Are funny license plates a fad?

2HOT4U. IH82W8. Do these strings of characters hold any meaning for you? Yes? No? Funny license plates embossed with coded messages such as ‘too hot for you’ and ‘I hate to wait’ are currently all the rage. No longer is it enough to define oneself with a gaudy gas-guzzler; it is now mandatory to add garish personalised plates. These plates have the peculiar ability to polarise opinions. Some people maintain that they are fantastic, an artistic triumph in an otherwise bleak and bleary cityscape. Others (a minority, thankfully) tend to be the exact opposite, seeing them as useless extravagances, as tacky, moronic reminders of the owners’ baseness. I, for one, am completely in love with the notion of a personalized funny license plate. My day always seems to become a little brighter when I pass the Hummer H3 with the message ‘NV ME’ clearly displayed on its rear bumper. I get a little laugh when a white Toyota Supra with ‘PEN15’ on the back goes roaring past me at way over the speed limit. Though I must admit, I do have a few pet hates. I can’t stand people who feel it necessary to state the make/model of their car on their plates. Surely we don’t need to be told that you are driving a Camaro or a Ram? And I shake my head dismissively at the multitude of ‘SEXY’ plates around. If you have to settle with ‘SEXY 532’, then why bother at all? It loses its comedic value after that many uses. Will these plates completely take over, or will they, like other fads, disappear?