# Why do people do this? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867 "2002-06-01T06:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Castaldi\_of\_the\_Mazzharat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Castaldi\_of\_the\_Mazzharat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Castaldi_of_the_Mazzharat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/21 "2002-06-02T00:09:23Z")
We have tons of cameras in Virginia. The worst plates I’ve ever seen exist in South Carolina. There, you have to pay personal property tax to re-register your license plate (here, you need to do it to get a city sticker). Most states have a 30 day tag once they get a new car. It has the date purchased, and you’re only allowed to keep it 30 days. In South Carolina, all you need is a little sign that says “Tag Applied For!” I know some people can vouch for me on this one. 😉 I’ve seen tons of them, even written out on cardboard with a sharpie pen. No date, so you can use it forever! ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/22 "2002-06-02T13:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*Are you drunk or just stupid? \*\* Who, me? Um… both, I guess…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/23 "2002-06-02T16:45:59Z")
In Alberta (that’s in Canada for you Murkins), we have no front plates, we get our photo speeding tickets from behind (which sounds vaguely dirty, but anyhoo), and I believe it is a fineable offense to not place your month and year tags correctly. They are there for a reason, you know. Oh yeah, and our tags come from the registry place with a little diagram showing you where to place them. The people that are still getting it wrong here really have no excuse beyond drunk or stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/24 "2002-06-02T17:10:36Z")
To **SteveK42** : Yup, I can vouch for ya! Hellfire, a lot of the time they don’t even bother with the little sign! One day, I decided to pay attention and count how many cars I saw without a tag/plate/sign: one day netting me 12 cars (Columiba area). How much do you want to bet that they probably didn’t have insurance either? I haven’t seen the tags-o-plenty here in Tennessee, but I have seen plenty of expired temporary tags… including one on a police car. 😉 * * * \<\< Car go beep-beep! \>\> ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/25 "2002-06-02T17:27:27Z")
Buddy of mine thought he’d be the funny one and put his fresh year sticker on upside-down. Within a week a cop pulled him over (probably for something else) and gave him a ticket for an improperly applied tag. He had to go back to the DMV and RE-reregister the car, for another $50. 'Course, he wanted to wear his Mickey Mouse ears when they took his license photo too. They have **no** sense of humor at the DMV. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/26 "2002-06-02T23:09:42Z")
You have to put _stickers_ on your number plates? How quaint. :: d&r :: ---
**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/27 "2002-06-03T02:59:48Z")
This really is one of the best topics for a rant, **ever**! I’ve never actually seen it done, but can’t imagine how any of y’all let these drivers go without driving them off the road. Damn, just the thought of the incredible chutzpah of these folks really chaps my hide. I could go on, but the OP really does a good job. 🙂 PC ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/28 "2002-06-03T03:35:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*Are you idiots? Can’t you read the instructions on the little envelope the sticker comes in? …Are you drunk or just stupid? \*\* A lot of New Mexicans do this, too, and the answers to your questions are, respectively, yes, no, probably, and yes. ---
**Author:** ![deborak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@deborak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deborak)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/29 "2002-06-03T04:20:34Z")
Here in Texas, we have the license renewal stickers on the windshield (they go above the inspection sticker). It’s the same problem though - I’ll see someone with three or four on their car. But since each year is a different color, it’s oh-so colorful…like rainbows on glass… Me, I’m so anal that after I scrape off last year’s with a rusty razor blade and my fingernails, I have to position the new one EXACTLY in the glue/gunk outline of the old one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/30 "2002-06-03T16:01:32Z")
slight cautionary hijack- I found out the hard way that there’s a racket that preys on people that correctly place their new sticker on the old one. I was driving along in New Orleans and suddenly the flashing blue lights came on. I asked what the problem was, and the cop said my plates were expired. I was pretty sure I’d taken care of it, but I immediately felt guilty, since I suck at keeping my paperwork up to date and couldn’t prove it. Well, he called in the plates, which were out-of-state, and found out I had paid for the sticker. He told me that people just steal stickers that are piled on top of each other, since they’ll come off undamaged. So now, on his advice, I remove the old sticker and carve a big X into the new one with a single-edged blade after I apply it so it can’t be ripped off (pardon the pun…) ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/31 "2002-06-03T16:16:16Z")
I can’t recall ever seeing this. If I’ve seen it, it’s been so rare, it never occurred to me that it was a viable trend. And I’m rather the license plate watcher. I am interested in what state each car is from, so I do look. How strange that I’ve never noticed this. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/32 "2002-06-03T16:23:20Z")
Hardly my dear. No, how strange that you look at license plates whilst operating a motor vehicle. Makes me think of that movie, **PlateSpotting**. 😛 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/33 "2002-06-03T19:38:32Z")
\*Originally posted by pkbites \*: ```auto XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X **96** X X **98** X X **00** X X X X **95** X X **99** X X **01** X X X X **97** X X **02** X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ``` As **tomndebb** pointed out, the code tag will make fixed width text. O’course, you didn’t use fixed width text, so I had to go and edit it… ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/34 "2002-06-03T23:43:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wikkit \* > \*\*\*Originally posted by pkbites \*: > > ```auto > > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX > X **96** X > X **98** X > X **00** X > X X > X **95** X > X **99** X > X **01** X > X X > X **97** X > X **02** X > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX > > ``` > > As **tomndebb** pointed out, the code tag will make fixed width text. O’course, you didn’t use fixed width text, so I had to go and edit it… \*\* That’s EXACTLY what I wanted! Thanks, **Wikkit**! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867/35 "2002-06-04T18:23:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by singular1 \* > \*\*slight cautionary hijack- > I found out the hard way that there’s a racket that preys on people that correctly place their new sticker on the old one. > > I was driving along in New Orleans and suddenly the flashing blue lights came on. I asked what the problem was, and the cop said my plates were expired. I was pretty sure I’d taken care of it, but I immediately felt guilty, since I suck at keeping my paperwork up to date and couldn’t prove it. Well, he called in the plates, which were out-of-state, and found out I had paid for the sticker. He told me that people just steal stickers that are piled on top of each other, since they’ll come off undamaged. > So now, on his advice, I remove the old sticker and carve a big X into the new one with a single-edged blade after I apply it so it can’t be ripped off (pardon the pun…) \*\* it is true that the stickers are easy to steal when stuck over the old ones, but you can’t reuse them easily, because you can never fully get the old crusty ones off the new sticker. the correct was to steal the sticker is to a) put a piece of clear tape over the sticker. b) gently heat the plate from the back. c) gently peel the tape with the new sticker off the plate. d)apply sticker to new “location”. e)trim excess tape away this works even with state stickers that are perforated to tear apart when attemped to remove, like Nevada. don’t ask me why i know this…😉 * * * Jesus was in a coma. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-do-this/111867.md?page=1)