4 ms·

Why Is There a 'Strand of DNA' on Massachusetts License Plates?

69 points by ripe 3y ago

pxeger1 3y ago
It’s interesting that license plates have anti-counterfeiting features at all. AIUI here in the UK, numberplates can be manufactured by anyone and are not official “documents” in any way.
- sitharus 3y ago
  Same here in New Zealand. Registration plates just have the number for the car, nothing special. The registration database has make, model and VIN to confirm they’re the right plates.
  - luke-stanley 3y ago
    It is more accurate to say, that this helps to suggest they might be the right plates.
- TacticalCoder 3y ago
  > It’s interesting that license plates have anti-counterfeiting features at all. In Europe it depends from one country to another. Some have official plates, some official plate only for the back of the car (Belgium) while the front license plate can be manufactured by anyone and some have no official plates at all (Luxembourg): you can just order your license plates anywhere you want, as long as the colors are correct. In some countries the plate must be rivetted to the bumper (as in France). In other countries they have an anti-counterfeiting font: for example in the netherlands they're using weird 'O' and 'R' letters, to make it harder to pretend they're zero or 'B'. Fun stuff.
- hnburnsy 3y ago
  Yes is the usage of fake plates a problem that needs solving? Criminals just take real plates off of other cars and use those. I read that in SF theft gangs even try to take plates of the same color and model of the car they are using.
CaliforniaKarl 3y ago
Obligatory Technology Connections video on retroreflection: https://youtu.be/Bi_Tp1H9CDs https://youtu.be/Bi_Tp1H9CDs
mensetmanusman 3y ago
Here is more background from the patent literature: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8459807B2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US8459807B2/en The guy that discovered it was attempting to laser convert Scotchlite and noticed a weird effect of the light near the cut zone that they eventually figured out.
nunez 3y ago
Texas also uses retro reflective anti-theft plates with the double helices down the middle. Ironically, Houston is the paper plate capital of the US with a high-single-digit percentage of drivers driving with fake temporary license plates. I learned about retro reflective signs while driving through California. Many of the signs on their highways are old-school signs illuminated by fixed backlights. The breakthrough that retro signs introduced was being easily visible by your car's backlights instead, which improves safety and energy efficiency. California is the only state I've been to that has this problem. However, the old signs add a vintage charm to their otherwise perfectly-manicured highways, so I suppose this problem is a feature depending on who you ask.
- ben7799 3y ago
  Your remarks about the paper temporary plates are interesting. Massachusetts is the opposite, you almost never see temporary plates. I don't even recall having one, and I've had a MA license and/or registration for most of the past 30 years. The MA RMV has a setup where most car dealers already have plates on hand along with a computer system that links with the registry. If you walk in with no existing car and buy a car (even used usually) you will leave the lot with real plates and a real registration. If you trade in a car they transfer your plates. We might still have temporary paper registrations for certain cases like private sales but it's really rare to see them. Nearby NH is the opposite you see temporary paper plates all the time and they are good for a fairly long time. That said I have lived in NH as well and bought a car there and I don't think I ever had a temporary paper plate there either. The article didn't mention it but MA has another quirk. The modern plates are white with red letters. They have the double helix. You are required to have them on the front and back of the car. Vintage MA plates where white with green letters, and you don't have to have one one the front. If you have an old one there are games you can play to make sure you never have to switch to the new ones and so you will see ancient really worn out old white/green plates on cars where people have kept the plates for 30+ years constantly switching, often to prove they've been around a long time or because they think a plate on the front of the car is horrible.
  - coffeedan 3y ago
function_seven 3y ago
That's what that is! I noticed this on Nevada plates several years ago and assumed it had something to do with watermarking or other anti-counterfeit tactic, but it didn't seem all that hard to reproduce. I never checked it out from different distances, though.
WirelessGigabit 3y ago
My custom AZ plate from April 2023 has the same. I have the standard design, without cactus because it is a custom one. My custom CA plate from 2017 does not have it. It is the 1960s legacy plate.
4death4 3y ago
The coolest thing I've learned from this article is that road signs have a retroreflective coating on them. In hind sight, it makes sense: you always notice the signs light up as your drive by but don't necessarily notice the signs light up as others drive by. But it's not something I've ever really thought about.
- tobinfricke 3y ago
  The effect is particularly impressive/pronounced if you walk around with a headlamp (like literally a light on your head, as you might use when camping).
- ericpp 3y ago
  Technology connections has a good video about retroreflectors https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_Tp1H9CDs https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_Tp1H9CDs
- bane 3y ago
  If you have access to laser pointer, shoot one at a road sign. They'll light up from many hundreds of meters away.
  - mensetmanusman 3y ago
    Make sure no one is behind you though, I have heard of people being pulled over for doing that due to inducing temporary blindness at night.
- fy20 3y ago
  I saw someone with a running jacket that had something like this the other day. From a distance they shone like a road sign, but as I drove past them, under the street lights their jacket looked a medium grey. I thought this was a pretty cool technology as in my country people like to wear dark clothes, and at night they are basically invisible on the road (lots of residential areas don't have street lights). A law was brought in a few years ago that pedestrians walking at night need a reflective band, but most people don't care.
neals 3y ago
Saved you a click : security feature. Very visible from a distance, not so much up close. Might indicate fake plates to police.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
alephnerd 3y ago
They should own it and show off how MA is such a major biotech hub on the license plate
- mensetmanusman 3y ago
  Yeah, I thought the answer was going to be a reference to winning the cas-9 lawsuit.
bloomingeek 3y ago
My state of Oklahoma is above the US average on crime, almost last in health care and education, but by god, we have the helix!
ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
I figured it was an easy way for automated license plate readers to find a target (it's on multiple states plates)
zgs 3y ago
It's clearly to highlight the fact that road fatalities are pushing evolution forwards. Very forward thinking.

69 points by ripe 3y ago

It’s interesting that license plates have anti-counterfeiting features at all. AIUI here in the UK, numberplates can be manufactured by anyone and are not official “documents” in any way.

sitharus 3y ago
Same here in New Zealand. Registration plates just have the number for the car, nothing special. The registration database has make, model and VIN to confirm they’re the right plates.
- luke-stanley 3y ago
  It is more accurate to say, that this helps to suggest they might be the right plates.
TacticalCoder 3y ago
> It’s interesting that license plates have anti-counterfeiting features at all. In Europe it depends from one country to another. Some have official plates, some official plate only for the back of the car (Belgium) while the front license plate can be manufactured by anyone and some have no official plates at all (Luxembourg): you can just order your license plates anywhere you want, as long as the colors are correct. In some countries the plate must be rivetted to the bumper (as in France). In other countries they have an anti-counterfeiting font: for example in the netherlands they're using weird 'O' and 'R' letters, to make it harder to pretend they're zero or 'B'. Fun stuff.
hnburnsy 3y ago
Yes is the usage of fake plates a problem that needs solving? Criminals just take real plates off of other cars and use those. I read that in SF theft gangs even try to take plates of the same color and model of the car they are using.

CaliforniaKarl 3y ago

Obligatory Technology Connections video on retroreflection: https://youtu.be/Bi_Tp1H9CDs https://youtu.be/Bi_Tp1H9CDs

mensetmanusman 3y ago

Here is more background from the patent literature: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8459807B2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US8459807B2/en The guy that discovered it was attempting to laser convert Scotchlite and noticed a weird effect of the light near the cut zone that they eventually figured out.

nunez 3y ago

Texas also uses retro reflective anti-theft plates with the double helices down the middle. Ironically, Houston is the paper plate capital of the US with a high-single-digit percentage of drivers driving with fake temporary license plates. I learned about retro reflective signs while driving through California. Many of the signs on their highways are old-school signs illuminated by fixed backlights. The breakthrough that retro signs introduced was being easily visible by your car's backlights instead, which improves safety and energy efficiency. California is the only state I've been to that has this problem. However, the old signs add a vintage charm to their otherwise perfectly-manicured highways, so I suppose this problem is a feature depending on who you ask.

ben7799 3y ago
Your remarks about the paper temporary plates are interesting. Massachusetts is the opposite, you almost never see temporary plates. I don't even recall having one, and I've had a MA license and/or registration for most of the past 30 years. The MA RMV has a setup where most car dealers already have plates on hand along with a computer system that links with the registry. If you walk in with no existing car and buy a car (even used usually) you will leave the lot with real plates and a real registration. If you trade in a car they transfer your plates. We might still have temporary paper registrations for certain cases like private sales but it's really rare to see them. Nearby NH is the opposite you see temporary paper plates all the time and they are good for a fairly long time. That said I have lived in NH as well and bought a car there and I don't think I ever had a temporary paper plate there either. The article didn't mention it but MA has another quirk. The modern plates are white with red letters. They have the double helix. You are required to have them on the front and back of the car. Vintage MA plates where white with green letters, and you don't have to have one one the front. If you have an old one there are games you can play to make sure you never have to switch to the new ones and so you will see ancient really worn out old white/green plates on cars where people have kept the plates for 30+ years constantly switching, often to prove they've been around a long time or because they think a plate on the front of the car is horrible.
- coffeedan 3y ago

function_seven 3y ago

That's what that is! I noticed this on Nevada plates several years ago and assumed it had something to do with watermarking or other anti-counterfeit tactic, but it didn't seem all that hard to reproduce. I never checked it out from different distances, though.

WirelessGigabit 3y ago

My custom AZ plate from April 2023 has the same. I have the standard design, without cactus because it is a custom one. My custom CA plate from 2017 does not have it. It is the 1960s legacy plate.

4death4 3y ago

The coolest thing I've learned from this article is that road signs have a retroreflective coating on them. In hind sight, it makes sense: you always notice the signs light up as your drive by but don't necessarily notice the signs light up as others drive by. But it's not something I've ever really thought about.

tobinfricke 3y ago
The effect is particularly impressive/pronounced if you walk around with a headlamp (like literally a light on your head, as you might use when camping).
ericpp 3y ago
Technology connections has a good video about retroreflectors https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_Tp1H9CDs https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_Tp1H9CDs
bane 3y ago
If you have access to laser pointer, shoot one at a road sign. They'll light up from many hundreds of meters away.
- mensetmanusman 3y ago
  Make sure no one is behind you though, I have heard of people being pulled over for doing that due to inducing temporary blindness at night.
fy20 3y ago
I saw someone with a running jacket that had something like this the other day. From a distance they shone like a road sign, but as I drove past them, under the street lights their jacket looked a medium grey. I thought this was a pretty cool technology as in my country people like to wear dark clothes, and at night they are basically invisible on the road (lots of residential areas don't have street lights). A law was brought in a few years ago that pedestrians walking at night need a reflective band, but most people don't care.

neals 3y ago

Saved you a click : security feature. Very visible from a distance, not so much up close. Might indicate fake plates to police.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

alephnerd 3y ago

They should own it and show off how MA is such a major biotech hub on the license plate

mensetmanusman 3y ago
Yeah, I thought the answer was going to be a reference to winning the cas-9 lawsuit.

bloomingeek 3y ago

My state of Oklahoma is above the US average on crime, almost last in health care and education, but by god, we have the helix!

ImPostingOnHN 3y ago

I figured it was an easy way for automated license plate readers to find a target (it's on multiple states plates)

zgs 3y ago

It's clearly to highlight the fact that road fatalities are pushing evolution forwards. Very forward thinking.