The cash strapped state of California is considering a plan to generate revenue from advertising on number plates, or as they say in America ‘License plates’. The proposal would allow rotational digital adverts to be displayed in the position of the number plate. Motorists would be able to select messages to broadcast from advertisers that have payed the state, with incentives going to the motorists.
The state senate have a £12.8 bn. budget deficit and are not surprisingly thinking outside of the box in ways to generate revenue. It is understood they are considering a bill to permit research into the advertising on number plates scheme. A California company has been developing the technology that would digitally display scrolling advertising content across a number plate when a vehicle was stopped at a traffic lights or in a traffic jam. When the vehicle was in transit the display would show the car registration numbers only.
Who knows if these type of number plates will ever see the light of day in California or elsewhere. I would be surprised to see such displays on dvla number plates anytime soon! Over recent years the DVLA have imposed strict rules over what can and can’t be displayed on DVLA number plates. In the United Kingdom, number plates can’t even have the web address of the supplier in place of their name .