Q: I’ve noticed that very few Teslas display front license plates. And on further revue I’ve noticed other brands and types of passenger cars, mostly compacts, don’t either. I don’t know of any exception to the law that would apply to these vehicles. Just wondering what your take is on this issue.
A: Before I besmirch the good name of Tesla owners, I thought I’d gather some data and see if it confirms your assertion. I conducted an informal observational survey, and my results are as follows: Seventy-one percent of Teslas had a front license plate. Ninety-three percent of non-Teslas had a front license plate. It would seem that Tesla owners, as a group, are more inclined to violate the law that requires a front license plate.
Lest anyone jump to any conclusions about some character flaw present in Tesla owners, I’ll point out a detail about the non-Teslas without front license plates. Regardless of brand, when the front bumper of a vehicle doesn’t have a clear mounting point for a license plate (or includes it in a kit as an afterthought), people are less inclined to install them.
Modern cars tend to have swooping front bumpers without a flat rectangle in the middle. Older cars often have a license plate mounting location built into the bumper. In my aforementioned observational study, those cars with the swoopy bumpers were also the ones most likely not to have a front plate. Tesla ranked highest in my survey because the brand’s entire vehicle lineup has swoopy bumpers, with one recent outlier, the Cybertruck, a vehicle proving that wealth and good taste are not directly correlated. It looks like what would happen if a five-year-old drew a car and convinced a billionaire to manufacture it. The Cybertruck looks like a Pontiac Aztec for rich people. But I’m not here to criticize Elon’s design skills. I’m here to point out that vehicle design influences driver behavior.
Yes, front license plates are required by law. From a traffic safety perspective, the lack of a front plate is inconsequential, but vehicle design does seem to play a role in whether or not a car owner installs a plate. In the bigger picture, some other vehicle designs are less benign. Build wide, sloping A-pillars and drivers are less likely to notice a pedestrian crossing the street (I’m talking about you, Toyota Prius.) Put a ridiculous amount of horsepower in a vehicle and brag about it, and more people will speed and spectacularly crash (prime example, the Dodge Hellcat.) Install a touchscreen interface, and people will look at it (bring back knobs and buttons!) Build a vehicle with an excessively tall and boxy front end, and drivers will run over pedestrians they didn’t even know were there (every new full-size pickup and SUV – it’s as if truck designers hate pedestrians.)
When drivers crash, we blame their actions. To be fair, driver actions are a core factor in traffic crashes. But we often forget the role that vehicle manufacturers play in our driving safety. On the positive side, thanks to vehicle designers we have turn signals, seat belts, crumple zones, ABS brakes, air bags, backup cameras, and we’re entering a new era of high-tech safety features like emergency braking, lane assist, and blind spot warning. But, as mentioned earlier, not all vehicle innovations actually make things better.
Next time you get in your car, take a moment to think about how the design of your vehicle influences how you drive. And then, don’t give a machine the final say. Decide to drive in ways that overcome poor design.
Per a recent Motor Trend article, apparently Tesla is also moving the turn signal controls from the traditional turn signal stalk. So being inconsiderate won’t be their fault. It will be Tesla’s!