The front and rear license plates are large LCD or similar displays. Your driving license is a plastic card containing an RFID transponder. When you sit in the driver's seat, your license is scanned. The information is then displayed on the license plates along with some graphics indicating your approximate age and how good or bad a driver you are (based on penalty points, years driving without an accident etc.) - something like a smiling/frowning face logo. Other road users would be wary around known bad drivers.

The RFID transponder could addtionally be used as an ignition key. The owner would be able to authorise certain individuals to drive the car.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2002

//Other road users would be wary around known bad drivers.//
Surely good drivers are wary around all other road users.
-- angel, Jun 25 2002


Angel: "good drivers are wary around all other road users" - yes. This is to help the merely average. There are a lot more average drivers than good ones.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2002


A good incentive for safe driving -- avoiding public shame. Although, there are some who would take pride in racking up high numbers on that "consecutive red-lights run" counter in the upper right corner.
-- hinkle, Jun 25 2002


//This is to help the merely average//
So are you saying that average drivers can be wary when another driver's record is displayed on his license plate (how large would this need to be, incidentally?), but not otherwise? Would they take more care around a well-driven car with a 'poor' driving history display than around a not-so-well driven car with a good history? Would they be so engrossed in deciphering the display that they accidentally drive into someone else? All I need to know about another driver is what he's doing now, and what he's about to do. I really don't care what he did last week, month or year.
In any event, in UK, there's no requirement to carry one's licence while driving. It may, for example, be at DVLC for amendment.
-- angel, Jun 25 2002


Angel: Could be as simple as red spot/amber spot/green spot. And people have to absorb lots of information from the environment when driving; this isn't a vast addition. And if they ran into someone, they would get a red spot. Electronic driving licenses wouldn't need to go back to Swansea. They could be amended online. Maybe the governement would put drugs in the water supply to make you want to carry your licence at all times. I wouldn't put anything past them.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2002


//A license plate that tells you about the driver.//

Good Driver and AVAILABLE....Good Driver and AVAILABLE....

I am reminded of a man who drives around in my area with the license plate "YFLISS" (wifeless)
-- Helium, Jun 25 2002


In Indiana, our plates are alpha-numerically coded according to the county of issue, so it's very easy to tell who's from out of town and even guess what county they're from. That bit of information as well as the car itself can tell you all kinds of information about the driver.
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 26 2002


Agreed with angel. I would not and should not drive any differently based on another driver's rating display.
-- waugsqueke, Jun 26 2002



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