THE PLEDGE
I, STEFAN LONCE, author of the forthcoming book, LCNS2ROM - LICENSE TO ROAM: VANITY LICENSE PLATES AND THE GR8 STORIES THEY TELL (http://www.vanityplatesbook.com/) pledge to inspire Americans to "vanitize" 1 million more motor vehicles, and Canadians to vanitize 50,000 more vehicles, by September 6, 2011, which will be the second annual VANITY LICENSE PL8S DAY (to be celebrated in the USA and Canada on the day after Labor Day).
One million new American vanitizers, and 50,000 new Canadian vanitizers, would be about a 10% increase: According to the (2007) American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators - LCNS2ROM [LICENSE TO ROAM] Vanity License Plates Survey, Americans have vanitized 9.3 million motor vehicles, and Canadians have vanitized 440,000 vehicles (for Survey results, click here: http://www.lcns2rom.com/vanityplatesurvey.htm).
Vanity license plates are minimalist poetry in motion.
Vanity plates empower motorists to tell stories, or to promote causes (including themselves!), like this one:
"Allison Masry is always with her husband, Rudolph, even when they're miles apart. That's because, in 2003, Ally donated a kidney to Rudy, who suffered from end stage renal failure. Ally's NY vanity plate says DONOR, and Rudy's says DONEE."
My NY vanity plate is LCNS2ROM: It seemed obvious to me that the title of my book should be an actual vanity plate.
Vanitizers are invited to tell me about their vanity plates, by clicking on the TELL US ABOUT YOUR VNTY PL8 button on the home page of my web site, http://www.vanityplatesbook.com/.
On this blog, I will recount some of the GR8 stories that North American motorists have told on their vanity plates, and report about my quest to publish LCNS2ROM.
I will explain why vanity plates are so fascinating: All DMVs screen vanity plates to weed out "offensive" messages, but the First Amendment's right to freedom of speech applies to license plates, and motorists sometimes sue DMVs that have rejected vanity plates -- and they often win in court!
I will explain how much fun vanity plates are: I have created laugh-out-loud "PRE10D VNTY PL8S" [pretend vanity plates] and invited readers to identify the famous people to whom the plates refer; they're really funny: (http://www.lcns2rom.com/pre10d_vnty_pl8s.htm).
I have also created a laugh-out-loud "Top 10 1/2 Reasons to Vanitize" list (inspired by David Letterman); the #1 Reason 2 Vanitize: "Vanity plates are cheaper than tattoos... and you can remove them by taking out the screws!" (http://www.lcns2rom.com/vanitize.htm).
Vanity license plates are fascinating and fun... and so I say, "Vanitize, everyone!"
Stefan Lonce 11/11/09
stefanlonce@vanityplatesbook.com
