiting the RIDMV’s website.

“Hopefully, we’re going to have a good response to the voting and I’m looking forward to see which one will actually win,” Craddock said.

Craddock told Providence Business News back in December the state will be reissuing over a two-year period starting this year more than 700,000 new license plates at an approximate cost of $2.5 million. Only the “Blue Wave” plates will be replaced, he said, and the charity-themed plates and the “Green Wave” plates for hybrid vehicles will remain in use.

Craddock also said at the time the new license plates will be mailed to residents, saving them a trip to the local DMV office. He said residents don’t have to return the old plates to the DMV, but they will be asked to either recycle or destroy the old plates.

On Monday, Craddock said the new license plate design has to be “significantly different” than the existing design. Part of that reasoning, he said, is it’s estimated that 3% to 4% of vehicles currently on the road are unregistered. In addition to them being lost revenue for both the state and municipalities, unregistered vehicles can cause safety concerns, Craddock said.

“They may not have passed safety inspections. They could be having problems with emissions,” he said. “They could also be uninsured, which creates problems for us, the motoring public.”

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

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