Re: License Plate

[jke@halcyon.com (John Eickerman)]

At 5:27 PM 2/16/95, Steven Buchholz wrote:
>
>YEAH RIGHT!  I'm gonna be able to read & remember that license number as
>I pass between the wheels!  Tha's a good one!  Maybe they expect to get
>an imprint of the number from your legs!  The real reason is so that the
>photo-RADAR they have can get your license number along with your mugshot.
>Welcome to 1984 Andrew!  BTW, the state of California has issued two
>plates for cars for as long as I can remember, and the law requires that
>both be displayed ... but they don't enforce the law very rigorously so
>some anarchistic scofflaws (not ME of course!) leave the front plate off
>to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of our low-Cd cars.
>
>Steve Buchholz^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HAnonymous

I agree with Steve about the use of front plates for accidents, yea, sure.
Photo Radar it is.  In Washington, they use the claim that they can check
and see of your tags are current.  I am sorry, I cannot read that quickly
those small of numbers at cars flying at me.  Well, they are police
officers, and they are better than we are, uh huh.  Washington police
officers vigerously enforce that two plates be on the car at all times.
Two of my brothers have RX-7s, and one took his front plate off, as it is
ugly.  The next day he got a ticket, upwards of $50 if I remember
correctly.  So, I have altered both front plate mounts so that they don't
stick up above the bumper, and angled them down a bit, for more difficult
reading ('um...I hit a curb, that is why they are turned down').  On my
Audi 4000CS Quattro (see I tied it into this group, whew), the mount is
recessed into the bumper, so I might as well put them on.  When I got my
new plates, I put a plastic cover over the new plates so the bugs/rocks
wouldn't wreak havoc on the plates.  They are a part of your car, so why
not make them look good.  Also, I put the clear covers on, the smoke covers
will get you a nice ticket here in Washington also.  Hey, we don't pay
state income tax here though, so there.  I wonder if the plastic cover cuts
down the reflectivity of the plates, as in certain areas of this state, the
WASPs (WAshington State Patrol) use laser-guns for speed control, and aim
for the plates.  It has been speculated that these lasers, if pointed at
the windshield, could blind the driver/passenger, so aim for the plates.  I
know a guy who put a laser site on his pistol, and caused some damage to
his eye when he first got the site, scanned it around his neighborhood, and
the laser hit a chrome bumper and seared his eye, when it came back at him.
So, the power of this laser is pretty limited, considering the energy
behind it, so just think what a police laser could do.

OK, enough babling.

My Audi is running pretty good now, BTW.


John Eickerman -- jke@halcyon.com                1987 4000CS Quattro
A man devoid of religion is like a horse without a bridle. - Freedom