While I’m on the subject of license plates, with the exception posted previously, I tend to blur out plates, out of an unnecessary courtesy. It just seems like the right thing to do if I’m going to post the rest of these anonymous vehicles on the interwebs. That being said, I would like to state that the car in the proceeding image is 100% unedited. No Gaussian blur, no mosaic, no smudge tool applied. Yet, can anyone make out the license plate at all?
Which begs me to ask, how are these blackened-out license plate covers legal? The point of a plate is to provide identification to who might be driving the car, and to have a means of identification in the event that some accountability needs to be applied to a party. But these covers make plate legibility almost impossible beyond being right behind it. I guess I don’t have to guess too hard to imagine what effect they have versus camera-equipped traffic lights, either.
Does anything on a vehicle scream “I am a shady motherfucker who intends to push the boundaries of what’s legal inside of a vehicle” than these black-out license plate covers? Think about it. With these covers, the driver could drive like an idiot; speed, weave, aggro, HOV violate, all of the above, while witnessing motorists are hindered to possibly identify/report these perpetrators. These drivers could get into an accident, and speed off, knowing that victim(s)/witness(es) would be hindered to take a plate from an escaping vehicle. And so forth.
I see these around Atlanta a lot. There’s even one or two that I’m aware of in my own neighborhood. That being said, along with the example of a Mazda 626 on 20″ chrome rims, it doesn’t take a genius to see what I’m alluding to seems to be the common denominator here. And from my experiences, the reckless driving habits of those equipped with these covers can be confirmed. But in the case of this photograph, I’m sure the plate won’t really be needed to ID a car that’s got “I $EE YA LOOKING” emblazoned on the rear windshield like a fucking idiot.
Sometimes I wish I were a meter maid. I would attempt to pull over every single motherfucker who had a black-out cover. Either they run for it and confirm all suspicions of possible criminal intent, or I give them grief for having such a shady accessory: “I apologize for taking some of your time SIR/MISS, but I’m unable to make out your license plate. We’re on the lookout for a vehicle that fits your description, and I will need to see your license and registration.” And then proceed to given them citations for all the unpaid violations they’d likely have, or arrest them for the likely open warrants for crime or missed child payments. All because of the scrutiny they put on themselves for wanting to not be easily identifiable. Sweet justice.
