NC people: Question about license plates

So, I've lived in NC for a few months more than 3 years now. For the first 6 months or so, I thought that the cars with the red text plates were some sort of scarlet letter that they had been awarded by a judge for too many driving infractions or DUIs or something along those lines. I was a bit shocked to find out that the red plates only signify a relatively brief time when the state issued those before they switched back to blue lettering on the plates.

Here is a 'blue' plate:

Here is a 'red' plate:

Where I live, it seems that these red plates make up maybe 10-15% of the vehicles on the road, but commit about 90% of the things that piss me off while driving. Someone pulls out after rolling through a stop sign while I am traveling on a 2 lane 55 MPH road. Red plate more often than not. Someone cuts me off - red plate behavior more often than not, someone stops in the middle of the road for no apparent reason and then after stopping, a turn signal comes on and then they turn - red plate behavior. While driving on a divided highway, the person that I catch up to with my cruise control on and then they proceed to speed up to match my speed just as I am along side them - you guessed it, a red plate.

I've been paying attention when I am out and about doing errands and what not because I figured this was just an irrational thing that really could not be true, but over the past month, it really seems to be the case.

Questions:
1. How is that the red plates are the ones that do stupid things while driving way more than they should given that there are so many more blue plates on the road?
2.Also, if you live in NC, does this pattern hold to other parts of the state? Perhaps it is just a local phenomenon.
3. If you live in NC and have a red plate do notice blue plate people scowling at you when you are driving?

Whew! I have blue lettering on my NC Plates.

I have not noticed a statistical significance of the red lettering on NC plates with errant behavior.

For some reason I have noticed people driving vehicles with out of state plates doing stupid stuff.

They all piss me off with their stupidity.

In reply to trucke:

Oh, yeah, that goes with out saying. Summer time around here is interesting every time I leave the house. It is a constant reminder to expect the unexpected.

Well, keep a look out for me and see if over the next week or so, the red plates don't commit more than their fair share of trouble in your neck of the woods.

Will do!

I never noticed a difference in color until now. I will investigate this further.

In coastal SC, it's always the Ohio plates that are causing problems.

When did they offer the red plates? Maybe it's a bunch of teen drivers

I thought we were going to talk about Miatas

Red plates were issued in something like 2007-2009, but Plates can be transferred between cars like when you trade a car in, so I've seen some on newer cars.

We also have like 183 custom plates. Ill likely swap mine to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation tags or something similar.

Edit just looked and we have 195 plate options

What I've noticed since moving to NC is how many people near Chapel Hill run red lights.

JimS wrote: What I've noticed since moving to NC is how many people near Chapel Hill run red lights.

I like to say that drivers suck universally everywhere... but there is something about red lights in NC.

I've started watching when I'm at an intersection and traffic is flowing the opposite way. I'll see the light turn red, then count 1.... 2.... car passes through. Sometimes even after 3 or 4 seconds.

Its nuts. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else. Sure, trying to make the light and just missing it is common almost everywhere, but blatantly running it... wow.

ProDarwin wrote:

JimS wrote: What I've noticed since moving to NC is how many people near Chapel Hill run red lights.

I like to say that drivers suck universally everywhere... but there is something about red lights in NC. I've started watching when I'm at an intersection and traffic is flowing the opposite way. I'll see the light turn red, then count 1.... 2.... car passes through. Sometimes even after 3 or 4 seconds. Its nuts. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else. Sure, trying to make the light and just missing it is common almost everywhere, but blatantly running it... wow.

I've been seeing the red light running more and more in the last couple of years.

Recently, i got passed in the middle lane of a 5 lane road. Apparently, speed limit +5 was not fast enough. You should have seen the debris he kicked up. Was waiting for him to cut a tire.

trucke wrote:

ProDarwin wrote:

JimS wrote: What I've noticed since moving to NC is how many people near Chapel Hill run red lights.

I like to say that drivers suck universally everywhere... but there is something about red lights in NC. I've started watching when I'm at an intersection and traffic is flowing the opposite way. I'll see the light turn red, then count 1.... 2.... car passes through. Sometimes even after 3 or 4 seconds. Its nuts. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else. Sure, trying to make the light and just missing it is common almost everywhere, but blatantly running it... wow.

I've been seeing the red light running more and more in the last couple of years. Recently, i got passed in the middle lane of a 5 lane road. Apparently, speed limit +5 was not fast enough. You should have seen the debris he kicked up. Was waiting for him to cut a tire.

Man, come to Tucson - it's really bad here. It seems to come and go in spurts though, some days I won't see it, other days it's at every intersection I'm at.

When I'm the first car in the waiting lane, and it's blatant (as in, it's been a good 3-4 seconds and the cars are STILL coming through) I creep out a little and just lay on the horn.

At long last, people, have you no shame?

I have cars with both red and blue plates. I drive each of them the same way.

Red and Blue plates