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\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\insurance\wwwallstatecom\drivers+often+eschew+traditional+plates+for+vanity+license+plates_16000325_800493172_0_0_7012111_300.jpg "Drivers often eschew traditional plates for vanity license plates.")
When automotive enthusiasts consider buying a new car, they're usually not just looking for reliability. Oftentimes, they want the one car that best represents their sense of style.
But for people who want to speak more directly to other motorists, they do it through their license plates, which have become quite prevalent on American roadways.
Vanity plates have generated $1 billion
Vanity plates—license plates which display a word or phrase in a unique way—are big business. Edmunds.com reports they can cost the average motorist between $10 and $65 a year, depending on the state. This may not sound like a whole lot, but in California, vanity plates have generated $1 billion since the first one graced a Golden State vehicle in 1970.
Dennis Cowhey, the self-described "greatest expert on vanity plate meanings," lives and breathes specialized license plates and devoted an entire book to the topic called, "What Does That Mean? The Personal Stories Behind Vanity License Plates."
"You wouldn't believe how clever the plates are," Cowhey said in an interview with Edmunds.com. "Some are touching, heart-rending, hysterically funny and everything in between. People wear their hearts on their sleeves."
Similar to text messages, vanity license plates have their own language. Some are easily decipherable, while others often have to be explained. People struggling to make sense of a plate they may have seen on the roads can consult a wide array of websites that translate oft-used terms. For instance, according to the Dictionary of Custom License Plate Terms, "YY" translates as "too wise," "TT" is short for "to tease," and "CMXI" is code for "911," or "emergency."
States determine what messages pass muster
But not just any term can be put on a license plate. Depending on the state, Edmunds.com reports profanity, obscenities, religious connotations and politically-charged statements are usually banned from being used, often due to complaints of offensiveness.
State mottos can be deemed offensive as well. For instance, according to the Automobile License Pate Collectors Association, several years ago a New Hampshire couple thought the state should remove its motto¬—"Live Free or Die”—from all license plates, taking their complaint to court. The Supreme Court ruled New Hampshire could keep the motto, but motorists can cover the phrase if they so choose.
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