Q: Must we use new plates if our old plate is in good condition? Can't we simply put the new decal on the old plate after the tag fee is paid?
—Sara Foster, Tucker
A: Once the current plate expires, a new plate will be needed, a spokesman with the Georgia Department of Revenue told Q&A on the News in an email. License plates issued before Dec. 1, 2003 will be replaced when owners renew their vehicle registration or when cars are registered for the first time. Plates issued after Dec. 1, 2003 will begin being replaced in May 2013. Drivers will have the choice between the new design and a more traditional design, he said.
Q: How did the word mayday get to mean an emergency?
—Lance DeLoach, Thomaston
A: Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London, came up with the term in 1923, according to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, England. Mockford needed a word that could be used by aircraft in distress and decided on mayday. It comes from the French phrase "venez m'aidez," which means "come help me," according to the Etymology Online Dictionary (www.etymonline.com). Mockford chose mayday because much of the air traffic at the time was between his airport and Le Bourget Airport in Paris. The protocol is to say it three times in a row – "Mayday. Mayday. Mayday." Then the person in distress would identify themselves, report their position, their problem, how many people are with them and other pertinent information.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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