# Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965 "2023-11-11T02:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 48
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/941 "2024-12-16T19:25:13Z")
Here in California where we used to have the Botts Dots (they’re slowly disappearing), we used to say that we were Driving by Braille. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/942 "2024-12-16T19:48:08Z")
Interestingly, those bumps you see near crosswalks that seem like they’re meant to give you more traction so you don’t slip, are actually for blind/seeing-impared people so they know they’re about to walk into the road. There’s even different shapes for different types of warnings. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Truncated_domes.jpg/1280px-Truncated_domes.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Truncated_domes.jpg/1280px-Truncated_domes.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/943 "2024-12-16T19:48:13Z")
I always enjoyed using “the Braille method of parking”. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/944 "2024-12-17T00:21:00Z")
Two Teslas this morning. One was **OLD⎵NEW** the other **121⎵GGWT**. Googling, variations on the latter seem to be pretty common around the country. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/945 "2024-12-17T00:27:36Z")
I just about got hit in the grocery store parking lot by someone with **LDY SHAY** license plates. Lady Shay needs to remember to look in her rearview mirror for people walking in the parking lot before deciding to zip out of her parking spot. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/946 "2024-12-17T01:01:54Z")
> [@Topologist](#): > > the other **121⎵GGWT**. Googling, variations on the latter seem to be pretty common around the country. Which means what exactly? The non-Teslarati are baffled. Or at least this one is. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/947 "2024-12-17T01:04:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Which means what exactly? The non-Teslarati are baffled. Or at least this one is. It stands for “1.21 gigawatts” (pronounced JIG-ga-watts by Christopher Lloyd), which is how much electricity the DeLorean time machine needs for time travel in _Back to the Future_. ![](https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZDN6NjdvbzFvODVxYnU2NDhzeWNoc3Z4NTdlaHl6MHI0Ym9qc2k1biZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/WmKrOMrTFFhPW/giphy.gif) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/948 "2024-12-17T01:17:16Z")
Thank you. Saw the movie, forgot the detail. That’s a lot. More than a gigafactory makes in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/949 "2024-12-17T05:08:53Z")
We’re past giga… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lJb47pEJ57Q/maxresdefault.jpg "They did it...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJb47pEJ57Q) ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/950 "2024-12-17T17:32:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Thank you. Saw the movie, forgot the detail. Same here, but was reminded when I googled the license plate. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/951 "2024-12-17T17:47:42Z")
I did not see three little birds on my doorstep this morning, but I think I did see a Bob Marley fan **1NE⎵LUV**. And I was not sure if this one was aspirational or celebratory **YES⎵60**. I do guess that **MOMLIFE** on one of those small SUV (Rav-4 maybe?) was simply a statement of fact. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/952 "2024-12-17T18:00:36Z")
Someone with a Road America plate that didn’t get it just because it’s black: [![](https://i.imgur.com/WyrsWuQ.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/WyrsWuQ.jpeg) . [![](https://i.imgur.com/0ADzOUc.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/0ADzOUc.jpeg) I was thinking maybe Boat Life, but I settled on Birds Of A Feather Life > **[Birds Of A Feather Int'l](https://www.boaf.org/)** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/953 "2024-12-17T18:03:19Z")
Interesting. Despite a career in the biz that started after BOAF was founded, I’d never heard of them. They have a darn good idea though. Might need more publicity. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/954 "2024-12-17T18:07:27Z")
FWIW, trying to decode that plate is the first time I’ve ever heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/955 "2024-12-17T20:53:58Z")
Might be a good start or ending to a country song: **KDZ&DG**. That one reminded me of one I saw years ago in an apartment complex I lived in **&NBSP** which I knew had to belong to someone who was a web developer or the like. This one might be advice or just what the driver does **SML⎵OFN**. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/956 "2024-12-17T21:06:43Z")
How’d they get an ampersand (&) on a license plate? I’ve never seen or heard of a state that can do special chars beyond a non-significant hypen/dash. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/957 "2024-12-17T21:28:25Z")
This was a Virginia license plate, but a quick search shows that Delaware, New Hampshire and North Carolina allow it as well. There might be other states as well, but I did not check further. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/958 "2024-12-17T22:44:03Z")
Cool. Thanks. Color me edumacated & shit. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/959 "2024-12-17T23:00:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Interestingly, those bumps you see near crosswalks that seem like they’re meant to give you more traction so you don’t slip, are actually for blind/seeing-impared people so they know they’re about to walk into the road. If you’re drawing up the plans and specifications, they’re called truncated dome pads. I knew you’d want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/960 "2024-12-18T05:03:25Z")
I’ve heard them called city titties [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=47) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=49)