Near Hit From Distracted Driver

[CheckYourLights]

The one day I decide to take the Camaro out for a drive, and then I have to deal with this distracted driver. I guess he was on the phone. Luckily my horn is aftermarket and louder then stock, and it got his attention.
I started to swerve over because I thought he was going to come all the way across and hit the curb.

 

[GTA Driver]

What state? I noticed no front license plate.

 

[SawMaster]

Lots of states don't have front plates anymore. S.C. changed from 2 to 1 in the 70's IIRC as a way for the state to save money. I think that is a bad idea but there you have it. That's also why I like a decent dashcam where I can get the driver's face recorded in passing- better ID than just a stolen plate can do and solid proof that it was that person, not just that car.

Phil

 

[Gibson99]

Last night I was almost hit by some idiot backing out of a spot without looking. He nearly hit a car on the other side too! He didn't have a plate on the front OR the back! And as they left the CVS parking lot, a few empty beer cans "escaped" from their windows...

 

[GTA Driver]

S.C. changed from 2 to 1 in the 70's IIRC as a way for the state to save money. I think that is a bad idea but there you have it. That's also why I like a decent dashcam where I can get the driver's face recorded in passing- better ID than just a stolen plate can do and solid proof that it was that person, not just that car.

Phil

Agreed - bad idea on the part of SC.

There are cases where that has been dangerous driving caught on video with license plate submitted to the police, who have done nothing as they claim there is no telling who is behind the video. However we have lots back robberies with clear video and there are no arrests as there is little way of IDing some one they don't know.

License plates with clear video of the driver is way to go. My front 720 p camera hardly gets a clear shot of the driver and my rear camera is worse. Also tinted windows on the offending vehicle may things all the more difficult.

 

[Tom Butler]

Perhaps the road wasn't wide enough for him?

 

[Genki]

A couple years ago Michigan had tried to make 2 plates mandatory but it hasn't gone anywhere mostly because it'd cost money and oh about 2 million drivers here can't afford to steal matching plates as it'd be more likely to get caught than stealing one. Plus a lot of cars don't have front mounting and would require mounting kit or replacement bumper cover to install one.

AFAIK with most people having cell phone with camera, a few dash cam, and security camera the even if the driver used stolen plate (or stolen car) and mask, he'd still get plastered on 11:00 news and police department facebook and someone will recognize the crook anyway. Almost no reason to even try to get 2nd plate.

 

[DT MI]

A couple years ago Michigan had tried to make 2 plates mandatory but it hasn't gone anywhere....

Michigan used to require a front plate from the '50s to the '80s and did away with them.

Politicians have to do something to justify their existence even if it's nothing more that re-doing something they un-did 30 years ago.

 

[GTA Driver]

And then there is Ontario that issues plates that fade and bubble.
https://www.ontario.ca/faq/how-can-...d-licence-plate-or-personalized-licence-plate
I had a plate last 23 years but these new reflective plates suck.

 

[jokiin]

Like everywhere, they want the reflective plates for speed camera use

 

[GTA Driver]

Are they fading elsewhere? I notice almost all of the plates from the states are in better condition than the Ontario plates. I see a lot of New York, Ohio, and Michigan plates, particularly when I drive between Kitchener and Windsor and have never seen them fade.

My plate that lasted so long, got that before had photo radar, which was between '92 and '95.

 

[Gibson99]

Are they fading elsewhere? I notice almost all of the plates from the states are in better condition than the Ontario plates. I see a lot of New York, Ohio, and Michigan plates, particularly when I drive between Kitchener and Windsor and have never seen them fade.

My plate that lasted so long, got that before had photo radar, which was between '92 and '95.

I've seen Texas plates fade and peel even here in Houston. Not sure why. Texas actually requires new plates every 7 years. At least they don't charge extra for them.

 

[GTA Driver]

I've seen Texas plates fade and peel even here in Houston. Not sure why. Texas actually requires new plates every 7 years. At least they don't charge extra for them.

Its gotta be the reflective paint. I plate I got in '90 was rusted in 2014, yet there was no peeling or bubbling when we decided to get a new plate for the new CRV.

Your situation in texas is better than what we have in Ontario


from https://www.ontario.ca/faq/how-can-...d-licence-plate-or-personalized-licence-plate

Manufacturer’s warranty
Ontario licence plates are covered by the manufacturer-warranty for up to five years – under normal wear and tear.

If the lamination started peeling and bubbling within five years of you getting the plates , the manufacturer warranty applies and you’ll receive the replacements at no charge. Otherwise, there is a $40 fee to replace them.​

 

[kamkar]

/me add sound of incoming artillery shell.

 

[Gibson99]

Our plates have been reflective as long as I can remember, and we moved here when I was a kid in the 80s. And yes, on the renewal form they say plates must be replaced every 7 years due to degradation of the reflective surface. So even though my old plates were fine they just automatically sent me new ones, with a different number, since I don't have personalized plates.

 

[kamkar]

Over here we god refelctive white plates in 1976.

This is how Danish car plates looked in the decades before that.

https://translate.google.dk/transla...t.dk/SKAT.aspx?oId=1804820&edit-text=&act=url

 

[Genki]

Michigan requires replacement plate after 10 years no matter how good they looked. Too many people were being cheap and using rusted and faded plates that should have been replaced rather than shelling out a few dollars for a new plate.

I remember the old Michigan blue plate having reflective numbers but it wasn't for camera. It was to make it easier for police to read at night IIRC. It was in use from mid 70s until they replaced it with mostly white plate with blue letters because the old blue paint was toxic.