People often choose to buy specialty license plates that showcase a personal hobby or interest, but Senate Bill 123 may force people to purchase a plate they would rather not have.

Family plates, more commonly known as DUI tags, are issued by a judge when a motorist has been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and his or her regular license plates have been impounded. The tags are yellow with red numbers and allow the convicted vehicle owner to have modified driving privileges or allow a member of the family to operate the vehicle.

“Previously, it was up to the trial judge to decide whether or not he wanted to issue the family plates, but because of Senate Bill 123, after Jan. 1, anyone who is given driving privileges while under suspension will be required to have these plates,” said Julie Hinds, spokeswoman for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

These driving privileges often include going to school or going to work.

Although these license plates have been in use since 1967, the new bill is expanding their use.

“Issued family plates in Ohio currently total 1,526, with 2,982 in stock,” Hinds said. “But after Jan. 1, we will need to produce and distribute 22,000 family plates.”

Hinds said the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is sending 100 sets of plates to each of the 216 agencies in Ohio.

“We’ll monitor the court orders and the sales of the plates for this year and then take it from there,” Hinds said.

This increase may affect the number of students who are forced to have DUI tags in order to have driving privileges to go to class.

Ron Michalec, police chief of University Police, said the tags won’t have any bearing on how police look at a driver, but hopes they will be used as a mechanism to make people think about the consequences of their actions.

“For a police officer to pull someone over, there must be an original offense, but these plates subject people who choose to drink and drive to the consequence of being looked at differently by the public,” Michalec said.

These plates were not designed for the police, but for the people who are convicted of drinking and driving, Michalec said.

“If someone has dignity, they will think twice before putting themselves or their family in this position,” he said.

Simon Tecle, a sophomore in pharmacy, compared the DUI tags to the sexual predator list that must be posted on the Internet.

“I think the tags are a good idea. If certain people are going to jeopardize other people’s safety, then everyone else should know about it,” Tecle said.

Neither Tecle nor Cody Winstead, a sophomore in business, think these license plates will affect student choices on drinking and driving.

“DUI tags are a good way to help everyone be aware of past driving history,” Winstead said. “I really don’t think students will think about the consequences before they make a decision.”

Hinds said the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be ready when SB 123 goes into effect.

“We’ve been meeting twice a month, and we’ve had a lot of time to get it together. We’ll be ready for Jan. 1,” Hinds said.