Top License Plates

The year 1913 marked the first year that Idaho issued license plates. Only 2,083 vehicles received a single plate each that first year, none of which were motorcycles. Although motorcycle owners received a registry number for their bikes, the state allowed them to simply paint this number, the state, and the year the bike was made, on the rear mud guard.

Four years after the first car plates were issued, motorcycle owners could hang up their painting duties and purchase actual plates for the first time.

As you might imagine, life was much simpler almost a century ago. For example, if you lost your license plate, you could purchase a flat, blank replacement plate and hand paint the license plate number yourself. Some believe this is how the Idaho's reputation for unique license plates got its start.

Pioneering Creative Graphics

A state full of creative energy, in 1928, Idaho became the first one in the U.S. to display a graphic on a license plate. Can you guess what these pioneers first featured? A potato, of course. One that spanned the entire plate.

We've had a variety of statements grace our plates. In 1940, they read "50 Years of Statehood." From 1941 to 1946, "Scenic Idaho" was the message. While 1947 let motorists know our state was a "Vacation Wonderland, by 1948 the plates identified us by the product most Americans associate with Idaho, "World Famous Potatoes."

The 1953 and 1956 plates changed slightly, reading "World Famous Potato," until 1957, when the only two words to run along the bottom of the plate were "Famous Potatoes."

From the Outdoors Back to Potatoes

Locals know Idaho for its plethora of amazing outdoor activities, including skiing, so they enjoyed the ski jumper displayed on the 1947 plate. But the following year marked the return of the famous potato―this time with a pat of butter.

For the next 10 years, until 1968, the background alternated: some years featured a green background with white letters, others featured a white background with green letters. From 1968 to 1990, we finally settled on a white background with green lettering.

And in 1991, the state issued an award-winning plate using the latest vinyl graphic technique, a beautiful panoramic scene dotted with pine trees and mountains beneath a fiery red, Idaho sky.

Top Driver's Licenses

What the 1913 Idaho Legislature considered speeding might make most residents chuckle, especially if one considers the rate at which the locals fly on the open road. According to this governing body, "A rate of speed in excess of 30 mph for over one-fourth of a mile shall be presumed evidence of driving at a rate of speed which is deemed not careful or prudent."

Before any such formal law was enacted to license motorists, there were 15 officers who made up the State Traffic Patrol. They kept tabs on approximately 2,000 drivers every month, warning those who needed a little reminder, and arresting those who drove much more dangerously.

Once the state enacted the Driver's License Law, the officers could report traffic violations through a system created by the Department of Law Enforcement.

Soon more and more cars appeared on our roads. And as they increased in number, so did the fatality rate. Governor C. Ben Ross decided to step in once the national fatality rate reached 3,600 in 1934. The following year he made a request to the 23rd Idaho Legislature to require all residents who operated motor vehicles to obtain licenses.

Opposition to Licensing Idaho Drivers

Harry L. Yost, senator of Ada County, introduced the bill, but was met by sizable opposition. The biggest was the Idaho Statesman. The Statesman feared that starting a driver's licensing program would not help save lives but would instead be the beginnings of a costly bureaucracy that would require additional manpower and additional duties for the sheriffs at an additional cost ($1 for three years).

But the persistent efforts of license proponents paid off. What turned out to be one of the most time consuming debates on the Senate floor, resulted in the Driver's License Law by July 1, 1935. Valid for three years, each license cost motorists only 50 cents.

From that point on, more laws were set in place to protect the safety of those who took to the roads. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act, also known as the Financial Responsibility Law, came into play in 1947.

This ultimately lead to the creation of The Financial Responsibility Section, which was part of a movement to suspend the driving privileges of motorists who did not heed the provisions of the act. In addition, laws came into play by 1953 that required motorists to prove financial responsibility when convicted of certain violations.

By 1965, the cost of a driver's license went up to $6 and featured a photo of the license holder. And within a couple of years, the Driver Improvement Section was beefed up with a number of new programs designed to place the responsibility for revoking all driving privileges under one section.

The Birth of Driver Services

Driver Services, under the Motor Vehicle Bureau, was born in 1969. It consisted of three sections: Safety Responsibility, Driver Improvement, and Driver License.

What became the Division of Motor Vehicles (then called the Motor Vehicle Bureau) merged with the Idaho Transportation Department in 1982. Driver records were kept on computers and Driver Services could produce new licenses for its motorists much more quickly. These databases gave law enforcement agencies immediate access to information of more than one million driver records nationwide.

Times have changed drastically since the days of the 50-cent driver's license. At the beginning of the new century a four-year Class D license ran motorists $24.50. These days, residents between the ages of 21 and 62 can drop $45 for an eight-year license.

It seems like a lifetime ago that everyone had to wait 120 days to get their licenses from the headquarters based in Boise. Yet it wasn't until 1984 that major technological innovations took place, making it possible for each county to instantly create its own licenses.

Young Drivers Graduate

Then, in 2001, the state adopted the Graduated Driver's License program popular with many other states to get young drivers on board with a plan to make the roads a safer place. The program was designed to help them to work on their diving skills intensively before handing them driver's licenses.

DMV as we Know It

In 2002, nearly a century after Idaho issued its first license plate, the state's roads were filled with more than 900,000 licensed motorists. Each had proven to the state their knowledge of the basic traffic laws and were physically and mentally able to operate a motor vehicle.

Every diver's license office began using the new digital driver's license system, allowing each resident to request a duplicate license without having to show photo ID. This new system also aided in cracking down on the production of counterfeit driver's licenses.

Today, we take for granted the handiness of the new and improved licensing system. While we have grown accustomed to its efficiency and speed, many of us take advantage of the time it saves us, and we enjoy a long drive to soak in the beauty that is Idaho.

To read more history of the DMV, visit the official Idaho DMV Web site's history page.

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