For a wide range of issues, California is the battlefield where the next big thing and the status quo struggle for supremacy. From gay marriage to new emissions standards and the legalization of marijuana, the state that elected the half-human, half-mechanical Austrian as its governor is almost always on the forefront—for better or for worse. Once again, California is leading the way. This time the state is balancing its budget with new license plates that will turn highways into death traps!
Okay, so it’s not a done deal yet. But the California legislature will soon consider a proposition for the creation of new “smart plates” — digital license plates that would display advertisements right there on the bumper of your car. It could look something like this:
The digital plate would switch to advertisement mode four seconds after coming to a complete stop, and would enter into a scrolling set of advertisements based upon the vehicle owner’s preferences. These images and messages would be accessed wirelessly via a computing cloud, rather than an on-board chip.
Twenty-five California state senators agreed that it’s worth looking into, primarily to determine if it could positively affect the states woeful economy (which ironically happens to boast the highest GDP of any state and also ranks within the top 10 GDP’s in the entire world).
Turning citizen’s private property into billboards with wheels? I bet Tommy Jefferson is rolling over in his grave down there in Charlottesville. If I were to throw my brain in the trash for a minute and actually get one of these plates (if I have a choice, that is), is it still my car, or has it become their billboard?
From a post advertising perspective, this isn’t just offensive because it’s a breach of privacy — this is the old interruption model of advertising taken to a scary extreme. Beyond the invasive aspect, it’s also just flat-out dangerous. And perhaps MOST importantly: what’s to stop criminals from wiring the plate so it’s always in advertisement mode? What about a malfunctioning plate that just won’t turn on?
Will this help California’s financial troubles in the short term? I couldn’t tell you, because I got a D in finance. Will it increase health care costs as a result of all the accidents they could potentially cause? I’m guessing it will. One thing that is certain: there are safer and less invasive ways that the state can make money. One thing, for example, grows straight up out of the ground with nothing more than a little sunlight and water. Harvest it, sell it, and tax it. Hint: it’s already the state’s largest cash crop.
