State scraps ugly registration sticker, unveils uglier one

Houstonist apparently wasn't the only one who didn't care for the most recent Texas vehicle registration stickers — you know, the ones with the clear borders that show fingerprints, the pastel Texas flag background and the do-it-yourself-looking numbers. Citizens reportedly didn't like the looks of them, either, and police said it was hard to read information on the stickers. But never let it be said TxDOT doesn't listen: The agency is unveiling a new registration sticker that is, in its own way, even worse than the last one.

Where the previous sticker had the flag graphic, the new one sports a minimalist white background. The numerals are still the same no-nonsense bold, but they're larger and separated by a small red, white and blue Texas shape. And the clear border is replaced by a blue one featuring the TxDOT logo and the words "Vehicle Registration." We thought the old stickers looked like something we could make at home; these look like something our one-month-old niece could whip up. Ah, progress.

Perhaps the most important feature of the new sticker, though, is that it'll be easier to apply. If you've had to deal with punching out the existing registration sticker's tiny red triangle to detach the sticker from its backing sheet, you know what a pain it is; the new sticker, though, will simply peel off its backing. Like a real sticker! "There's no question this one is a lot easier," Kim Sue Lia Perkes, a spokeswoman for TxDOT's vehicle title and registration division, told the AP.

The new stickers are being rolled out first in Williamson, Hays and Randall counties. If they go over well, they'll be distributed statewide beginning next year.