Shut Up and Drive

Though you wouldn't know it from my blog posts, I've been steadily collecting and receiving pictures of vanity plates from around the tri-state area. I just haven't been getting around to posting them here.

However, I'm wondering if it is really safe for me to continue with the project after capturing the plates I got last week. It's one thing to walk past a funny plate and snap a picture, or to get one while being a passenger in a moving vehicle. It is another thing entirely to try acting as the driver, photographer and art director all at the same time.

Last week, while driving around Sussex County for work, I found myself behind a car with a license plate that read "No Yes." Of course I needed a picture so I got out my phone (while driving), set it to take a picture (while driving), caught up to the car, missed my exit and this is the photo I got:



Yeah, I can't see it either. Not really worth the 15 minute detour it caused.

Then on Friday, I was driving down 287 toward Philly and spotted another license plate that I had to have. Again I took out my phone (while driving), set it to take pictures (while driving), then set it for low light conditions (while driving) and then tried to get in a good position to get the shot. I have to believe the person driving this car figured out that I was after her because she became really hard to catch. It became a high-speed chase, with me weaving in and out of traffic, one hand on the wheel, one hand holding my phone out in front of my like a cop with a radar (thank God there weren't any of those out for real right then). I ended up getting four pictures from four different angles and this was the best one:



Completely blurry. The license plate said "SPCKLES." So not only is it frustrating that I couldn't get a good shot, but that I'll never know what it's supposed to mean. Is it Speckles? South Pickles? A misspelling of Sprinkles or Sparkles? I will never know why the owner of the plate didn't forgo the 'C' or 'K' in favor of a vowel that would have made the meaning clear.

At any rate, I've decided that the poor, blurry photographs I get when taking them myself (while driving) are not worth the danger they pose for me to get them. I will still collect pictures of funny license plates, but when I'm driving, I'm just going to drive (and sing).