License Plates

[Rob Pincus]

Okay, this has nothing to do with guns (I think)....

I readily admit that I am overly opinionated and rather cynical, so I sometimes have to come to you guys to get a taste of what normal gun nuts think.

Here in TN we have about 6503 different types of license plates that you can get for your car. I was wondering if you guys might give me a short description of what you think when you see certain "special" plates.

1. Teacher plates

2. National Guard Plates

3. Emergency Plates (non-official car)

4. Freemason Plates

5. Wildlife plates with birds

6. Wildlife plates with Fish

7. Plates from a State College

8. Plates from a Private College

9. Retired Military Plates

10. Disabled Veteran Plates

11. Handicap Plates w/ a "healthy" lookin driver (be honest).

12. "Tag Stolen" on a piece of Cardboard

 

[DC]

Ok, if I understand, you want our impressions of the owner if we saw these plates?

1. Teacher plates.....vanity

2. National Guard Plates....serves some useful purpose under special circumstances

3. Emergency Plates (non-official car)....not sure what these mean

4. Freemason Plates....vanity

5. Wildlife plates with birds...enjoyment

6. Wildlife plates with Fish....ditto; I'd get these if available in Cali....I live to fish

7. Plates from a State College...vanity

8. Plates from a Private College...vanity

9. Retired Military Plates....vanity

10. Disabled Veteran Plates....vanity

11. Handicap Plates w/ a "healthy" lookin driver (be honest)....cheat

12. "Tag Stolen" on a piece of Cardboard...Never saw this one LOL

Some of my vanity categories are non-judgemental, but are still vanity in purest terms....i.e wanting attention for some accomplishemnt or action

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

 

[cmore]

dc, here in georgia, firefighters can get specil plates id'ing vehicle operater as a f/fighter. i think tennessee has the same.
( they don't give auth. for ligts & siren,
[different permit] but do allow leos to sort out whose car gets towed from an emergency scene. by the way, there are just over 1 million firefighters in the US, only 50,000 or so are paid. other states may have similar plates, some for other occupations as well.
cmore

 

[Rob Pincus]

That's what I was looking for, DC.. In, fact, I agree with you that most of the plates are peopl looking for some special attention. I think that is a given, but what about the kind of person that wants attention for being a teacher.. or for going to a state college..etc...


The Emergency plates, at least in TN, are also popular with HAM radio operators. They get them because during times of emergency they can talk to each other about it. (just kidding.. )

 

[spark@onestopknifeshop.com]

Healthy people using handicapped plates or tags really piss me off. I watched two slightly overweight chicks get out of a car this weekend after parking in a handicapped spot and tossing a handicapped tag on.

I really wish they would crack down on this. Do handicapped people get special drivers licenses? What the heck, have a crack down day and have a couple police officers hang out at shopping centers. Since shopping centers tend to be centrally located, should they need to respond to a crime, they should be able to get there quickly, right?

Anyhow, I agree with DC, most of the rest seem to be vanity. I'm as proud of my military service as the next guy, but if I want a vanity plate, I'll put it on my front bumper.

Some plates (like the arts ones) show that you donated to that cause, so I don't mind those. But some of the others.....

My favorite plate? The one that I saw this week on a Jeep Grand Cherokee:
"UZI - M60"

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com

 

[Kodiac]

Of all those plates... are NRA plates available?

In Virginia, if you see a healthy person using HC tags and they park in a HC spot- you can report them. This gets the HC tag revoked.

Boy - wouldn't that piss off those 2 fat chicks!

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

 

[Cat]

I also agree that it really lights my fuze when I see someone abuse handicapped license plates or placards. However, we don't always know by looking at people what their handicap is. My father had a real bad heart and looked very fit. He should have had the plates but wouldn't get them. How's that for vanity?
Cat

 

[DC]

CMore..

Ahh, gotcha. Here in Cali, the emergency stuff is denoted by the plate frame and/or a decal near the plate. I live in a rural area and all the volunteer firemen have the frame and decal stating so.

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

 

[cmore]

we tried the decal ,with limited success, prior to lobbying for the plates. seems that lots of people thougt they were 'way cool' or something( guess it made them feel special), and suddenly every third vehicle had one.the plates have to be signed off by the chief of the dept. where you work or volunteer. cuts out the copycats and wannabees, so you know when you see one its real. if you leave the service , you give up the plate. works pretty well, i think.
BTW, i agree about the vanity plates. and especially about h/s plates, you can have them ticketed if you're willing to complain, but too many won't. i know that some people who have them don,t look like they need them, but, i sure have seen a lot of * apparently healthy* folks with those plates. if they are for a family member, i understand, but why use them when that person isn't with you.that's what gets me .

cmore

 

[Dennis]

If people want to pay more for "vanity" plates, that's their business. However,
- Volunteer firefighters and EMS folks should not have special license plates. Volunteers come and go too quickly (and too many people share cars) for the license plate to be appropriate. In Texas, volunteer FD/EMS can use red lights and sirens when responding. I think that makes sense.
- Personally, I think at least Disabled Vets, POWs, and folks with Purple Hearts should be able to register at least one vehicle free of charge. They earned it.

Rob,
As to what I think when I see them? Except for POW, DVA, Purple Heart, and handicapped plates, I usually think they probably are insecure, or have money to burn, or an ax to grind.
The POW plates, I try to (safely) maneuver my car to where the POW driver can see me, and I render "Present Arms" until the salute is returned. If I see him/her in a parking lot, I usually stop, mention the POW plate, let them know they are remembered more than they realize, quickly shake their hand and leave.

By the way, a friend and his wife recently were our house guests. She is a retired Army nurse and, for a short time, was a POW in Korea. She appears to be soft and sweet but she is one of the toughest people I ever met. She won't talk about being a POW - I learned it from her husband (retired Army Colonel). Interestingly enough, the only military item on their motor home is a "base sticker" so they can shop on base. They are too modest to have "vanity" plates.


[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited May 29, 1999).]

 

[Futo Inu]

Rob, you've really been thinkin' about stuff, haven't you? "...normal gun nuts"? - LOL. Personally, I don't believe one can be too opinionated or cynical. Did someone tell you those are vices? Hogwash!

When I see all those different license plates, all that goes through my mind is the amount of taxpayer money spent to make all this stuff instead of just making the car's owner buy their own damn bumper sticker. How's that for cynical?

 

[Paul B.]

The way some people with handicap plates drive, I think their handicap is brain dead. No offense was meant toward persons with genuine handicaps.
Paul B.
COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!

 

[45King]

I deliver parts for a local car dealership, and I drive about 60K miles per year on the job, another 10K personal driving. Here in SC, we have all the same type plates, and they just hack me off. I used to have a vanity plate that read "45THNDR" on the back of my T-bird, but let it go when the car went. Since then, I've gotten more enjoyment out of trying pronunciation of the standard plates. SC's system is 3 letters followed by 3 numbers on standard plates. I got a real kick when I saw a young girl zoom past me in a Mustang with the plate "CCW 357". It also tickles me sometimes when I see someone with a standard plate that aptly describes them, their car, or their driving habbits. For instance, a bald guy: "BLD 101" A smoking, 15-year-old clunker: "WRK 637" A Porsche that blows by you at 100mph+: "SPD 295"

One state took 6 months before they revoked the following vanity plate for obscenity reasons. Can you guess why?

3M TA3 (answer below)

Buy a non-descript car, get a non-descript plate, and then have the car painted so each side is a different color. That way, witnesses to accidents will contradict each other-if they notice your car or plate.{G} "Gee officer, I know there was an accident, but I only noticed one car; I'm not even sure there was another, but it might have been blue...or white."

Answer: When viewed in one's mirror, the plate reads "EAT ME".

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Shoot straight regards, Richard

 

[John/az2]

The only one I ever think about is the "Handicap" plates, when someone who appears perfectly healthy gets out. And reading the custom plates. Some of them are very amusing!

Other than that, I don't waste my energy on it.

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John/az

"Just because something is popular, does not make it right."

www.countdown9199.com

 

[GLV]

Vanity, BS. This is the normal argument for the people that can't, havn't, won't, etc.

An EMS plate could save a life. A ham plate could do the same. A veteran plate, in our state requires a DD214, shows that you cared enough to serve your country. Many didn't.

The problem Rob perhaps has, is that they sometimes confuse law enforcement?

As for cost, the state makes money, and sometimes the organization ( college, etc ) also makes money.GLV

 

[Grayfox]

I agree with most of what's been said except for those who think a "Disabled Veteran" plate is vainity. In Tennessee a "Disabled Veteran" plate IS a hadicapped plate and privey to all the perks. Like someone said, These folks earned them.

 

[Ankeny]

Gee I didn't know other states had so many different kinds of plates. In my state the plate identifies the appropriate governmental agency. GF for Game and Fish, GFD for State Forestry, CC for community college, and so on. Individuals can purchase "vanity" plates for personal vehicles and it is not uncommon to see plates like "10-X", "Hunt", "Fish", "NRA" and so on.

There was a bill introduced to make special plates for volunteer firefighters but it failed. As someone else pointed out, volunteers come and go but the plate stays with the owner here and is transfered from vehicle to vehicle. For fire fighters we use the little plate tags that go above or below the regular plate. Fire fighters and EMS who display the tag, have a warning light visible for 500 feet on the front, and have an audible warning device are "authorized emergency vehicles" by state statute just the same as a fire truck, ambulance, or police car. Volunteers who do use private vehicles as emergency vehicles need to check with their insurance companies. With most insurance carriers, in most states, the minute the warning lights go on, the insurance coverage goes off. Scary thought.

We use tags hung from rear view mirrors for handi-capped drivers. My pet peeve is seeing able bodied people park in reserved spaces while grandma Jones hobbles into K-Mart from a quarter mile away with her walker. Those folks need personalized plates that read a&*hole.

 

[cmore]

here, d/v plates are considered the same as handicapped plates and get the same consideration. just wish everybody would respect them.
on fire /ems plates, tag goes with owner here too, but state law says you must be a serving member, application has to be signed by fire cheif, fees paidbefore plate is issued. if you leave the service, plate must be surrendered, and reg. plates issued.
since the dept. knows who has them ,its not hard to take them away from the wannabees who attend 1 meeting and are never seen again( actually, they rarely GET them). its why we got away from decals and add on plates- too easy to get. cmore

 

[SB]

Um, I DID see a guy with a license plate on his SUV that read: Glock 23. Insert your own witty remarks here.

 

[Rob Pincus]

What I was really looking for was not theory on why people have these plate, but gut reactions taht members get when they see them, like DC gave in her first post. These posts are interesting though.

Personally, here is my list:


1. Teacher plates: Valuable member of Society

2. National Guard Plates: Valuable member of society

3. Emergency Plates (non-official car): This is the one that is the most ambiguous.. could be a Vol. Fire fighter, paramedic..or just a HAM with a chip on his shoulder.

4. Freemason Plates: Valuable member of Society

5. Wildlife plates with birds: Hunter or Enviro-whacko..Judgement goes to type of vehicle and personal appearance.

6. Wildlife plates with Fish: In TN, I lean towards the later of the two above, since our "fish" is a pink and blue cartoon fish.

7. Plates from a State College: Nice car: Broud local boy/girl made good. Not nice car: Struggling idealistic student.

8. Plates from a Private College: Nice Car young driver: Spoiled brat, nice Car older driver: Money.

9. Retired Military Plates: "Thanks for your service."

10. Disabled Veteran Plates: "Can I buy you a beer?" (unless it is obviously NOT the DV driving the car.. in which case it bugs me.

11. Handicap Plates w/ a "healthy" lookin driver: lazy no-self-conscience-having bastard.

12. "Tag Stolen" on a piece of Cardboard: Lazy idiot who should go to the DMV.

Those are my brutally honest, gut level reactions to those tags.

As an LEO, yes, the tags do affect my pre-judgement of a situation. Some tags would never get pulled over for a minor violation and some would have affect on a stop. They don't confuse me, but they do elicit a response, which I guess is there purpose. I was wondering if my responses were similar to others around here.

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-Essayons