Q: The registration stickers that go on the windshield have always been a real hassle to get off to allow for the attachment of the new sticker. It’s gotten worse over the years as the aerodynamics of most passenger vehicles have dictated increasingly sloped windshields. It’s hard to even reach the sticker to remove it. When we most recently tried to replace the sticker on our 2021 Camry, it took almost a half hour to accomplish, even with a sharp razor blade and a nylon net sponge – and it left a mess of “scraps” on the dashboard. 

Is there any way we can convince the state to move to a different kind of sticker (or perhaps a different location on the windshield)? The existing arrangement seems to have been designed by the Marquis de Sade.
 
—Dave Wagner, Schenectady

A: Unfortunately for those of us who have struggled with the acute angle of modern windshields, there are no plans to change either the sticker or the required location, according to Tim O’Brien of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The sticker’s location is specified in Part 174.2 of the DMV regulations. The sticker itself hasn’t changed significantly in many years, O’Brien said.

Not every state has the same requirements. Some states, like California, require drivers to put registration stickers on their license plates. Others have done away with stickers altogether.

Pennsylvania, for example, did so in 2013 to save money, after a Penn State study found that eliminating the stickers would have no effect on registration compliance. Police officers can use the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation database to confirm that drivers have current registrations, and drivers are still required to have an up-to-date registration card in their vehicle.
New Jersey and Connecticut have also done away with the requirement.

Drowsy driving: With the end of Daylight Saving Time comes an increased risk of drowsy driving due to disrupted sleep patterns, according to the New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving, which represents the Department of Health, Thruway Authority, DOT and State Police, among others.

In 2020, “fatigue/drowsy driving” and/or “driver fell asleep” were listed nearly 4,000 times as contributing factors on accident reports, according to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany. Those factors have been listed nearly 3,000 times so far in 2021. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found almost 700 fatalities from crashes related to drowsy driving in 2019.

Rather than relying on common strategies like opening a window, using air conditioning or playing loud music, which cannot overcome fatigue, the safest thing to do is to pull over and find a safe place to sleep, the partnership recommends.Caffeine, which provides only a short-term improvement, can take a half hour to kick in. 

Warning signs of drowsy driving include repeated yawning; struggling to keep one’s eyes open and focused; forgetting the last few miles driven; tailgating or missing traffic signals, and swerving or drifting between lanes of traffic.

Have a question about transportation in the Capital Region? Email [email protected] and include your name, town and phone number or tweet @abigail_rubel.

Source: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Getting-There-Reader-asks-why-New-York-16599603.php