Let’s have a contest. Who can think of the most creative way this could go wrong?
As electronic highway billboards flashing neon advertisements become more prevalent, the next frontier in distracted driving is already approaching — ad-blaring license plates.
The California Legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state to begin researching the use of electronic license plates for vehicles. The move is intended as a moneymaker for a state facing a $19 billion deficit.
The device would mimic a standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The license plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen.
[…]
“We’re just trying to find creative ways of generating additional revenues,” he said. “It’s an exciting marriage of technology with need, and an opportunity to keep California in the forefront.”
I believe that Lurch had the best response to this idea, ‘UUUUUUhhhhhh.” So are these things going to run off my car battery while parked?
Guarantee you these plates would get hacked within a day.
Stupid ideas are not ‘innovative’ or ‘clever’ or ‘marketing genius’, they are just stupid.
This is a stupid idea.
So why would a car owner allow this? And what if my plate advertises a company that I refuse to do business with? Will I have the right to refuse ads?
I am wondering what will power these things. The license plate will need power to change messages. There are no hookups on my car to plug in a license plate sized LCD display and I am not going to let the People’s Republic of California rewire my car. If I move to California, I will just do what most people do when they can’t pass vehicle inspection: get a set of Mexican plates and drive around like that.
Let me guess, the car owner can pay for “pro” plates that are advertising free. Just like a lot of software.
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
We need to lynch more legislators. That would cut down on this bullshit.
Ads or not at least here in NY they scam us by plates alone. Third new plate “look” is just introduced in 10yrs time. Every time new look is in – you the driver must pay up 5000% markup and more if you want to keep the same plate number…
all these states would have to do to get the tax money they need is get rid of all the tax abatements and breaks (evasion) that are handed out to corporations like candy…
i wonder if anyone has done a study to see how much revenue is lost due to such tax evasion.
“Did you get a license number of that hit and run?”
“No but he had Arby’s plates.”
“Officer, why did you pull me over?”
“Failure to display advertising. It’s a class A misdemeanor, so you will be fined $10,000 and may spend up to a year in jail. Sign here. Have a nice day.”
Wait till the plates get hacked and grandmothers drive around advertising MILF porn sites.
/b/ is gonna have a ball with these plates…
I can’t wait for the ads of Fox News to show up on my car!
If Schwarzenegger is desperate for creative ideas on how to balance a budget, here’s my suggestion:
raise taxes and cut spending.
The original article also mentions CA proposals to mandate lead-free bullets (you know, to minimize lead poisoning in shooting victims), and to prohibit the use of cellphones while bicycling. California is pretty cool.
#15
They have been doing that for how many years now, and it’s still not working? Kick out the illegal aliens and California’s debt problems will disappear immediately. I guarantee it.
The first time a car with a pro-life bumper sticker gets and ad for Planned Parenthood, there’s gonna be trouble.
Doesn’t this impinge upon my Free Speech Rights. Free speech is both about what you can say and what you have to listen to.
What if I don’t approve of the advertisement and feel it violates my free speech? What if I don’t approve of advertising as part of my religion? Driving is a privilege, but the state doesn’t have the right to force a public statement upon me, assuming that the 1st Amendment applies to states, even PR California – ie, NAU Neuva Mexico la Poco.
Where are the individual’s right in these plans. The road to collective rights is the road to elitism and totalitarianism, but we continue down that road.
When the North American Union, NAU, adopts a Federal Constitution like the European Union, EU, is about to do, what do you think the protection of individual rights will be like. No self-defence, No free speech, No right to assembly, No right to freedom of religion, just the privilege to fornicate.
Whatever………………………………
Traaxx
The whole frigging state will look like a NASCAR race.
This will cause more accidents than cell phone drivers, since drivers will be distracted by the ads while they drive around town.
Plus how will law enforcement and “red light cameras” be able to identify a car with ads flashing on their plates, rather than the car’s FUCKING identification numbers?
#5 Mexican licensee plates? LOL clever. That might work if your car is 15 year old junker. But some shmuck in a Toyota Prius with Mexican plates would look horribly wrong.
Maybe we should put advertising on Police and Fire vehicles too! States don’t seem to know how to stop spending so they will just create idiotic ways to pay for it. That’s the spineless wonders we elect to government.
#22… the funny thing is, the cars with Sonora plates here in southern Arizona are usually newer and in much better condition that the native AZ cars.
And as a So. Calif. native, it is very, very rare you see you a Mexican license plate on the roads here. You will see a handful of Baja plates in San Diego, but that is about it.
In my experience, I can count more Mexican tags in the Costco parking lot in Tucson than I see in a year on the roads of SoCal.
I would like to know how much more money these plates will cost. Will they work in extreme cold or extreme heat? When they break who pays for new plates? As stated already, no one will want to be forced to rewire their cars to supply power to these plates. Plus, the power required for a cellular network connection for new adds and emergency broadcasts. Another way for the gov’t to track you as well. That database will never be abused of course, we would have such sincere assurances from all our elected officials. And of course, these things will be hacked the day after they are released. Another revenue stream for the gov’t will be fining folks if the plates break or if they are hacked. And knowing the great security measurements used by all gov’t agencies, they will probably have some form of RFID for some unknown reason. Perhaps for cops to easily scan the plates. And of course, RFID is completely unsecure so all information associated with you will be out there for everyone to gather just by driving down a street.
In order to have these plates, one should have to be a Prius owner. And we know what THEY are like. I’d love to have one if it advertised Rugers or something.
#4 what makes you think that a state would allow you to refuse these things once it determines there is money to be made? If it can evict you from your house when somebody else will net it more tax revenue, it can surely compel you into being a moving billboard.
#1 Ad: “ACME DRIVING SCHOOL”
#2: Any of a million ambulance-chasing lawyers
#3: “IOWA REAL ESTATE”
“If Schwarzenegger is desperate for creative ideas on how to balance a budget, here’s my suggestion:
raise taxes and cut spending.”
I live in California and the only area he has cut is education and aid to developmentally delayed kids. No tax raises and no cuts to the corporations that we subsidize.
Hm… let’s see. Have inmates punch metal plates and hand to driver, probably 5$ altogether with no maintenance.
Or, spend 60 to 80$ per car plus the network needed to update the tags (presuming they don’t piggyback on some carrier) and expect replacement of tag every two years. And it being a lcd or oled screen, assume breakage chance of 20% per week. That should bankrupt CA handily within 6 months.
Whoever suggested it is stupendously stupid. Not quite on a BP CEO doing a yacht race level, but getting there.
CA has great ideas now and then, but they also have the absolute WORST ideas too.
Won’t work. For a variety of reasons many of which have already been mentioned above.
The real reason they would be a failure though has very little to do with the plates. Let’s say they raise a billion dollars in ad revenues. Judging by California’s history, the legislature would immediately raise spending by three billion dollars!
Hmmm. If the plan DOES work, maybe Obama will consider forcing every individual in the US of good ole A to have a programmable tattoo engraved on their forehead so the insurance companies can advertise. This will raise huge sums of money that we can spend on Nancy Pelosi. I just hope they don’t go for implantable LEDs. I’m afraid the flashing lights would keep me awake…