Live data from Hacker News

All of the vehicle license plates available in America

beautifulpublicdata.com

121–130 of 289 posts

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#121

A relative had an immigrant colleague that was intrigued by different US license plates. One day their manager had one that had a new colour scheme that he never saw before. The intrigue overtook him and in a big group he had to ask how he got this new beautiful plate. And how could he get one themself? Turns out the state required you to “wear” this license plate after your third DUI or something. Oops. Edit: looks…

I wish we had something like this in the UK. More than 6 points on your licence and you have to drive a yellow car with a 1l engine or smaller.

Probably have to be something a lot smaller than 1l - how about a Citroen Ami:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_(electric_veh...

I'm sure Citroen would do them in yellow for a bulk purchase?

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there has been a huge cultural change in how people regard drink driving - I'm old enough (50s) when i was almost regarded as a subject for humour. Now I don't know anyone who doesn't take it very seriously indeed - particularly here in Scotland where the blood-alcohol limits are quite a bit lower for driving than in the rest of the UK.

I feel a similar cultural change in Iceland, however in USA I feel no such change, quite the contrary. Moving to the USA was honestly a bit of a culture shock in observing how commonplace the practice is. What was more shocking is observing a practice of strategic drinking, that is try to drink just the right amount to keep your blood alcohol level at the legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like that before I moved…

That will obviously vary quite a lot across a country the size of America. Local to me, DUI is extremely frowned upon.

But yes, it is somewhat common for people to have an idea of what it takes to get to a BAC of 0.08%, because that is the threshold at which you will be charged with DUI. For many regular drinkers, they won't be impaired at 0.08% and it takes less alcohol than you think to get there. Especially with modern microbrew beers. Getting a DUI will completely f*ck over your life, so if you like to drink socially, you are very careful.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#123
post #9

As coming from country with actually working IT, I always wondered about those year and month tags... I get my yearly tax directly as bill to my bank...

Ontario Canada finally did away with them. Lots of people decry the loss of government revenue, but I’m happy to see some red tape/bureaucracy cut down for the consumer. I thought governments only did that for big business. Would have made more sense to just increase gas tax by 0.1 cents/litre. Tho you’re still supposed to register for free online every year or two, which I’m sure 90% of the population is going to fo…

In lots of states, the annual fee is based on the age and value of the vehicle, making it a somewhat progressive tax.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#124
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tag is to indicate that the vehicle has paid the appropriate taxes for using the roads. If the tax on the vehicle is not paid then it should not be used on the roads. Without the tag there is no way to enforce that without the police having to manually enter the plate number for every vehicle they see. Hence the tag: if the police see a vehicle without an up-to-date tag applied it is not legally allowed to use th…

While I have no problem with the tag, your claim is false: > Without the tag there is no way to enforce that without the police having to manually enter the plate number for every vehicle they see. Police have automatic systems that scan vehicles. I was pulled over once due to an inconsistency in my vehicle registration data (not anything visible on the plate/exterior) because the computer in the police vehicle flagg…

fast accurate plate scanners are relatively new. At most, only on police cars for the past 10 or so years. Many police cars still don't have them, only dedicated highway patrol cars. The sticker system has been in place for over 80 years. Systems that work, that are are generally not difficult to implement stick around past when they're technologically outdated.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, if I took out my gun and fired randomly at a crowd I'm never getting my carry permit back regardless of whether I actually kill anyone. Fuck drunk drivers.

> never getting my carry permit back 27 states don't require a permit. At all. Ponder that.

Most permitless carry states still issue permits. And like the other commenter said, that doesn't absolve you of responsibility for your actions. You're still probably going to prison.

I've experienced the same amount of violent crime via firearm after permitless carry, as before it: zero.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#126
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right! We should make them wear a star or something to indicate their specialness! Joking aside I imagine taking licenses away are a big part of it, but that doesn't stop them from driving, at least the license plate warns the rest of us not to drive too close to the guy.

I was thinking a Scarlet Letter. Maybe “A” for Alcoholic?

“Whiskey” plates in MN all start with the letter W (this why we call them whiskey plates). So there’s your scarlet letter.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#127
The geekiest book I own (according to my wife) is “Registration Plates of the World” by Neil Parker [1] - there’s an older version on the IA [2].

Respect to the collectors club - the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association [3].

Projects like this and the book are great at seeing a tiny slice of another part of the country/world which you may never see. Nice job!

[1] https://www.alpca.org/halloffame/neilparker/

[2] https://archive.org/details/registrationplat0000neil

[3] https://www.alpca.org/

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#128
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ontario Canada finally did away with them. Lots of people decry the loss of government revenue, but I’m happy to see some red tape/bureaucracy cut down for the consumer. I thought governments only did that for big business. Would have made more sense to just increase gas tax by 0.1 cents/litre. Tho you’re still supposed to register for free online every year or two, which I’m sure 90% of the population is going to fo…

increase gas tax? from the government that spent a bunch of money printing stickers decrying gas taxes, forcing private businesses to use them, and then defending the practice in court before having it struck down as unconstitutional?

They really are many law firms’ best friend.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#129
post #27
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's to notify police to stop the car if they see it on the road. The US has a lot of infrequently used or unused cars that gradually transition to a sedentary life in a garage or yard. It's not illegal to let your registration or inspection lapse if the car isn't being driven. If you drive a car with a lapsed registration or safety inspection sticker, police will notice, stop you, and issue a ticket.

Nothing prevents DMV and police having interconnected database. Which would allow automatically communicating vehicles removed from use or with lapsed MOT.

The US's anti-surveillance laws and sentiment keep ubiquitous camera systems from existing in many places, and keep the ones that do exist, quiet. In my state, Massachusetts, traffic cameras legally cannot be used to issue citations. Automated toll collection, which uses highway mounted plate scanners, faced substantial backlash from people for privacy reasons. And Massachusetts is one of the least anti-government states in the country. If it got out that the police were monitoring which cars were on the road and how often they were driven, there would be literal riots.

Re: All of the vehicle license plates available in America

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Restricting vehicle size after a DUI would make a lot of sense. Same for “novice” drivers licenses. Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy.

> Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy. Given that v is squared in the equation, their understanding of physics seems okay to me.

Half the mass = half the energy… co-efficient gonna co-efficient.

(Tho I know some places do limit highway speeds for novice licenses)

Post reply on HN