An Oregon license plate meant to raise money for child abuse prevention programs could soon be canceled due to lack of interest.
If that happens, the "Keep Kids Safe" plate would join a long list of Oregon specialty plates that never caught on.
The safe kids plate looks quite different than the standard Oregon offering. It has a blue background and shows two children playing, superimposed over a bright red heart.
It took advocates three attempts at the legislature to create the new plates. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles started selling them last fall. The extra $30 motorists pay is divvied up among child abuse prevention programs across the state.
"It's not a huge source of revenue," says Susan Lindauer, from the Children's Trust Fund of Oregon. "But I think it can make a big difference if you're in a smaller county with limited resources."
The Oregon DMV discontinues specialty plates that don't sell at least 500 per year. The "Keep Kids Safe" plate is falling about 50 short so the agency expects to yank its status by the end of October.
It wouldn't be the first Oregon license plate to meet that fate. Other discontinued designs include those honoring volunteer firefighters, grange members, and square dancers.
On the Web:
"Keep Kids Safe" license plate - Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon
Oregon license plates - Oregon DMV