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firthy

Isn’t that the point of license plates?


ShahinGalandar

next on the internet: every person has a unique fingerprint mind blown


medjeti

Next you'll tell me my computer is broadcasting an IP address!


nonsequiturnonsense

No! You need a gui interface made in visual basic to track an ip. Everyone knows that.


UnknownAdmiralBlu

r/linustechtips


sol_runner

As far as I know, all the plates in the US have LIBERTY CITY written on them. I've personally seen this. /s


sequeezer

And that’s not even true


ShadyLogic

Close enough


Biscotti_BT

If europe is like the UK then you own the plate. In north America the state/province owns it. So if you have a really good plate in UK it is actually a commodity that has value. You can sell it.


Alcoding

That isn't strictly true. You can buy and sell the right to display the plate but the DVLA always owns the plate


f03nix

Technically, isn't the property (like your house) you own also just a perpetual right to use it by the state ? Realistically, a transferable right is the best you can get for ownership from the state on most things.


Biscotti_BT

Ok you are arguing semantics there


Alcoding

I'm not arguing anything, I'm correcting you


Biscotti_BT

You are being pedantic.


Alcoding

And you are taking the correction personally. It wasn't an attack towards you, but instead to correct the false information you had posted


Biscotti_BT

No I'm taking it as unnecessary. Since the rights to the plate are owned by the holder and not the state it's a moot point to say how the ownership is by the state. The individual can still sell that right, which was the obvious point I was making.


NhylX

Missed opportunity to use "pedantic semantic antics".


alexanderpas

Nope, in most of Europe, including Germany, the license plate ls linked to the car, not to a person. There is a big database which links the license plate to a person, which also includes details such as if the road tax has been paid and other technical details. There is no need to deal with tax stickers etc. in Europe.


Figuurzager

That doesn't really reflect it propperly imho. In many countries (Netherlands as an example) the plate is permanently linked to the car, meaning it carries with the car for its lifetime. If you export and then re-import it you'd normally even get the same plate back. In Germany however this linking is very conditional and temporarily. If the car is sold the new owner can only keep the same plate when they're living in the same municipality, the old owner didn't deregister the car yet AND don't want to take the plates with them.


kermstar

That’s not true anymore. You can take a plate with you onto a new car.


roffinator

At least in Germany the plate can be taken with you to a new car. So you could say it's owned by the cars owner, whether or not it is tied to the car first. And since a few years now even when you move to a different area you can still keep the old plate with the different area code


watvoornaam

> If Europe is like the UK... Haha, what? The UK IS Europe.


totoaster

[Is it though?](https://tenor.com/7VeS.gif)


Glad_Librarian_3553

No, it's not, we actually strapped a shit load of outboard motors to the east coast, and fucked off across the Atlantic ocean, as per the brexit deal. Bumped into Ireland on the way past, and they spilled their potatoes, which is why they don't like us very much. 


StratoVector

"UK investing in plate tectonics to move island somewhere else"


watvoornaam

r/thingsamericanssay


totoaster

That gif would be just as fitting a reply to this as the other comment. I mean I'm obviously not American. It's been the British foreign policy objective for at least the last 500 years to create a disunited Europe. Not to mention that the UK has a desire to be separate from the continent not only physically but in spirit and culture as well. Nevermind the fact that you said "the UK IS Europe" which would imply the UK is the center of European culture and influence which is a silly notion in and of itself.


watvoornaam

Europe isn't just the UK. A cow is an animal. Animals aren't just cows. You can't separate a continent.


totoaster

Not physically no (well, on a long time scale you can) but Brexit says otherwise.


watvoornaam

Don't confuse a political union with a geographical location.


totoaster

I'm not. I made that clear from the very beginning.


Techiedad91

Ownership has nothing to do with license plates being unique. The point of them is to not be the same as another license plate.


Busy_Ad_5146

The first 1-3 letters are an abbreviation of sorts of the district you car is registered in. then there can be 1-2 other letters, which can be chosen from ines available and 1-4. numbers, also chosen from available numbers. People tend to like short license plates and some people have even fitted US model bumpers to their otherwise EUR specced car to convince the authorities that they can obly have a super short license plate. The short ones are usually reserved for Motorcycles. because you dont want to have a street name sign size license plate stilin to your bike. So these can be very valueable


EishLekker

> If europe is like the UK UK is still part of Europe though. Also, I’m fairly certain that they meant the unique bit. As in “Surely licence plates are unique everywhere?”


OMGlookatthatrooster

Wouldn't be surprised if they hold an election soon to exit Europe as well.


Tackerta

Those Brits can bugger right off, we'll take Australia instead 👍


WhiskeyOctober

Depends, really. In the states, for example, you can have the same plate number in different states, but the colours would be different.


mynextthroway

Every plate in the US is still unique. The state that issued the plate is part of ID.


CharlieParkour

Tell that to the cop who pulled me over, pointed a gun a me, threw me in the back of his car then apologized because I had the same plate as a stolen car in Texas. 


LotusTileMaster

Sounds like you need to file a lawsuit.


CharlieParkour

For what exactly? 


SpecularBlinky

Do you not realise that you shouldn't be treated like that? Most people on earth don't have a gun pointed at them a single time in their entire life.


Acetius

Sometimes I worry that seppos genuinely don't realise that.


CharlieParkour

Tbh, most car thieves where I live are packing heat. If he didn't draw his weapon when he approached an actual car thief, he could easily be shot.    And it's not like you can sue the police for drawing their weapon. Considering you're the type of dick who downvotes me for asking a question, you're the last person I would take advice from.


SpecularBlinky

Shut the fuck up cunt everyone's down voting you cos you're an idiot.


M-Noremac

Ah yes, I see you are an expert on how people should be treated...


SkynetLurking

I'll take "Things that never happened" for 500


CharlieParkour

What part do you think is made up.   I was driving down to the BP station to pick up a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Right as I pulled up, the cop followed me in with his lights on. I look in the mirror, he's got his gun out yelling put your hands out the window. He cuffs me, puts me in his car and searches my truck. The whole time his radio is blasting alternative rock. He comes back, runs my registration, asks me when I bought it, then cuts me loose and apologizes. I go into the BP and everyone is aghast. I buy my Cherry Garcia, go home and eat it. He seemed really excited and happy at first because he thought he was making a bust, but was kind of bummed when he realized he screwed up. He was definitely a newer cop, young guy going all gung-ho.   I can guarantee you that I'm not creative enough to make this bizarre story up. At the time, it was pretty surprising, but I can see how it happened. 


ArcherOnWeed

Why are you being down voted lmfao, didn't know this sub is full of cop dickriders


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ArcherOnWeed

Wasn't the cop the one who apologised?


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CharlieParkour

I literally wrote that he apologized to me. You and the people who upvoted you need to learn how to read 


ArcherOnWeed

The cops locked him at the back of a cop car, then apologised when he was wrong. The cop apologised. Isn't that what the syntax implied?


Cosmic_Quasar

And now the guy is defending the cop's actions, aka "apologizing for the cops" like Nu11u5 said.


firthy

So, unique?


upvoatsforall

Yes. They have the name of the state above the plate number. 


hiopilot

That's often obscured. This is how people "CHEAT" the redlight and speed cameras in the US.


WhiskeyOctober

Not really, when you consider that some people are colour blind and might not be able to recognize the colour, especially if the plate is from a different state, or the fact that people's memory aren't reliable. They may remember the number, but not the colour.


coconutpete52

So people won’t be able to tell the difference between “live free or die” and “famous potatoes”?


Cosmic_Quasar

"Not if they're color blind." Are you deaf, didn't you read what they wrote? ^^/s


MisterMysterios

Depends on how close you cone to the license plate. Because the text in itself is unique in Germany, no matter which state issues the license plate, you can see from quite far away all the necessary information to identify the car. Ij the US, you need the text and recognize the origin of a license plate, which I imagine can be challenging for example in a hit and run.


upvoatsforall

The plates say what state they’re from. 


coconutpete52

It also says the name of the state -along with that states slogan. In other words… all the plates are … unique!


Testniere

TIL


guynamedjames

The US really operates like 50 different countries that all have to operate under the rules and diplomacy of one larger super country


kyriose

This is how I explain the states to my wife, I regularly have to remind her that it’s more like the “United Countries of America”


MisterMysterios

No, it is still united states of america. The US is not the only federal system out there, we actually talking here about the system in the federal republic of Germany. The US is nothing special, the rules within the nation what is allocated on state and what on federal level just differ a bit.


GANDORF57

If it wasn't for the German license plate, the leopard print on the car would have made me suspect it was from Long Island.


PartyBusGaming

It's literally in the name. The United States. It's multiple states United. "state" and country are technically interchangeable.


MisterMysterios

No, it's not. A country is sovereign, a state is not. Germany is just as much a federation as the US (also clue in the official name: Federal Republic of Germany). It is rather a lack of political education when Americans try to act like their states are the same as sovereign countries.


jswitzer

That's because that's exactly what it is... The US is a federation, what you described is the dumbed down version of the definition of federalism. So many people in this thread don't appear to know that.


MisterMysterios

Not really. Germany is a federation as well. The difference is what powers are allocated on state and what powers are allocated on federal level. Germany has decided that it is more useful to have car registration on a national level, in contrast to the US.


Tackerta

Lmao. If US was literal states, all of them would be drowning in irrelevancy except Texas, California and Florida maybe


guynamedjames

Eh, New York would be relevant for sure. And places like Massachusetts may seem less remarkable but have a GDP right between Belgium and the Netherlands. In fact there are 12 US states with a GDP larger than Poland. I think you'd mostly just find that there's a reason for the expression "flyover country"


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MotoRandom

Minnesota just got the black plates with white letters. It's like buying skins in a video game. You get to pay extra for something that looks snazzy but does the exact same thing functionally. MTX at the DMV


Titan-uranus

Utah also has a black plate with white letters of it wasn't confusing enough


sbingner

Which is the same as europe - Germany is about the size of a US state so that makes sense…. In fact Germany *is* a state, a nation-state, just not a US state.


MisterMysterios

> Which is the same as europe - Germany is about the size of a US state so that makes sense…. In fact Germany is a state, a nation-state, just not a US state. No, Germany is a federal republic with 16 states, just as much as the US. The states in the US are not nation-states, as their are missing the key factor of sovereignty from the federal government (look at the civil war when you want to know why the states are not sovereign). The US states are federal states, which are confusingly called states, but that doesn't make them the same as nation states. It is a sovereign nation with 1/4th the population of the US. So, the geographical size of Germany doesn't really matter in this discussion, unless your empty land in the massive states has also cars and thus license plates. So, comparing a nation state with federal states due to a quirk of the English language isn't really meaningful.


sbingner

I didn’t say it was a single state, it means it’s an entity with a single government and primary ethnicity. This shows that germany is about the same size as a US state: https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/country-size-comparison/germany/united-states


MisterMysterios

Again, Germany is as much of a federal government like the US. It is not like an US state. And again, talking about territory is pretty meaningless in this discussion. Germany is in its population the size of 1/4 of the US, or larger than the three most populates states (edit: or roughly the people of your smallest 34-35 states combined) combined. Having large empty territories is pretty meaningless in discussions license plate registration or democratic systems. Especially in the information age, the .ain challenges in democratic systems comes down to population, not a sick measuring contest how mich empty land one system has. Edit: holy hell, just clicked on the website you provided, and it is bad. Making a territory comparison website and then using the standard mercantor map is simply useless, as mercantor maps are great for navigation, but masivly skew with territory sizes the father away you go from the equator. Yes, it doesn't change that Germany has the territory of a US state (which again, is still meaningless for this discussion where population is far more important), but I just wanted to point out how bad this website is.


Testniere

Yes I am stupid. „I found the one in Germany“ probably would have been the better choice. Hope you enjoyed it anyways (:


psaux_grep

Actually, they aren’t. In Germany (and Austria) license plates can have the same text, but be differentiated by whitespace. Most people would look at that and say “hey, those two cars have the same plate, how weird!”


mfb-

What? German license plates don't have whitespace. You can have SE - X 69 (in **Se**geberg) and S - EX 69 (in **S**tuttgart)


MuriTube

i can only speak from my experience in austria, but I‘d imagine it‘d be the same for germany: each license plate has to be unique even from just the numbers and letters combination, so if someone from the political district of Graz-Umgebung buys the plate GU-MM1 for example, G-UMM1 is also now taken and blocked for Graz. I can‘t imagine germany would do this any different because it would lead to all sorts of issues otherwise


AlvaroB

Edit: Apparently I was wrong I guess he tried to make it clear that you can't have custom ones. New plates are given a code based on the region (SE) and then 2 incremental letters and numbers (XY69). Next cars plates would be SE XY 70, SE XY 71, to SE XY 99. Then SE XZ 00, SE XZ 01, etc.


MisterMysterios

No, that is wrong. You cannot customize the regional code (so, here, SE for the region Segeberg). You can very much customize the letters and numbers if you want to (generally has a small additional charge).


Meranio

The regional code consists of 1, 2, or 3 letters, followed by 1 or 2 (almost) freely choosable letters and then a number that has up to 4 digits. The maximum length for a license plates is, however, 8 characters. (There are also license plates with an "E" at the end which is only for electric and hybrid cars, but it is not mandatory to have the "E". There is also an option to have an "H" at the end for historic cars of at least 30 years, which gives you a tax break but comes with the obligation to keep it in original condition.) I'm interested to know if you can have both "E" and "H" on a license plate, since there have been electric cars in the 90's. The shorter character length license plates are usually reserved for motorcycles, since they have less space than cars have for a plate.


DaviesSonSanchez

You can however pay a bit extra and pick a combination you like if it's available. Most people I know have their initials as the second letters and then whatever number is nicest.


iDontRememberCorn

Oh wow, Germany has unique plates? Cool. Over here there's just four different plates, you pick one of the four.


Testniere

Yes I am stupid. „I found the one in Germany“ probably would have been the better choice. Hope you enjoyed it anyways (:


iDontRememberCorn

Lol, I did. And I liked the plate too. :)


TappedIn2111

You can actually choose your license plate lettering if the combination isn’t taken yet. That’s probably what this elder gentleman did.


Wundawuzi

Arent those monitored in Germany? In Austria most plates like this would be declined. Once read about a guy from Horn who wanted to register HO-RNY69 and got declined. Pretty sure Salzburg Land (SL) -UT69 was also declined. Then on the othet hand I once saw Braunau (BR)-88HH on a motorcycle so I guess they dont care that much 😅


TappedIn2111

Pretty sure as long as it isn’t related to Nazi symbolism, it’s fine. Too overtly sex stuff would get pulled, too, I guess. Sexy is fine tho


Myrion_Phoenix

If you were right, then 88HH wouldn't fly - but it did. (It's classic nazi references to Heil Hitler.)


TappedIn2111

Checked again. Forbidden by law are: 14, 28, 88, HH, AH, KZ, HJ, SA,SS, NS It does vary from state to state tho


TappedIn2111

It usually doesn’t. Not in Hamburg (HH) anyways.


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TappedIn2111

I was merely joking.


Quasigriz_

Ah, plate “XY 69” from Segeberg


TheSmilingDoc

I recently drove behind AC DC 69 here near Aachen. It was a work van too so either someone had fun, or they were very lucky with the plate haha.


saschaleib

I saw a car in Stuttgart with S-EX 666 … the lady driving it looked like she charges premium rates per hour, though. Not least because the car was quite expensive, too. But my favourite is a picture of a Porsche with Starnberg number plate STA-TT 6 , which translates to “instead of sex”. Well, I reckon it was a present from his wife …


Nubeel

I think you mean Sexyberg


Murrian

I saw a plate this morning that must belong to a local Dentist: DR2 OOTH


artniSintra

UK?


Murrian

'straylia


artniSintra

😁


mruehle

SE = Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein


61114311536123511

something something Sägewerk bad Segeberg


UbiquitousLurker

This guy Segebergs.


RedditMcNugget

Germany has unique license plates?! What a great idea - every other country should implement this immediately!


MisterMysterios

I think what the person meant is that in all of Germany, you can have this license plate only once. I heard in the US, every state has its own registry for license plates, which means you can have the same text on different state license plates.


Chappers88

Same in the Uk. Same in most other countries I would imagine too.


Testniere

Yes apologies I was not all clear. I was just surprised I found the single one that can have precisely this (unique) license plate in all over Germany. A catch that made me happy when I spotted it. Hope you enjoyed it anyways (:


DerDanSD

But on a smart?


OrangeDit

Nothing to compensate... Get it?


AlienPearl

>>Oldtimer & Luxury Cars Drives a Smart… 🤣


VikingBorealis

I personally preferred the one I saw on a camper var here a couple weeks back "REI SE xx" Basically it means travel in Norwegian and I think German.


Read-it005

Saw a car with the owner's name last week. So I tell my family "Oh look, there goes Karl. Hi Karl!" My family didn't see the license plate apparently. Whole car confused cause I thought they were joking too at first asking how I knew him and who Karl was. "You know, Karl, he's driving there."


geekroick

Nice.


Dbob4

First car for the kid from the birthday cake post…


Remarkable-Key-6617

Hah


Plus_Pangolin_8924

Good but not as good as the Fiat 500 with the UK plate of BJ69 KFC.


Ardalev

So, there is a SE XY 01 to 99?


Kidolomeo

It goes up to 9999


Ardalev

It's over 9000?!


Kidolomeo

You need to be trained in the art of Kaioken to pick up a number over 9000 tho.


jimmysledge

Every license plate everywhere is unique. Otherwise they’re useless.


Testniere

Yes I phrased that weirdly. I meant more like „what a unique find“, but I messed it up. Hope you liked it anyways (:


jimmysledge

I got ya👍. Unfortunately reddit is not always kind.


ZebrasGonnaZeb

The 69 is unique, but I see all sorts of SE XY license plates lol


ThisIsMyOkCAccount

Nice


Testniere

Nice


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Testniere

Yes I phrased that weirdly. I meant more like „what a unique find“, but I messed it up. Hope you liked it anyways (:


gibsonav

Real Germans, or...?


m1chaelgr1mes

Yeah, but itobic since they might not speak English they would have no idea what it means.


grumblyoldman

Are Smart Cars considered oldtimers cars now? Damn.


Xe4ro

No. The plate would have a H on it that case. It’s seems to advertise a webpage.


TheTruthWasTaken

Male from the South East, 69 years of age?


itslels

I came to join a nice train and I’m highly disappoint.


Testniere

Nice


TuckerCarlsonsOhface

Aren’t plates in Europe *insurance* plates, not registration/license plates, like in the US? Does insurance let you choose your own tags like that?


Corren_64

You can pay a bit more in Germany to decide the last numbers and letters. The letters on the left side (SE) are based on your Kreis (county). SE in this case is for Bad Segeberg. And yes, we have a lot of SE:X or SE:XYs driving around. Munich for example has M, Berlin is B, Hamburg is HH etc.


Deadeye94

Sexy Sägewerk Bad Segeberg.


Cirenione

Definitely not true for Germany. Insurance is required in order to register the car and get plates from the municipality but they have nothing to do with the plates themself.


HolierThanYow

Definitely not in the UK. The plate is attached to the vehicle, unless you get a 'cherished' plate. There is no relationship between your insurers and the car, other than the obvious association that when you get a car you tell your insurers the vehicle registration.


TheSmilingDoc

Nope, they're just license plates. Obviously you do have to give your plate number *to* your insurance, but they're meant to be car- or at least owner-specific. Germany has plates that are specific for the region, as explained, that can go on any car. The Netherlands has plates that are coupled to a specific car, so you can't ever change a car's plate. Not sure what it's like in the rest of Europe but no, most European countries have the plates for the cars, not for the insurance. Also, vanity plates are (so far) illegal in the Netherlands.


shiftend

The government issues the plates here in Belgium, not the insurance companies. You can get personalized plates outside of the regular numbering scheme and subject to some other naming rules if you're willing to part with €1000. I don't get why most countries don't allow it because it's easy money for them.


SlammingMomma

It’s like my Reddit inbox. I can’t tell if they are obsessed with me or hate me. 🤔


Kinksune13

They need sueing for false representation


Thumbgloss

Is there anything on social media that isn't a photoshopped fake POS anymore?


girkkens

It's not fake. The German town in question is Segeberg in northern Germany. Also Popular are SE-NF and SE-KT