The same argument could be made for tagging dozens of other physical property items, or if we are going down that slope, humans themselves. I'm willing to bet t

The same argument could be made for tagging dozens of other physical property items, or if we are going down that slope, humans themselves. I'm willing to bet the number of hit-and-run incidents solved each year from bystanders catching a plate number is negligible (as compared to rage I experience whenever I need to visit the DMV - I live in socal). Also we can still ID the car to a reasonable level: white chevy bronco headed southbound on 405. If we absolutely need a number on the back of the car, we could (1) have manufacturers just print a shorter version of the vin back there, or (2) make it required that we put a number back there ourselves; my mailbox has a number I put there myself using reflective stickers bought on Amazon.