. Any particular automobile, OTOH, may well look virtually identical to thousands of other autos of the same make and model.other. Even then, I suspect that for a time, in individual neighborhoods or ghettos anonymity was not often available for long.
But I'd love any info others have on this theory.
Charles
As with all laws that started out simple vehicle registration and Driver's licenses have evolved into something totally different the what they started out to be.
Registration at first was just a way to make sure the users of the highways were paying for them that is fairly simple and has no need to ID the owner.
But as vehicles became more common and criminals found out that stealing them was very profitable, a way for determining who actual owned them was developed titles and VIN numbers.
Then because there are enough people out there who don't give a rats behind about any body besides themselves a more positive way of identifying who was operating them was also developed photo id.
If every body was honest and willing to take responsibility for their actions a lot of this wouldn't be needed.
But here are many out there who are very willing to leave a accident or do others things, crimes ect. with out sticking around.
As a LEO I ran into them daily people who don't give a rats behind about anybody else. Those people are more then willing to hurt you, steal your belongings, leave you sitting in your vehicle hurt, bleeding, dying and walk away.
The mistake a lot of good honest law abiding, conservative, moral, honest people make is believing that every body has same values that they have.
Well I hate to break it to you they don't, the only thing some care about is themselves and how they can get ahead and get by not being held responsible for their actions.
The more mobile our societies have become the harder it has become to ID and make these people accountable for their actions.
So we end up with more and more laws trying to stop and control these amoral people and these same laws have a negative effect on the honest moral people also.
And if I had the perfect answer to this I would be very wealthy and not sitting here typing on my computer.