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Cash-strapped state of California is considering research that could lead to the use of electronic licence plates for advertising



First came electronic billboards flashing neon advertisements to drivers. Now ad-blaring licence plates could become the next advertising platform to distract drivers.

The California legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state to begin researching the use of electronic licence plates for vehicles. The move is intended as a moneymaker for a state facing a $19bn (£12.8bn) deficit.

The device would mimic a standard licence plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The licence plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen.

The plates could also be used to broadcast traffic information.

The bill's author, Curren Price, a Democratic senator of Los Angeles, said California would be the first state to implement such technology if the state department of motor vehicles (DMV) ultimately recommends the widespread use of the plates. He said other states were exploring something similar.

"We're just trying to find creative ways of generating additional revenues," he said. "It's an exciting marriage of technology with need, and an opportunity to keep California in the forefront."

At least one company, San Francisco-based Smart Plate, is developing a digital electronic licence plate but has not yet reached the production stage. The bill would authorise the DMV to work with Smart Plate or another company to explore the use and safety of the plates.

The company's chief executive, Conrad Jordan, said he envisioned the licence plates as not just another advertising venue, but as a way to display personalised messages — broadcasting the driver's allegiance to a sports team or an alma mater, for example.

"The idea is not to turn a motorist's vehicle into a mobile billboard, but rather to create a platform for motorists to show their support for existing good working organisations," he said.CaliforniaUnited StatesMotoringAdvertising
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