This is a phone service in which many peoples car license plate numbers' are linked to their cell phone. If you spot a car on the street with something wrong with it:

lights on gas cap open flat tire broken window etc.

You text the license # of the car, followed by a dash and the nature of the problem (or a predetermined code indicating the nature of the problem), for example, 123456M-LA-dome light, to the services phone #. The service in turn will send a text the person who owns the car indicating their is something amiss.

Problems include luring someone out to rob them and potential for spam, both of which could be curbed if this is was an opt-in service for cell carriers. Then a huge number of people could be signed up relatively easily and the texter's info could be traced in the case of shenanigans.
-- leinypoo13, Mar 25 2009

www_2ehowsmydriving_20_2ecom [hippo, Mar 26 2009]

Code no. 1 should be "It's not foggy! Turn your fog lights off."

Rant over, I think this could be quite useful as if you try to be a good Samariton(?) and tap on someones window to tell them they have a flat, nowdays you are likely to get sworn at/stabbed/shot (or so the popular media would have you belive). [+]
-- eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 25 2009


Textmessage: Yr xhaust is trlng.

Reply: Thank you. I just stopped and checked. btw - there was a crash here, prly someone texting?
-- loonquawl, Mar 26 2009



random, halfbakery