# MD proposes DUI license plates to identify repeat DUI drivers. Good idea or invasion of privacy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590 "2010-01-26T23:43:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/21 "2010-01-27T04:12:42Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I still don’t understand why just making those interlock devices where you have to blow into it to get the car to start standard on all cars wouldn’t work. It’s not an invasion of privacy, and it’s not something that’s going to affect anyone but the person who tries to drive drunk. The drunk can get someone else to blow into it, for one. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/22 "2010-01-27T11:57:15Z")
As far as invasion of privacy goes I think it’s a non-starter. As any reporter (like me) knows…any arrest or conviction is a matter of public record. So I don’t think there’s an expectation that one’s conviction, or multiple convictions, for DUI should not become public knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/23 "2010-01-27T12:18:16Z")
In Ohio they have DUI plates. They are yellow with red letters. I am not sure if they still assign them but I do see them from time to time. From what I understand they are required to be placed on all cars owned by the DUI offender. I am not sure how they are assigned though. My ex had five DUI’s and never had the plates but I know a friend that had one DUI and he had DUI plates for two years. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/24 "2010-01-27T13:13:52Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > edit: besides, there are _many_ people who drive with suspended or expired licenses. It’s harder to detect than bright red license plates. This is a cleverly-disguised fallacy of denying the correlative at work, I think. The number of these other lawbreakers has no bearing on the possible relationship between a scarlet plate and its efficacy. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/25 "2010-01-27T13:38:11Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I still don’t understand why just making those interlock devices where you have to blow into it to get the car to start standard on all cars wouldn’t work. It’s not an invasion of privacy, and it’s not something that’s going to affect anyone but the person who tries to drive drunk. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The drunk can get someone else to blow into it, for one. I’ve seen people get around those interlock devices so many ways, I’m convinced they are completely worthless. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/26 "2010-01-27T14:17:44Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > I know your post was a flippant response, but the implication here is that (1) it is for necessary for one’s boss to be an idiot to conclude that someone with repeat-DUI-offender plates is a repeat DUI offender, because (2) no one with multiple DUI convictions could possibly have concealed that fact from their current employer, but even if they could, it’d be okay, because (3) it’s a safe assumption that any given boss is not an idiot. Not sure I agree with point 3, but… …at least in my state, convictions are easy to locate for anyone. Just go to a website and search by name - you’ll see all of their traffic tickets, criminal convictions, even if they’ve been sued. Instantly. For free. It’s really well-known here, actually, and if there were DUI plates, a lot of (most?) people would run to the database for the gritty details if they saw someone they knew who had them. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/27 "2010-01-27T14:51:37Z")
My fear is that it would invite vigilante justice. I’m sure there are quite a few grieving family members out there who might take a swing at the car in a dark parking lot. Not a good idea IMHO. If the vehicle is being operated unsafely, a policemen seeign this will type int he plate numebr and have the information with seconds. There is no reason anyone else needs to know. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/28 "2010-01-27T15:03:05Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s my problem with the law: after the third DUI, your license should be shredded. Bingo. In my state, DUI-third offense is a felony, and permanent loss of license is one of the automatic penalties. I see no reason a license plate should be issued to someone with three DUI convictions, so the special tag idea is moot. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/29 "2010-01-27T18:30:40Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I still don’t understand why just making those interlock devices where you have to blow into it to get the car to start standard on all cars wouldn’t work. It’s not an invasion of privacy, and it’s not something that’s going to affect anyone but the person who tries to drive drunk. Those devices are not perfect. They likely work on the same technology used in breathalyzer machines, which are known to sometimes produce erroneous results both positive and negative. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/30 "2010-01-27T19:16:28Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Not sure I agree with point 3, but… > > …at least in my state, convictions are easy to locate for anyone. Just go to a website and search by name - you’ll see all of their traffic tickets, criminal convictions, even if they’ve been sued. Instantly. For free. It’s really well-known here, actually, and if there were DUI plates, a lot of (most?) people would run to the database for the gritty details if they saw someone they knew who had them. Yeah, #3 was my main point of contention as well. (I hope you don’t agree with points 1 and 2, since the whole thing was a sendup of **RW** ’s argument against me ;)) I know there are ways to quantify the likelihood, if not verify outright, that the driver of the car is in fact the one with the DUI convictions, but that’s not the point. On this board, of all places, I hope I don’t have to argue the tendency of some people to jump to conclusions without applying due-diligence in fact checking or rational deduction. Add to that the fact that on the face of it, the conclusion “driver with DUI plates = DUI offender” doesn’t seem a patently unreasonable one to jump to, and the proposed legislation is a recipe for disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/31 "2010-01-27T19:20:55Z")
> [@SomeUserName](#): > > In Ohio they have DUI plates. They are yellow with red letters. I am not sure if they still assign them but I do see them from time to time. From what I understand they are required to be placed on all cars owned by the DUI offender. > > I am not sure how they are assigned though. My ex had five DUI’s and never had the plates but I know a friend that had one DUI and he had DUI plates for two years. Your friend lied about his one DUI–you have to have at least 2 to qualify for the “party plates” in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/32 "2010-01-27T19:32:15Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > Yeah, #3 was my main point of contention as well. (I hope you don’t agree with points 1 and 2, since the whole thing was a sendup of **RW** ’s argument against me ;)) > > I know there are ways to quantify the likelihood, if not verify outright, that the driver of the car is in fact the one with the DUI convictions, but that’s not the point. On this board, of all places, I hope I don’t have to argue the tendency of some people to jump to conclusions without applying due-diligence in fact checking or rational deduction. Add to that the fact that on the face of it, the conclusion “driver with DUI plates = DUI offender” doesn’t seem a patently unreasonable one to jump to, and the proposed legislation is a recipe for disaster. Really? There’s a lot of vigilantism and “ooh, look at that chronic drunkard” whispering in states with party plates? > [@](#): > > MrDibble > This is a cleverly-disguised fallacy of denying the correlative at work, I think. The number of these other lawbreakers has no bearing on the possible relationship between a scarlet plate and its efficacy. no, it doesn’t have the bearing on the efficacy of DUI plates per se. the rate of license-less drivers does have a bearing on the efficacy of DUI laws that allow restrictive driving for work purposes, though. the point being, since we have data that suggests that there are many people who will drive without a license (because the odds of getting caught doing so, especially if you drive lawfully, are extremely low), enforcing restricted driving privileges via the use of special license plates may be more effective. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/33 "2010-01-27T20:07:17Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I still don’t understand why just making those interlock devices where you have to blow into it to get the car to start standard on all cars wouldn’t work. It’s not an invasion of privacy, and it’s not something that’s going to affect anyone but the person who tries to drive drunk. Even if the device worked perfectly, they’re expensive, to the tune of $1500 to $2000 per unit. Also they have to be maintained and recalibrated every 60 days, and are a pain in the ass to use, particulalry the “rolling test” that retests the driver periodically while operating the vehicle. Any such law would also very likely have to be passed at the federal level to pass constitutional muster, the end result being that the vast majority of lawabiding citizens with no intention of driving drunk in the first place aren’t going to stand for the federal government requiring them to pay an extra grand or two to get the unit, get it recalibrated six times a year, and blow into it every 30 minutes or so while driving. ---
**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 27, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/34 "2010-01-27T21:35:43Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > little harsh, don’t you think? depending on where you live, it can effectively cripple your ability to be economically productive. Well, driving drunk is pretty good at crippling human beings, so the offender’s economic productivity isn’t exactly my priority. As for the plates: Not sure I understand what they’d accomplish, so let’s establish that before bothering to go into privacy and logistics. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/35 "2010-01-27T21:56:11Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > Really? There’s a lot of vigilantism and “ooh, look at that chronic drunkard” whispering in states with party plates? We have the tell-tale “[whiskey plates](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/getpub.php?type=s&num=169A.60)” in Minnesota. And while I don’t participate in any vigilantism, I definitely will think less of someone who has them. Yup, I think less of people who have DUIs and _I’m_ the jerk. One note, the link I gave had part of the law overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The law stated that anyone who drove a car with whiskey plates would have to undergo a field sobriety test anytime a police officer pulled them over and that the pullover could be for no reasonable cause except for the whiskey plates. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/36 "2010-01-28T08:16:01Z")
> [@SomeUserName](#): > > In Ohio they have DUI plates. They are yellow with red letters. I am not sure if they still assign them but I do see them from time to time. From what I understand they are required to be placed on all cars owned by the DUI offender. > > I am not sure how they are assigned though. My ex had five DUI’s and never had the plates but I know a friend that had one DUI and he had DUI plates for two years. The old lady at the BMV did not find it funny when I asked if I could have one of those instead of the regular plates, because “they looked nicer”. I also remember when Ohio considered pink plates for sex offenders. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/37 "2010-01-28T10:17:09Z")
astro, is it really necessary to exaggerate when you start a thread? The state of Maryland didn’t propose any such thing. One legislator has re-introduced a bill that’s already been rejected twice. The bill has apparently never made it out of committee. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/38 "2010-01-28T12:16:25Z")
It’s a stupid practice to have a DUI license plate. They need to address the problem and require them to not drive drunk. We have enough scientific knowledge to do this for most cases. There will always be ways around anything you come up with and then the penalty should be very severe when they are caught. Something like you’re now in jail for the next decade. No work release for you. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/39 "2010-01-28T12:23:57Z")
They types of electronics to install? Breathalyzer start Motion devices that monitor steering that goes back and forth. Motion devices for erratic speeds. A device to call in and a black box that the police check for this encase the call in device is tampered with. Other stuff like this as they have proved they can’t be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590/40 "2010-01-28T16:04:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s my problem with the law: after the third DUI, your license should be shredded. The first. Not the second, not the third. The first. Anyone who gets snockered and gets behind the wheel of a car is trying to kill other people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-proposes-dui-license-plates-to-identify-repeat-dui-drivers-good-idea-or-invasion-of-privacy/526590.md?page=3)