License plate scanner usage by law enforcement has exploded in the last decade or so. One company that makes the software used in the scanners saw a near 3,000 percent increase in usage in the period of 2017-2019. Even a decade ago, millions of plates were being scanned using the tech. So we must wonder, … Read more
As those famous rock n’ rollers once crooned, you can’t always get what you want. That’s especially true for personalized license plates. Plates can’t display something vulgar about a social movement group you don’t agree with, creepy or sexual references, drug or criminal references and, often, negative things about the current sitting president. An Ohio … Read more
Image: Colorado DMV The State of Colorado is giving weed enthusiasts an opportunity to wear their passion for hashin’ on their sleeve, er, automobile. The state was famously the first to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use in 2014, and has spent the last decade leaning into the revenue-generating business of weed. Since 2021 the … Read more
Photo: Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik Here’s a confession: I hate most vanity plates. They’re usually dumb, trite, or going for an all-too-obvious joke, like Corvette plates touting the superiority of V8s over forced induction. Yet, my most recent two cars have each had vanity plates: My FR-S was K4NSE1, as in kansei dorifto, and my … Read more
I’ve been a big fan of the custom license plate trend, where states, countries, or provinces offer a neat little design that’s supposed to convey the spirit of the region. Whether it’s the turquoise shade of New Mexico’s plates or the polar bear shape of plates for Canada’s Northern Territories, it’s a unique way to … Read more
