Digital License Plates

[TravelGal]

California is now offering digital license plates. Why would anyone want one? Why would people pay a monthly battery fee? I can't even imagine why they were developed. ??????

[SteveH]

Sounds like a solution in search of a problem, maybe create a few problems along the way….

Researchers Could Track the GPS Location of All of California’s New Digital License Plates
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxn9vx/researchers-track-reviver-digital-license-plate-gps-location

[stroker]

and there's your answer...
:shakehead:

[nrc]

First they're optional. Then they're required. Then they'll be "congestion charges" when you enter the wrong area.

[TravelGal]

First they're optional. Then they're required. Then they'll be "congestion charges" when you enter the wrong area.

We already have congestion charges. They use cameras to click the license plates. Digital not needed.

[SteveH]

10-12 years ago a friend was on vacation in Costa Rica. At some point he realized he no longer had his parking lot ticket at O'Hare. Sent me an email to see if I could find out what happens when there is a lost ticket. Found the max fee on their website. When he returned, he explained at the ticket booth and the attendant said that isn't a problem. What's your license plate number? Looked it up and found when they entered.

[G.]

I'm waiting for the Tollbooth speeding tickets...

The highway dept better be ready for a large increase in traffic on non-toll roads if/when the Tollway Authority starts to try to collect speeding tickets.

[SteveH]

I'm waiting for the Tollbooth speeding tickets...

The highway dept better be ready for a large increase in traffic on non-toll roads if/when the Tollway Authority starts to try to collect speeding tickets.


I’ve often wondered about that, if you were below a certain amount of time between toll booths. Chicago has speed cameras. So when the state of Illinois wants to bleed drivers more, I’m sure it will be considered.

Chicago speed camera tickets for drivers going 6-10mph over limit rake in millions for city
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-speed-camera-ticket-cameras-pay-speeding/13255936/

[G.]

I’ve often wondered about that, if you were below a certain amount of time between toll booths. Chicago has speed cameras. So when the state of Illinois wants to bleed drivers more, I’m sure it will be considered.

Chicago speed camera tickets for drivers going 6-10mph over limit rake in millions for city
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-speed-camera-ticket-cameras-pay-speeding/13255936/

I've gotten 2 camera tickets in all my miles of driving, neither for speeding.
One was for doing the "rolling stop" and turning right on red. Probably correct, but I had a screaming kid in the back and if the camera had more FPS it would have show a better stop, but maybe not a complete one. ;)

Another was in Chicago, and it was my bad. I can say that my navigator sucked, and he did, but I completely blew a red light because I was looking for street signs while he saw Frank Turner walking down the street before a Mongol Horde concert (Frank's seldom-seen alter ego band).

Regular Frank: (keep hand on volume control for tempo change)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU22lKGevhI

This is actually one of his faster songs. He is known as a punk-rock folk singer, but while I can't always find the "punk", he's fantastic.


Mongol Horde Frank: (I'll spare you the Natalie Portman's Tapeworm Uprising)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7rajN-G9vg

[Elmo T]

I’ve often wondered about that, if you were below a certain amount of time between toll booths.

Back in the day of paper tickets on the PA Turnpike, there were stories of drivers being made to pull over and wait if the attendant felt they arrived at their exit gate too early based on the speed limits. :rolleyes:

Now they've done away with the attendants and it is either E-Zpass electronic tolls or license plate scanners. When they first removed the toll takers, you could get a speeding violation notice if you zoomed through the booth (there are no gates). That seems to have gone away - the cars slowing and/or actually stopping seemed like the bigger hazard.

As a few noted, license plate readers (LPR) are being ubiquitous. It used to be only speed cameras and red light cameras. Now our police cars are outfitted with them (they have proved useful in solving some serious crimes). I've seen parking garages using them -use phone app when you arrive and the LPR notes when you leave and the appropriate charge. I actually inspect a few businesses who have installed them at their entrances for security purposes.

For all we complain about tracking and monitoring, we still carry around perfect tracking device in our phones.

[TravelGal]

For all we complain about tracking and monitoring, we still carry around perfect tracking device in our phones.

Amen to that. Once a month Google sends me a map of where I've been, including different countries. As for plate tracking, same thing here in the Van Nuys Flyaway (the LAX airport bus). You can reserve a spot, the camera reads your plate for entrance, opens the gate, reads your plate for exit, and charges your card.