The license plate has become so ubiquitous in our everyday lives that we rarely stop to think how and why it was invented, when the need for it arose, and where it first appeared. Rarely do we stop to consider the role of the license plate in our life, how it helps keep us safe, or how it can help us track down a stolen vehicle. The reality is that license plates play several essential roles in modern societies around the world and that they have a fascinating history. At the same time, their future might be even more interesting.
Now that technology is rapidly transforming every industry in the world as well as the modern way of life, it’s not just the cars that you’re driving that is becoming digitized and IoT-ready; license plates as well are being reinvented. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a look at the history of the license plate, as well as its future.
How the License Plate Came to be
As you probably already know, the automobile was invented in Europe. Interestingly, it was the German inventor Karl Benz who patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886, which is regarded as the birth year of the modern car. In the beginning, there weren’t many cars, and most were reserved for aristocrats and the wealthy.
However, it wasn’t long before cars became mass-produced, and the need for car identification rose. Driven by the need to identify vehicles and their owners, update the laws and regulations on road safety as well as the protection of personal and public property, France was the first to invent the license plate in 1893.
Pretty soon, other countries in Europe started issuing license plates, with the Dutch enforcing a national license plate rule in 1898. By 1901, every vehicle in France had a license plate, and the US was catching up as well.
The License Plate Makes it to the US
The history of the license plate in the US is somewhat intricate and varied because each state passed its own rules regarding vehicle registration.
It all began with New York Governor Benjamin Odell Jr., who first signed the bill that mandated all cars be registered with the state, which meant that car owners had to put a plate on the back of their vehicles bearing their initials. Interestingly, the state of New York did not issue license plates until 1909, meaning that the citizens were tasked with making their own.
Instead, it was Massachusetts that issued the first official license plate in 1903, which was a catalyst that prompted more and more states to start issuing registration plates from then on. A few decades later, in 1931, the state of Pennsylvania issued what will be known as the first personalized plate. Even though the birth year of the vanity plates that we know and love today was 1965, it’s interesting to know that Pennsylvania was the first that allowed citizens to have their initials on the official, government-issued plate.
The Popularization of Private Number Plates
Private number plates, or personalized number plates, can be traced back to the first license plate in the US because after all, the car’s owner was the one who had to inscribe their initials onto the plate itself.
Laws and regulations around the world have changed dramatically since then. Private number plates were born in 1965 out of the sheer necessity to satisfy a growing car market and the consumers, and the need to fulfill the wishes of car owners who wanted to add a personal touch to their registration plates.
In more recent times, almost every country in the world allows for some form of personalization on government-issued plates. However, it’s important to note that with automated license plate readers, government bodies, and private companies can read the owner’s data and track the whereabouts of your vehicle. Car owners typically have to pay an added fee for a private number plate, and generally need to follow a set of rules when applying.
In the US, for example, this is a straightforward process that requires you to pay extra and to stick to a no-profanity rule and only use letters and numbers that are deemed acceptable. Other countries like the UK have similar laws—the nuances will vary, so make sure to do your research first.
Digital Technology is Reinventing the License Plate
In this digital age, it’s only reasonable to expect the license plate to evolve into much more than a piece of metal or plastic with letters and numbers. Nowadays, we are witnessing the rise of the digital license plate, which brings all of the benefits of digital technology to the table that you would expect.
Automatic payments, car and owner information, telemetry, and vehicle status, the digital license plate provides timely information to owners and the authorities. However, keep in mind that DDLs are yet to become affordable in the current consumer market, as manufacturing, installation, and upkeep can set you back anywhere from five hundred dollars to around a thousand US dollars. As it stands, the digital license plate is not a sound financial investment, but prices are expected to go down as DDLs become more popular.
Green License Plates for a Greener Future
Finally, some countries like the UK are considering the adoption of the green license plate to support the sales of electric vehicles and help minimize pollution. The goal is to encourage citizens to cut their carbon emissions through lower parking fees, tolls, and other financial incentives and simply make the world a healthier place.
As you can see, the license plate is not just a piece of aluminum, but an amazing invention that has a rich history. More importantly, the license plate is continually evolving with the socio-political and technological trends, so who knows what the future has in store – perhaps one day soon they will get replaced with a better method of monitoring and controlling traffic around the world?
Lucas Bergman is a real estate agent and renewable energy consultant with many hobbies and passions, but above all, he enjoys the most spending time with his wife – Mara. He also likes Lord of the Rings. He, actually, very much likes Lord of the Rings. He is a regular contributor at smoothdecorator.com.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
