One of the scourges of being a licensed driver is renewing license plates. Drivers are required to get a safety/emissions inspection, show proof of insurance, and show the last two years of personal property taxes. At least, this is what is required of Missouri drivers. I've gotten better at this process and keep all documents related to my car. I used to just throw everything away, especially when I was a teenager. Even with a dedicated document saving habit, one still must negotiate the horribly congested License Bureau and bring along several magazines (none are provided).

This year, I received a notice that I could renew my plates online. So I immediately got the safety/emissions inspection ($36) and found the necessary documents. My only concern was whether I would have to fax or scan the documents. I have a scanner, but not a fax machine. This is what happened..

I logged in just a few minutes ago and entered my PIN, which was provided on the renewal notice. They wanted two numbers from my personal property tax receipts. And NOTHING ELSE. I could have skipped the safety/emissions inspection and driven without insurance.

Well of course you could have... but wait until you got pulled over for some reason. I know someone who did not take her car to inspection. She got pulled over because she had an old sticker (in New England you have to have a sticker on your car which indicates when it was inspected). She got a $200 ticket. Over 5 times the cost of an inspection.

There is no inspection required in SC. We're #1! We're #1!

Same with me in 2009, but I forgot to renew the plates, yet managed to drive until May 2010 with 09 plates before a cop stopped me.

It was either because: I was on a major interstate or I had a passenger of a certain ethnicity. Take your pick... (I'm in Massachusetts)