ONE-THIRD OPTS FOR TWO-YEAR PLATES; DRIVERS CAN NOW CHOOSE BETWEEN ONE YEAR OR TWO FOR PLATES

Missouri's new two-year license plate registration system has been slow to catch on with vehicle owners who are used to getting new tags annually.

About 30 percent of eligible vehicle owners have chosen the two-year registration option since a new law went into effect in July.

But Carol Fischer, director of the state's Department of Revenue, says that number is still higher than expected for a registration system that has been in effect for less than a year.

Fischer said her agency had projected only 25 percent of eligible Missourians would opt for two-year registration in the first year.

From July through March, about 962,000 Missourians have chosen to pay for two-year tags.

During the same period, the Cape Girardeau license bureau handled 731 biennial registrations and 1,709 annual license plate registrations.

"We anticipate that it will continue to grow," said Fischer, whose agency handles the licensing of vehicles.

Carl Hazel of Cape Girardeau registered his red 1989 Toyota at the local license bureau Friday. He paid over $40 for two-year stickers to put on his license plates, double the price for one-year tags.

"If I can pay for two years, it saves me from having to come back next year," Hazel said of his trip to the license bureau at 112 S. Spanish.

Hazel said he wasn't confused by the odd-even model year registration requirements.

Odds and evens

Owners of vehicles made in even-numbered years can renew their license plates for two years in even-numbered years. Vehicles from odd-numbered model years can be licensed for two years in odd-numbered years.

The two-year registration option doesn't apply to commercial motor vehicles licensed for more than 12,000 pounds, trailers and vehicles that have fleet plates.

Since the law didn't take effect until the middle of last year, some vehicle owners have yet to have an opportunity to purchase two-year license plate tags.

Vehicle owners who have an even-model-year vehicle registered before to July 1, 2000, won't get a chance to buy two-year tags until 2002.

Gene Burton of Cape Girardeau renewed his license plates for his 1986 Ford for one year at the license bureau Friday. Burton hasn't had an option for a two-year renewal yet. But he said he doesn't mind renewing his plates annually.

"It doesn't matter to me one way or another," he said.

But he said the line of customers at the license bureau seemed shorter this year. "I think I didn't have to stand in line as long," he said.

Norma Wildman, who manages the license bureaus in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, said the two-year registration option should make for shorter lines.

"I think once we have been with it for a full year that we will see less lines, and that will be great," she said.

But even the new system won't eliminate all the lines. "There will still be lines at the end of the month," she said.

Besides the two-year registration option, Missouri's new law replaces the annual vehicle inspections with inspections every two years.

Even-model-year vehicles must be inspected in even-numbered years and odd-model-year vehicles in odd-numbered years. That schedule holds true even for motorists who continue to renew their plates annually.

Higher fee turns off some

The Department of Revenue's Fischer said some Missourians don't want to pay the higher fee for a two-year license. She estimated the average fee for a two-year renewal is $50 compared to about $25 for one-year tags.

Fischer said she also has had some elderly Missourians tell her they don't want to pay for two-year tags because they don't know if they'll live that long.

Wildman believes most of her customers understand the registration system.

"You might have a few people who are confused," she said.

She said the state sends out renewal notices that clearly state whether the vehicle owners have the option to buy two-year tags.

The Department of Revenue also maintains a Web site that explains the registration changes.

Fischer said vehicle owners also can register with the state by mail, but most provide certain documentation including proof of insurance and a receipt showing personal property taxes have been paid.

"We do quite a volume of registrations by mail," she said.

Fischer said her office also is working to develop online registration as a convenience to the public. "Hopefully, by the end of the calendar year we will have a way to file over the Internet," she said.