Roadgeek plate sighting of the day

[Michael in Philly]

So I'm tooling down 95 in Northeast Philadelphia this evening when I'm passed by a familiar plate:  http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/

Welcome to our fair city, Steve (even if you were just passing through).

[Scott5114]

Heh, what are the odds?

[Alps]

Nice. I've always wondered if I'd get noticed. Hope I didn't cut you off too badly (:

[Dr Frankenstein]

On my way to the Watertown meet last year, just as I got past Howick on QC 138, I got cut off by a Prius with Virginia plates and several bumper stickers. At first I thought it was oscar, but then I found out he was at a completely different place at the time. Still, how often do you see a car from this far on such a low-traffic road unless they're a roadgeek?

[Duke87]

Either Doug or his car can tell you a story about how I blew by them on NY 12 once.

[Michael in Philly]

Nice. I've always wondered if I'd get noticed. Hope I didn't cut you off too badly (:

Not at all.  You did pass on the right, but I probably shouldn't have been in the left lane at that point.  (I needed a jump start leaving my mother's house and AAA's battery test showed something unidentifiable was draining the battery, so I was trying to drive as steadily as possible - avoiding abrupt speed changes and so on, so I'd been keeping left through the two-lane stretch.)

Cheers!

[Brandon]

Nice. I've always wondered if I'd get noticed. Hope I didn't cut you off too badly (:

Frickin' Jersey Driver. 

You're almost as bad as we, Chicago Drivers. 

[signalman]

Nice. I've always wondered if I'd get noticed. Hope I didn't cut you off too badly (:

This is exactly why I have standard run of the mill passenger plates on my car, despite being a license plate collector.  If I had something personalized, it'd be way too easy to remember my plate.  A random issue plate quickly fades from most people's memories.  (Was that ADF-12C or AFD-12C?  I can't remember now) 

What can I say...it's aggressive driving in North Jersey.  While I don't drive nearly as aggressively in more rural areas of the country as I do in more congested areas.  However, old habits die hard and I'm sure some things I do intuitively are perceived as aggressive or impatient by the locals.

[1995hoo]

.... Still, how often do you see a car from this far on such a low-traffic road unless they're a roadgeek?

In August 1982 we pulled into a scenic overlook near Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. The vehicle next to us also had Virginia plates. Turned out the driver lived above four miles from us and was a friend's dentist.

[agentsteel53]

My license plate is 6THG858.  I once spotted 6THG857 near my work ... all right, fair enough, we both must have registered our cars at the nearby Auto Club office on the same morning.

I spotted 6THG860 ... in Idaho.

calling 6THG859.  6THG859, where are you?

[Takumi]

My plate's not memorable. If you see a loudish silver Prelude with a standard Virginia plate, it's probably me

[Roadgeek Adam]

So I'm tooling down 95 in Northeast Philadelphia this evening when I'm passed by a familiar plate:  http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/

Welcome to our fair city, Steve (even if you were just passing through).

I was in the area as well that day, but I think we took US 1 out rather than 95. Only parts we spent on 95 that day were the NJ Line - Exit 49.

[1995hoo]

My license plate is 6THG858.  I once spotted 6THG857 near my work ... all right, fair enough, we both must have registered our cars at the nearby Auto Club office on the same morning.

I spotted 6THG860 ... in Idaho.

calling 6THG859.  6THG859, where are you?

Seems logical. My father has his old license plates in his basement. The 1974 Texas plates have consecutive numbers. He re-registered both cars at the same time and so they gave him consecutive plates (back then Texas issued a new plate each year).

[kurumi]

California plates for autos are [A-Z][0-9][0-9][0-9][A-Z][A-Z][A-Z] (yes, that regexp can be shortened).

In the larger scale, they are issued in order: e.g. the 4 series was about 12 years ago, the 5 series followed that, and now we're around 6Wxxnnn.

I've been marginally tempted to annually order a vanity plate that simply has a "newer" number in this range.

[agentsteel53]

California plates for autos are [A-Z][0-9][0-9][0-9][A-Z][A-Z][A-Z] (yes, that regexp can be shortened).

In the larger scale, they are issued in order: e.g. the 4 series was about 12 years ago, the 5 series followed that, and now we're around 6Wxxnnn.

I've been marginally tempted to annually order a vanity plate that simply has a "newer" number in this range.

I spotted 6WY recently, so 6X is coming soon.

I believe the website forbids the selection of a vanity plate number which matches any current or planned standard numbering scheme.  i.e. you cannot do 7ABC123, or even 123ABC1, which is what is planned after either 8ABC123 or 9ABC123.  (They may be reserving 9 for something, like they did with commercial.)

... but you may be able to sneak one past the employees if you order the old-fashioned way.

[doorknob60]

One of our car's plate is CK55579 (an Oregon Crater Lake plate), and there was a car from a neighbor like two blocks away from our old place with the plate CK55576. I always thought that was weird, since 6 and 9 look similar it always catches my eye when I see it, it looks the same And I see it all over town too haha.

[Rushmeister]

I believe the website forbids the selection of a vanity plate number which matches any current or planned standard numbering scheme. 

Sorry, slightly off topic here...

I'm glad Indiana allows personalized plate numbers "RUSH ROX" and "RUSH R0X", both of which may be found parked side by side in my driveway frequently.  (BTW, Rush is a band.)

The font used on IN plates is such that the "zero" and the "O" characters are nearly indistinguishable, so much so that a passerby would think the plates are identical.  I wonder how long it will be before I get a knock on the door by a curious law enforcement officer who lives in my neighborhood.

[agentsteel53]

I'm surprised they allowed it.  I believe CA's vanity plate system specifically disallows the number "0" because it looks just like the letter "O".  I'll have to look now, but I'm pretty sure all the vanity plates I've seen have the letter "O" character.  (it's slightly less rounded)

[Alex]

I'm surprised they allowed it.  I believe CA's vanity plate system specifically disallows the number "0" because it looks just like the letter "O".  I'll have to look now, but I'm pretty sure all the vanity plates I've seen have the letter "O" character.  (it's slightly less rounded)

Florida's vanity plates use the number 0 in place of the letter O. It was indistinguishable with the narrower dies that were used until 2006. The wider dies that are the norm now show the difference.

[NE2]

And of course the orange can also substitute for the letter O:

[Alps]

I'm surprised they allowed it.  I believe CA's vanity plate system specifically disallows the number "0" because it looks just like the letter "O".  I'll have to look now, but I'm pretty sure all the vanity plates I've seen have the letter "O" character.  (it's slightly less rounded)

I found two cars parked in Staten Island (near the old now-gone abandoned wye) with a total of three copies of the same license plate. I spent a solid minute comparing them to make sure all three were identical.

[agentsteel53]

I found two cars parked in Staten Island (near the old now-gone abandoned wye) with a total of three copies of the same license plate. I spent a solid minute comparing them to make sure all three were identical.

back in the day this would have been easier, when the DOT gave you new plates each year.  now, with the advent of registration stickers in most (all?) states, it is much tougher.

I suppose nowadays the only way you could do this is by claiming that your plate was "lost".  I think CA issues you a new number if it isn't a vanity, but some states might give you a new example of your current one. 

[signalman]

I found two cars parked in Staten Island (near the old now-gone abandoned wye) with a total of three copies of the same license plate. I spent a solid minute comparing them to make sure all three were identical.

back in the day this would have been easier, when the DOT gave you new plates each year.  now, with the advent of registration stickers in most (all?) states, it is much tougher.

I suppose nowadays the only way you could do this is by claiming that your plate was "lost".  I think CA issues you a new number if it isn't a vanity, but some states might give you a new example of your current one. 

I'm not sure which state the plates Steve had seen was.  Being Staten Island, I'm going to assume they were New York plates.  NY will not reissue lost plates.  Any lost plate must be replaced with a new registration number.  I'm not sure if they make duplicates for ones allegedly damaged.  Also, NY does not use plate stickers.  Registrations proof is in the form of a windshield sticker.  Although I'm sure fake windshield stickers exist in New York.  I know they do in my home state of New Jersey.

[vtk]

My car's license plate is the same as my username here.

Unfotunately, you're much more likely to see me on the road driving a company van than my own personal car. 

[route56]

My car's license plate is the same as my username here.

Same here