Motor vehicles have made life so much easier for us, I think they've earned the same unique, individual names given to maritime vessels.
Rather than use boring, mundane license numbers, give vehicles names. For instance, instead of police calling out over the radio "put an APB on license # A623T7", you hear, "put an APB on [The Flipping Bird]".
Seriously, boats and ships have names. Why not cars and trucks?
I don't think the number of vehicles is an issue, because there are more e-mail addresses than vehicles in existance, and they're all different.-- 21 Quest, Dec 29 2006 A list of lists of car names http://en.wikipedia..._automobile_marquesWallyscar? [popbottle, Jun 01 2014] My car is called Delores.-- DrCurry, Dec 29 2006 And mine's Tonya. But I want my car officially registered that way.-- 21 Quest, Dec 29 2006 OK, I'll pick you up tomorrow in POScar1983@ford.com-- daseva, Dec 29 2006 Call yours whatever you want, I'm not stopping you.
Your analogy with email addresses doesn't follow I'm afraid [21Q]. Email addresses as you know are in the form user@domain.topleveldomain, all of which are interchangeable and different. Thus, there are almost an infinate combination.
Your idea might work if your car was known as theflippingbird@US.car. Remember, boats and ships fly country flags to show their nationality.
This is close to a WIBNI.-- jonthegeologist, Dec 29 2006 That's how it would be officially registered, jon. Your tag would simply say "Tonya". If police are searching for it in the database, they'd type in "Tonya" and select the one listed as a red Ford compact.
Names could be limited, so there's only one of each color, make, and size.-- 21 Quest, Dec 29 2006 They need surnames.-- nineteenthly, Dec 29 2006 For what it's worth, boats also often have printed below the name the city or country of registry.
Perhaps cars ought to have that painted on the rear deck (boot) lid: COLLEGE FUND Quahog, RI
With a little state flag decal.
(edit to remove any semblance of calling out any one user, which I didn't mean to do).-- shapu, Dec 29 2006 .. and many people would absolutely hate this idea and so it would have to be optional. The name one might chose is personal to me and reflects my personality - and I don't want other roadusers to know anything of that as it's none of their business.
[shapu] yep, I know boats/ship display a country flag and often cities are coded into the names too. Boats here in the UK have a registration code and a name.-- jonthegeologist, Dec 29 2006 Isnt it hard enough to get a personalized tag that someone dosen't already have?-- Jscotty, Dec 29 2006 My motorcycles I liked were Windrush, Pony, and Ironwing. The ones I didn't like didn't get named.
Trucks were Bessie, Jake, and Redwing.
Current car is Bet-ty (Kung Pow reference).-- normzone, Dec 29 2006 I hate this idea with a passion. Anthropomorphizing cars is pathetic. It's just what Madison Avenue wants you to do. I think it's okay for boats because those aren't advertised millions of times a year on TV and radio. There's something based in humanity about boats. Cars are merely factory-produced machines that need to be operated with care. Why not give your computer a name too? Or your electric shaver.-- phundug, Dec 29 2006 tell that to my niece.-- jonthegeologist, Dec 29 2006 I know someone who called their car Edie, or ED, for "environmental damage".-- nineteenthly, Dec 29 2006 Many years ago my mother used to call her car "Duchess", but it seemed to have a thing for 18-wheelers, which I suppose means her car was an anachronistic anthropomorphized environmentally detrimental mechanical conveyance. Try saying that 3 times fast.
So it appears a lot of people already do this, mostly in private, which I think is best. The refinement of adding ID stickers and flags and such would just alert B&E thieves and carjackers as to which vehicles belong to tourists and lead to higher crime rates.
I'm with [jon] on this one - idea, thy name is WIBNI.-- Canuck, Dec 30 2006 WIBNI would make a nice number plate.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 01 2014 I own a furniture moving dolly named Salvador.-- normzone, Jun 01 2014 "Rhino" (obscure reference to a MMORPG)-- FlyingToaster, Jun 01 2014 I also own a small LeCreuset pan named Chopin.-- normzone, Jun 02 2014 Oh, and just now we were making dinner with a little tiny whisk, named...wait for it...
Whiskey.-- normzone, Jul 01 2014 Otto.-- whatrock, Apr 06 2017 Why would you give your neice a name? Don't you know they're all the same?-- RayfordSteele, Apr 06 2017 I actually think people should be given serial numbers instead.-- nineteenthly, Apr 06 2017 My current white Camry is Blanca, and my Moto Guzzi already was named Josie when I bought her.-- normzone, Apr 06 2017 //I actually think people should be given serial numbers instead.//
Can I have one that looks a bit like a rude word?-- Wrongfellow, Apr 06 2017 Of course. Yours is 3FF 0FF ...
// I actually think people should be given serial numbers instead //
Finally ...-- 8th of 7, Apr 06 2017 Tesla's Model S has a name option.-- tatterdemalion, Apr 06 2017 I can't get any of my cars to tell me their name. Rude.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 07 2017 random, halfbakery