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AUSTIN -- Texans like to make a splash, but apparently not when it comes to displaying personalized license plates.
Texas is last in the nation in the percentage of drivers with vanity plates, according to a new study by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Virginia ranks first, with more than 16 percent of vehicles bearing personalized plates.
In Texas, less than 1 percent of the state's 21 million vehicles have them.
A few possible reasons: The plates couldn't be purchased online until recently, the state has opted for a low-key approach toward marketing them, and the state bans words about sex or alcohol on the plates.
"What is fun to you can be offensive to another," said Kim Sue Lia Perkes, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation.
Until last week, Texans ordering personalized plates had to go through a time-consuming application process and wait to find out by mail or phone whether their preferred phrases were available. Now motorists can order online.
Another boost in sales may come through a contract the state signed last week with My Plates Inc. of Austin to market specialty license plates bearing unique designs and colors, Perkes said.
On those plates, customers can order personalized wording of up to seven letters or numbers. On regular Texas vanity plates, a personalized message can total only six characters, another reason Texas may lag behind other states, she said.
T
he cost for a personalized plate remains $40. That's higher than Virginia's $10 but lower than the $78 charged in Illinois.
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