# How do you remember your car's license plate number? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898 "2009-01-05T02:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/21 "2009-01-05T13:50:44Z")
I don’t. I remember the one from the first car I had, but after that I haven’t bothered. I rarely need it and if I do, I go out and look. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/22 "2009-01-05T13:57:19Z")
Mine is really easy; Why Be? And the police code for Grand theft (YB487) And since I drive a red Opel Astra, I’m in the same situation as the others with way to popular cars. I’ve even tried to unlock the wrong one a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/23 "2009-01-05T13:59:15Z")
Yup, I remember it so when I rent a motel room I don’t have to run outside to write down my plate on the room registration. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/24 "2009-01-05T14:44:12Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > Why do you need to remember your car’s license plate number? The green of my old Honda Civic was quite a popular colour. For some reason or another, the key from one of them would open all the others. So my Mum, my ex and I all found ourselves walking over to what we thought was our car in the car park, only to open the boot and find someone else’s shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/25 "2009-01-05T14:49:51Z")
I’ve got no idea what either of my cars’ plate numbers is. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/26 "2009-01-05T20:10:46Z")
Used to have vanity plates with my initials, but no more. Now I just remember the three letters and four digits. Not too hard. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/27 "2009-01-05T20:17:59Z")
I haven’t the foggiest idea, same with DL#. For some reason my brain is unable to retain these two data points, try as I might to memorize them. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/28 "2009-01-05T20:24:58Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > Why do you need to remember your car’s license plate number? > > Somehow that must be an incredibly stupid question. So that when the P.A. announcement for the driver of the car with license plate “ABC 1234” comes, you’ll know it’s for you. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/29 "2009-01-05T20:30:28Z")
I just have it memorized…I mean, it’s just three letters and three numbers, it’s not that hard. No mnemonic or anything. But then, I tend to be good at memorizing strings of letters and numbers. Off the top of my head, I have memorized: My license plate number My checking account number. My Visa and MC numbers, _including_ both of the three-digit secret numbers on the back. The combo to the lock on my storage unit. The combo to the first locker I had in high school. (well…it ended being the only locker I_ever_ had, so four years of having to use it several times a day locks it in the memory forever…19-39-9.) My SSN (this is something I thought everyone knew, but it seems lots of people don’t have it memorized.) Every zip code I’ve lived in (for that matter, the full address of every place I’ve lived (which is only eight places, but still.)) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/30 "2009-01-05T21:09:26Z")
My problem is that my car and my wife’s car have the same tag number except for the last digit, so I can never remember if mine is the one that ends with 4 or ends with 5. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/31 "2009-01-05T21:30:51Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > I have only needed it when I check into a hotel, so I usually lean back and read it out of a window or a door, then write it down for them. I usually just write a question mark on that line. Nobody has ever said boo about it. I haven’t needed to know my plate number in about 25 years of driving, so I reckon it’s not all that important. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/32 "2009-01-05T23:06:07Z")
It’s in the name of my bookmark for the parking ticket payment website. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/33 "2009-01-06T00:27:13Z")
Not to answer the OP directly, but I’ve noticed a strange thing… All my life, my state had AAA-111 format on the plates. I couldn’t _not_ remember these. I could tell you the plate of every car that’s been involved in my life since I was a child. A few years ago, they ran out of combinations and moved to AA-11-AA format. Do you think I can remember those? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/34 "2009-01-06T00:35:26Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > And if it gets stolen while you are on vacation hundreds of miles from the filing cabinet in which you filed them… I use the gmail filing system. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/35 "2009-01-06T13:37:54Z")
I’m not a Nazi, but my license plate makes me think otherwise - AHJ 8888 (not a vanity tag). AHJ = Adolf Hitler Junior, 8888 = Heil Hitler Heil Hitler (H is the 8th letter of the alphabet and 88 is a code phrase for Heil Hitler). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/36 "2009-01-06T20:08:59Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I just have it memorized..I mean, it’s just three letters and three numbers, it’s not that hard. No mnemonic or anything. But then, I tend to be good at memorizing strings of letters and numbers. Off the top of my head, I have memorized: > > My license plate number > My checking account number. > My Visa and MC numbers, _including_ both of the three-digit secret numbers on the back. > The combo to the lock on my storage unit. > The combo to the first locker I had in high school. (well…it ended being the only locker I_ever_ had, so four years of having to use it several times a day locks it in the memory forever…19-39-9.) > My SSN (this is something I thought everyone knew, but it seems lots of people don’t have it memorized.) > Every zip code I’ve lived in (for that matter, the full address of every place I’ve lived (which is only eight places, but still.)) I’m like this too, only I’m much better with numbers than letters. I remember the number from a bank account I closed over 30 years ago. Can’t remember to take the trash out, but there’s a metric shitload of digits rolling around in my loaf. Having said that, my current license plate letters are **WMD**. Hard to forget this decade anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/37 "2009-01-06T21:09:52Z")
7 best friends; 1 ho. (7BFH01) ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898/38 "2009-01-06T21:48:05Z")
That reminds me, I have to steal another license plate.:smack: Just kidding ----- really.😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-remember-your-cars-license-plate-number/479898.md?page=1)