Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts

April 25 - License Plate Day

Posted on April 25, 2020

Whenever there is some new gadget or technology available, some rush to be the first on their block to own it...
...and some people bash it. 

In the case of the automobile, as late as 1901 (about 15 years after the introduction of cars as commercial products), the publication Turf, Field and Farm called the car "an unnatural vehicle." Some cities were passing laws that basically harassed auto owners, and people with cars complained that they didn't have equal rights with drivers of horse-drawn vehicles.



So many drivers in New York State were excited when a new law was passed on this date in 1901. I gather that the new law made regulations for automobiles - and statewide laws make it MUCH easier to know and follow the laws than each and every town and suburb having their own laws. 

But there was something else in that NY state law: auto owners were required to prominently display their initials on the back of their vehicles, in a very noticeable place, with the letters being at least 3 inches tall. 

Mind you, the people who owned cars had to DIY these identifying letters - any color, style, or material - and many took the easy way out and simply painted their initials on their auto. Some people bought metal house letters (used in addresses / apartment numbers) and attached them to leather or wood, and somehow attached the whole shebang to the back of their vehicle. It sounds challenging, actually.


I bet you quickly realized that just being identified by two or three letters wasn't going to help when there were thousands and thousands of cars on the road. I mean, there have got to be a lot of people with the initials CME (my initials), or JMM (my husband's initials), or most other combos.

Still, these simple initial identifiers are considered the beginning of license plates. Now we have personalized (or vanity) license plates, special government plates, fundraiser backgrounds for especially pretty plates, and of course license plate games!

Kids First license plates are colorful, have a pair of charming handprints, and state "KIDS FIRST" at the bottom. People who want this plate have to pay a bit of money - money that goes to the North Carolina Children's Trust Fund.
But then someone ordered a personalized Kids First plate:


I like these three license plates a lot. They're probably my favorites - of the ones I've seen, that is...



There's a lot of variety of license plates in any one state. For example, these are just some of the California license plates you might see:











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October 2 - Name Your Car Day

Posted October 2, 2019

Hmm...I don't know about this one.

I have never named one of my cars. Um...why should I? Convince me, you-who-invented-Name-Your-Car-Day folks!

Okay, first, I wasn't able to figure out who invented this "holiday" - so I will never know their arguments for why we should name our cars.

But here are some reasons others have given:

1. Most boats are given names - are cars less important or deserving? More families have cars than boats (at least in the U.S.), so why would those families NOT name their cars?

This is probably the best boat name I've ever seen!

2. Cars with names are more memorable and easier to communicate about. Case in point - when I say "Herbie the Love Bug" or "Lightning McQueen," if you have seen the movies or ads for the movie, you likely know exactly what vehicle I'm referring to with just a few words. But I have to use a few more words to mention the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future or the Ford Falcon from Mad Max. 


3. Many people spend more time with and in their cars than they do with their pets or family members. And many people love their cars!




4. Naming our cars gives us a sense of control over them and makes us feel safer. Many of us don't truly understand the inner workings of our vehicles, and most of us cannot fix major problems - but having naming power helps us feel better about this powerlessness!

5. Naming cars humanizes them and can be fun! From ordinary human names like Max or Susie, to really rad human names like Axel or Celeste; from spins on the manufacturer's brand name like Corry (Corolla) or Dotty (Datsun), to adjectives or metaphors like Clunk-buddy, Green Machine, Rocket, or Ol' Red.




Hmm...there are some pretty good points here. I especially like #2, because in my family we once had four Toyotas - two Camrys and two Corollas - and it was a bit absurd that we were constantly saying things like "the white Corolla" or "the silver Camry" instead of just naming them!!

So celebrate the day by either naming a car (or two!), or, if your car is already appropriately named, giving your oh-so-human-ish car some TLC. I'm thinking a carwash and tire check?




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