Live data from Hacker News

More Americans are using fake license plates

slate.com

91–100 of 170 posts

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#91
post #80

I’m not an old person, but I know I’m going to sound like a curmudgeon saying this. I think it’s just moral decay. I can’t think of any other meaningful reason. In Phoenix, which I consider the national capitol of bad drivers, in the span of less than 10 years, I’ve noticed a staggering number of people in the metro area who just blatantly run red lights now. Sometimes seconds after they’ve turned. It’s straight up r…

An expressway near me has a speed limit of 100 km/h. Most times I drive it, the fastest driver I might see is In the US, a significant number of people blatantly go 10-30+ km/h over the highway limits. What causes this?

The simplest answer I can give you is that it’s socially acceptable.

Growing up even my mother told me she tried to go 5-10 MPH over posted. Everyone does it. It’s endemic.

I try to drive the speed limit but it’s actually difficult sometimes because so many people are literally criminally speeding all the time (20+ MPH over posted).

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#92

I’m not an old person, but I know I’m going to sound like a curmudgeon saying this. I think it’s just moral decay. I can’t think of any other meaningful reason. In Phoenix, which I consider the national capitol of bad drivers, in the span of less than 10 years, I’ve noticed a staggering number of people in the metro area who just blatantly run red lights now. Sometimes seconds after they’ve turned. It’s straight up r…

I feel the same way about not putting your shopping cart back in the proper place after loading your car. It's the one test of whether someone is willing to do the right thing absent any reward or punishment, and so many people completely fail the test. I generally lean libertarian, but it's a demonstration on people's inability to govern themselves.

Ah yes, the shopping cart test.

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#93
There have been plenty of times I did not have change for the tolls and was poor enough that the fine would come out of my grocery budget. I would pull over, cover my plate, run the toll, take the next exit, then uncover the plate.

Never got caught. YMMV.

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#94

> Which raises some questions: License plates—why do we have them? Are they a mark of a functioning society or a stamp of the police state? This is a good example of the measured, thoughtful tone this article is presenting.

That made me laugh, thank you

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's a good explanation at all. People are murdering less than a few decades ago, beating their kids less, stealing fewer car stereos. There might indeed be moral decay, but that doesn't answer why fake license plates and not some other thing. I suspect the reason for greater fake license plate use is the same reason for most products picking up: people are selling them, people are hearing about them,…

>People are murdering less than a few decades ago Check your stats, this is quickly becoming outdated. Murder rates are back up where they were in the 90's in many parts of the USA.

Yeah, source? There is very much political "out of control crime" narrative from certain players, but fairly often it has zero to do with reality.

But, the fear got some innocent door ringers killed already, so if the fear goes up, we might get there.

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's a good explanation at all. People are murdering less than a few decades ago, beating their kids less, stealing fewer car stereos. There might indeed be moral decay, but that doesn't answer why fake license plates and not some other thing. I suspect the reason for greater fake license plate use is the same reason for most products picking up: people are selling them, people are hearing about them,…

These are all acts of violence or crime directly against others, and not necessarily signs of moral decay. I'm not sure moral decay is the term I'd use, perhaps? I'd argue what's happening is that people seem to care less about other people, and more about themselves. It's more indifference, than outward anger or spite. "I'm not running the red light to hurt you, I just don't care that delays you, and I've got places…

I would say that violence against others is also important part of moral decay. As in, "I just do not care if it delayed you" is morally superior to "I best you to vent my own feelings or to control you".

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#97
post #83

I’m not an old person, but I know I’m going to sound like a curmudgeon saying this. I think it’s just moral decay. I can’t think of any other meaningful reason. In Phoenix, which I consider the national capitol of bad drivers, in the span of less than 10 years, I’ve noticed a staggering number of people in the metro area who just blatantly run red lights now. Sometimes seconds after they’ve turned. It’s straight up r…

I've noticed the same shift. Drivers are worse now than 10-15 years ago. Drivers are more aggressive (tailgating, rolling stops, speeding, ...), more sociopathic (tinted windows, louder pipes, larger vehicles, fake license plates,...), more negligent (bald tires, texting-and-driving, bumpers ripped off jagged metal sticking out, ...). Another data point. Dashcams are on the rise, and they are truly the indicator tech…

Why are tinted windows sign of sociopaths?

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The USA is the richest country in the world by a long way. How exactly is it suddenly becoming a 3rd world nation? I see this kind of hand wringing often from Americans, and I find it puzzling.

[flagged]

Other countries limit guns.

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's a good explanation at all. People are murdering less than a few decades ago, beating their kids less, stealing fewer car stereos. There might indeed be moral decay, but that doesn't answer why fake license plates and not some other thing. I suspect the reason for greater fake license plate use is the same reason for most products picking up: people are selling them, people are hearing about them,…

>People are murdering less than a few decades ago Check your stats, this is quickly becoming outdated. Murder rates are back up where they were in the 90's in many parts of the USA.

This source sorta confirms it: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murd...

Re: More Americans are using fake license plates

#100

I’m not an old person, but I know I’m going to sound like a curmudgeon saying this. I think it’s just moral decay. I can’t think of any other meaningful reason. In Phoenix, which I consider the national capitol of bad drivers, in the span of less than 10 years, I’ve noticed a staggering number of people in the metro area who just blatantly run red lights now. Sometimes seconds after they’ve turned. It’s straight up r…

I think this did actually happen but specifically starting in 2020 and I am only talking about traffic violations and not general crime. The article even mentions it and I have posted links to NHTSA statistics showing an increase in road traffic deaths per mile that started in 2020 and then continued to increase. People blamed cars, pandemic stress, and decaying roads but I don't think it's any of those. I think the…

[dead]
Post reply on HN