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A relative had an immigrant colleague that was intrigued by different US license plates. One day their manager had one that had a new colour scheme that he nev

A relative had an immigrant colleague that was intrigued by different US license plates. One day their manager had one that had a new colour scheme that he never saw before. The intrigue overtook him and in a big group he had to ask how he got this new beautiful plate. And how could he get one themself? Turns out the state required you to “wear” this license plate after your third DUI or something. Oops. Edit: looks like two states have these “whiskey plates” or “party plates”: https://www.tmj4.com/news/project-drive-sober/ohio-gets-tough-on-drunk-drivers-requires-special-license-plates https://www.tmj4.com/news/project-drive-sober/ohio-gets-toug...

namdnay 3y ago
that's so ... american. the vehicle version of public mugshots or perpwalk
- spiderice 3y ago
  I’m just wondering why they’re allowed to drive at all after 3 DUIs.
  - Ekaros 3y ago
    I would expect them to be in prison for 25 years or something after 3rd one. You know like 3 strikes...
    - xmzx 3y ago
      [dead]
  - blamazon 3y ago
    In Mississippi, one of those two aforementioned states, it's perfectly legal to drink and drive (with an open container in your hand!) as long as you stay below 0.08 BAC. (Nit: it's legal at a state level but municipalities and counties are allowed to dictate more rules on drunk driving - most don't, but YMMV)
    - cosmodisk 3y ago
      I suppose it still looks a little bit like this then: https://youtu.be/2xcQIoh3FQQ https://youtu.be/2xcQIoh3FQQ
    - madengr 3y ago
      [dead]
    - refurb 3y ago
      Except for the open container, most states allow you to legally drive with a BAC below a certain cutoff.
      - brewdad 3y ago
        Not exactly. Most states, 0.08 or above is presumed guilty of DUI without any other impairment detected. You can still get a DUI with a BAC below 0.08 but it becomes a bit harder to convict since it becomes a function of the officer’s testimony and any physical tests administered before your arrest.
        refurb 3y ago
        Right, it becomes a matter of impairment, not blood alcohol level. But you can certainly have one beer on an empty stomach, have a BAC of 0.04 and drive around. As long as you aren't visibly impaired, it's legal.
      - blamazon 3y ago
        True true - but to drink and drive, in the most present tense form of the word drink, only in Mississippi!
  - calpaterson 3y ago
    I don't know about America but in the UK people don't get their driving licence taken away that often, even if they have hit 12 points (ie: racked up enough offences to theoretically lose it). There is a lot of consideration as to whether removing the driving licence will cause hardship and defendants obviously usually argue that it will (with some truth) so judges sometimes don't remove the licence. Anecdotally, I feel like it's actually gotten less common over the years. When I was a teenager I would meet adults who were riding the bus because they'd had their licence taken away. Often it would be for a 6 month period before they could re-apply (without retaking the test). That became less frequent at some point.
    - arethuza 3y ago
      I think there has been a huge cultural change in how people regard drink driving - I'm old enough (50s) when i was almost regarded as a subject for humour. Now I don't know anyone who doesn't take it very seriously indeed - particularly here in Scotland where the blood-alcohol limits are quite a bit lower for driving than in the rest of the UK.
      - runarberg 3y ago
        I feel a similar cultural change in Iceland, however in USA I feel no such change, quite the contrary. Moving to the USA was honestly a bit of a culture shock in observing how commonplace the practice is. What was more shocking is observing a practice of strategic drinking, that is try to drink just the right amount to keep your blood alcohol level at the legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like that before I moved here.
        rootusrootus 3y ago
        That will obviously vary quite a lot across a country the size of America. Local to me, DUI is extremely frowned upon. But yes, it is somewhat common for people to have an idea of what it takes to get to a BAC of 0.08%, because that is the threshold at which you will be charged with DUI. For many regular drinkers, they won't be impaired at 0.08% and it takes less alcohol than you think to get there. Especially with modern microbrew beers. Getting a DUI will completely f*ck over your life, so if you like to drink socially, you are very careful.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
    Good lawyers, basically. Either that or it's a small town and they know the right people. I know someone who was woken up by a State Trooper, fast asleep in her vehicle on the side of the road, with the engine running so it was obvious that she fell asleep while driving. It was by far not her first DUI. I assume that she lost her license after that, but I do know that she kept driving.
    - hiatus 3y ago
      > I know someone who was woken up by a State Trooper, fast asleep in her vehicle on the side of the road, with the engine running so it was obvious that she fell asleep while driving. It doesn't sound obvious to me. If it was cold out, you would run the engine for heat for instance.
      - rootusrootus 3y ago
        It may not be obvious she was in fact driving, but it'll get you a DUI charge every time. Hell, even if you're in the back seat sleeping it off you're likely to get a charge if you have the keys anywhere accessible (and sometimes, even if you don't).
        HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
        This is correct. I also neglected to mention that the car wasn't neatly pulled over onto the side of the road but had driven itself into the ditch between the road and a field.
- teddyh 3y ago
  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter>
travisgriggs 3y ago
I'm curious what others think of this? My own thoughts, is that after one DUI you should just not get any plates at all. Period. It seems almost darkly comical that there would be a second and then a third time, and that the punishment would be an altered plate color?? Why not just put local graffiti artists to work, and give them a free pass to keep the offenders car in a constant state of "DUI" in scarlet letters.
- runarberg 3y ago
  My opinion is that DUI should revoke your license. I know it is common in Europe where first offenders loose their license for a few months, and then it gets progressively longer. The USA has IMO a terrible system which punishes DUI drivers through the justice system regardless of if they caused any harm. This leaves people with pretty shitty lives and prevents people from calling the police on DUI drivers. They can still drive shortly after though.
  - Tarball10 3y ago
    Revoking their license does not stop them from driving.
    - cratermoon 3y ago
      This is a good argument for having a robust and useful public transportation system, as well as designing cities to support such a system. Won't happen in the US in my lifetime, but one can cream.
      - actionablefiber 3y ago
        One can, but I think it is better to dream.
    - runarberg 3y ago
      It stops by far most people from driving. The ones who are undeterred and keep on driving without a license are then fair game for the criminal justice system. Even if this minority gets away with continue driving without a license and wont get punished, you still save many lives by taking the vast majority of drunk drivers off the road. That alone is worth it.
ryandrake 3y ago
> Turns out the state required you to “wear” this license plate after your third DUI or something. This doesn't make much sense because the license plate is attached to the car, not the driver. Couldn't the manager just drive his wife's or friend's car or something? What purpose does the plate serve? "Warning everyone! A serial drink driver might be in this car, but might not be, and if he's in it he might be driving, or might not!" Totally useless. As someone else mentioned, wouldn't it make more sense to permanently revoke someone's license after 3 DUIs?
- mptest 3y ago
  You're right! We should make them wear a star or something to indicate their specialness! Joking aside I imagine taking licenses away are a big part of it, but that doesn't stop them from driving, at least the license plate warns the rest of us not to drive too close to the guy.
  - civilitty 3y ago
    I was thinking a Scarlet Letter. Maybe “A” for Alcoholic?
    - vitaflo 3y ago
      “Whiskey” plates in MN all start with the letter W (this why we call them whiskey plates). So there’s your scarlet letter.
- some_random 3y ago
  People usually drive their own car, and taking away someone's license can be life destroying in most parts of the country.
  - ComputerGuru 3y ago
    Driving drunk can be life destroying in most parts of the country.
  - 3y ago
petepete 3y ago
I wish we had something like this in the UK. More than 6 points on your licence and you have to drive a yellow car with a 1l engine or smaller.
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  Restricting vehicle size after a DUI would make a lot of sense. Same for “novice” drivers licenses. Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy.
  - rootusrootus 3y ago
    > Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy. Given that v is squared in the equation, their understanding of physics seems okay to me.
    - Scoundreller 3y ago
      Half the mass = half the energy… co-efficient gonna co-efficient. (Tho I know some places do limit highway speeds for novice licenses)
- arethuza 3y ago
  Probably have to be something a lot smaller than 1l - how about a Citroen Ami: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_(electric_vehicle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_(electric_veh... I'm sure Citroen would do them in yellow for a bulk purchase?
kevinventullo 3y ago
So, did he end up getting the plate?
schoen 3y ago
I hired someone on Craigslist for something (I don't remember now exactly what it was for) and he turned out to have a breathalyzer interlock on his car, presumably ordered by a judge or something after multiple DUIs. If I remember correctly, he had to periodically blow into the tube while driving. I don't think I had realized that was a thing before that.
- boomboomsubban 3y ago
  Though I have never seen one, I believe it only checks at ignition. Needing to do anything extra while driving is a recipe for disaster.
NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
I'm concerned with the "in Ohio, first time OWI offenders are required to stay in jail 3 days"... Like, post-conviction? Or are they punishing before conviction here? It's sort of fucked, considering that there are several medical conditions commonly mistaken for drunk driving.
- HWR_14 3y ago
  Yes, post conviction.
rootusrootus 3y ago
That's interesting. Ohio's party plates are similar to Oregon's old yellow plates (which are still used for some niches, including official vehicles). The red font is different, but some of those party plates have very dark red numbers.

namdnay 3y ago

that's so ... american. the vehicle version of public mugshots or perpwalk

spiderice 3y ago
I’m just wondering why they’re allowed to drive at all after 3 DUIs.
- Ekaros 3y ago
  I would expect them to be in prison for 25 years or something after 3rd one. You know like 3 strikes...
  - xmzx 3y ago
    [dead]
- blamazon 3y ago
  In Mississippi, one of those two aforementioned states, it's perfectly legal to drink and drive (with an open container in your hand!) as long as you stay below 0.08 BAC. (Nit: it's legal at a state level but municipalities and counties are allowed to dictate more rules on drunk driving - most don't, but YMMV)
  - cosmodisk 3y ago
    I suppose it still looks a little bit like this then: https://youtu.be/2xcQIoh3FQQ https://youtu.be/2xcQIoh3FQQ
  - madengr 3y ago
    [dead]
  - refurb 3y ago
    Except for the open container, most states allow you to legally drive with a BAC below a certain cutoff.
    - brewdad 3y ago
      Not exactly. Most states, 0.08 or above is presumed guilty of DUI without any other impairment detected. You can still get a DUI with a BAC below 0.08 but it becomes a bit harder to convict since it becomes a function of the officer’s testimony and any physical tests administered before your arrest.
      - refurb 3y ago
        Right, it becomes a matter of impairment, not blood alcohol level. But you can certainly have one beer on an empty stomach, have a BAC of 0.04 and drive around. As long as you aren't visibly impaired, it's legal.
    - blamazon 3y ago
      True true - but to drink and drive, in the most present tense form of the word drink, only in Mississippi!
- calpaterson 3y ago
  I don't know about America but in the UK people don't get their driving licence taken away that often, even if they have hit 12 points (ie: racked up enough offences to theoretically lose it). There is a lot of consideration as to whether removing the driving licence will cause hardship and defendants obviously usually argue that it will (with some truth) so judges sometimes don't remove the licence. Anecdotally, I feel like it's actually gotten less common over the years. When I was a teenager I would meet adults who were riding the bus because they'd had their licence taken away. Often it would be for a 6 month period before they could re-apply (without retaking the test). That became less frequent at some point.
  - arethuza 3y ago
    I think there has been a huge cultural change in how people regard drink driving - I'm old enough (50s) when i was almost regarded as a subject for humour. Now I don't know anyone who doesn't take it very seriously indeed - particularly here in Scotland where the blood-alcohol limits are quite a bit lower for driving than in the rest of the UK.
    - runarberg 3y ago
      I feel a similar cultural change in Iceland, however in USA I feel no such change, quite the contrary. Moving to the USA was honestly a bit of a culture shock in observing how commonplace the practice is. What was more shocking is observing a practice of strategic drinking, that is try to drink just the right amount to keep your blood alcohol level at the legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like that before I moved here.
      - rootusrootus 3y ago
        That will obviously vary quite a lot across a country the size of America. Local to me, DUI is extremely frowned upon. But yes, it is somewhat common for people to have an idea of what it takes to get to a BAC of 0.08%, because that is the threshold at which you will be charged with DUI. For many regular drinkers, they won't be impaired at 0.08% and it takes less alcohol than you think to get there. Especially with modern microbrew beers. Getting a DUI will completely f*ck over your life, so if you like to drink socially, you are very careful.
- HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
  Good lawyers, basically. Either that or it's a small town and they know the right people. I know someone who was woken up by a State Trooper, fast asleep in her vehicle on the side of the road, with the engine running so it was obvious that she fell asleep while driving. It was by far not her first DUI. I assume that she lost her license after that, but I do know that she kept driving.
  - hiatus 3y ago
    > I know someone who was woken up by a State Trooper, fast asleep in her vehicle on the side of the road, with the engine running so it was obvious that she fell asleep while driving. It doesn't sound obvious to me. If it was cold out, you would run the engine for heat for instance.
    - rootusrootus 3y ago
      It may not be obvious she was in fact driving, but it'll get you a DUI charge every time. Hell, even if you're in the back seat sleeping it off you're likely to get a charge if you have the keys anywhere accessible (and sometimes, even if you don't).
      - HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
        This is correct. I also neglected to mention that the car wasn't neatly pulled over onto the side of the road but had driven itself into the ditch between the road and a field.
teddyh 3y ago
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter>

travisgriggs 3y ago

I'm curious what others think of this? My own thoughts, is that after one DUI you should just not get any plates at all. Period. It seems almost darkly comical that there would be a second and then a third time, and that the punishment would be an altered plate color?? Why not just put local graffiti artists to work, and give them a free pass to keep the offenders car in a constant state of "DUI" in scarlet letters.

runarberg 3y ago
My opinion is that DUI should revoke your license. I know it is common in Europe where first offenders loose their license for a few months, and then it gets progressively longer. The USA has IMO a terrible system which punishes DUI drivers through the justice system regardless of if they caused any harm. This leaves people with pretty shitty lives and prevents people from calling the police on DUI drivers. They can still drive shortly after though.
- Tarball10 3y ago
  Revoking their license does not stop them from driving.
  - cratermoon 3y ago
    This is a good argument for having a robust and useful public transportation system, as well as designing cities to support such a system. Won't happen in the US in my lifetime, but one can cream.
    - actionablefiber 3y ago
      One can, but I think it is better to dream.
  - runarberg 3y ago
    It stops by far most people from driving. The ones who are undeterred and keep on driving without a license are then fair game for the criminal justice system. Even if this minority gets away with continue driving without a license and wont get punished, you still save many lives by taking the vast majority of drunk drivers off the road. That alone is worth it.

ryandrake 3y ago

> Turns out the state required you to “wear” this license plate after your third DUI or something. This doesn't make much sense because the license plate is attached to the car, not the driver. Couldn't the manager just drive his wife's or friend's car or something? What purpose does the plate serve? "Warning everyone! A serial drink driver might be in this car, but might not be, and if he's in it he might be driving, or might not!" Totally useless. As someone else mentioned, wouldn't it make more sense to permanently revoke someone's license after 3 DUIs?

mptest 3y ago
You're right! We should make them wear a star or something to indicate their specialness! Joking aside I imagine taking licenses away are a big part of it, but that doesn't stop them from driving, at least the license plate warns the rest of us not to drive too close to the guy.
- civilitty 3y ago
  I was thinking a Scarlet Letter. Maybe “A” for Alcoholic?
  - vitaflo 3y ago
    “Whiskey” plates in MN all start with the letter W (this why we call them whiskey plates). So there’s your scarlet letter.
some_random 3y ago
People usually drive their own car, and taking away someone's license can be life destroying in most parts of the country.
- ComputerGuru 3y ago
  Driving drunk can be life destroying in most parts of the country.
- 3y ago

petepete 3y ago

I wish we had something like this in the UK. More than 6 points on your licence and you have to drive a yellow car with a 1l engine or smaller.

Scoundreller 3y ago
Restricting vehicle size after a DUI would make a lot of sense. Same for “novice” drivers licenses. Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy.
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  > Lawmakers with poor understandings of physics think speed is the only factor in energy. Given that v is squared in the equation, their understanding of physics seems okay to me.
  - Scoundreller 3y ago
    Half the mass = half the energy… co-efficient gonna co-efficient. (Tho I know some places do limit highway speeds for novice licenses)
arethuza 3y ago
Probably have to be something a lot smaller than 1l - how about a Citroen Ami: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_(electric_vehicle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami_(electric_veh... I'm sure Citroen would do them in yellow for a bulk purchase?

kevinventullo 3y ago

So, did he end up getting the plate?

schoen 3y ago

I hired someone on Craigslist for something (I don't remember now exactly what it was for) and he turned out to have a breathalyzer interlock on his car, presumably ordered by a judge or something after multiple DUIs. If I remember correctly, he had to periodically blow into the tube while driving. I don't think I had realized that was a thing before that.

boomboomsubban 3y ago
Though I have never seen one, I believe it only checks at ignition. Needing to do anything extra while driving is a recipe for disaster.

NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago

I'm concerned with the "in Ohio, first time OWI offenders are required to stay in jail 3 days"... Like, post-conviction? Or are they punishing before conviction here? It's sort of fucked, considering that there are several medical conditions commonly mistaken for drunk driving.

HWR_14 3y ago
Yes, post conviction.

rootusrootus 3y ago

That's interesting. Ohio's party plates are similar to Oregon's old yellow plates (which are still used for some niches, including official vehicles). The red font is different, but some of those party plates have very dark red numbers.