Animal-Friendly Licence Plates (idea from the US)
In the USA, many states let drivers buy license plates that donate money to animal charities. It would need a bit of work, as things work differently over the pond. Car owners pay their fee to local motor vehicle license agencies, and simply swap their plates.
But in the UK, DVLA is in Wales, so at present this could not be done. But it should be. It’s possible in England to buy vanity-based private number plates, so why not plates that help animal welfare and conservation causes?
Never leave pets in warm or hot cars.
Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell illustrates animal-friendly license plates in New Jersey. Which begs the question why similar programs are not running in England, a country renowned for being batty about animal welfare.
In Oklahoma, spay/neuter programs are funded by local people buying animal-friendly license plates. The funds go to assist low-income families, to prevent overpopulation which leads to more homeless pets.
Pet Friendly Plate (Indiana) uses profits to fund spay/neuter programs. Local businesses also get involved, giving discounts to people who buy them (like discounts on tyre changes).
Conservation number plates are similar, this time funding local environmental initiatives. Why on earth are we not doing this in England, it’s such a good idea? Some also fund holiday camps for disabled children.
Issues with ‘baby on board’ stickers
Paramedics are also not fans of ‘baby on board’ stickers. Anything (including furry dice) in car windows can obscure vision, when driving. And reading stickers can cause people to take their eyes off the road.
Nobody ‘plans’ to have a car accident. So displaying warnings does not work. In Australia, one site notes that 1 in 20 accidents may even be caused by stickers obscuring rear window views. And paramedics often look for a child in the car that isn’t there, at the time of an accident.
