June 1, 2007 As one of our colleagues is fond of saying, “people don’t drive cars, they wear them”, and pimping your wheels to reflect your personality is a trend that seems destined to deliver a future of mass individualization. With this in mind, auto accessory manufacturer Roadmaster USA has released two US$60 scrolling message car systems - a scrolling Digital License Plate Frame and a scrolling Rear Deck Message System, which let you personalize your car with your own messages that scroll on your license plate or in the back window of your car. Let the insanity begin!
The scrolling systems come with 99 phrases, including "Help me", "Slow down", "Turning left", "Your lights aren’t working", "Baby on Board", and they also let you program five interchangeable messages of up to 120 characters each. Messages can be combined or repeated and the speed and brightness of the LED can be adjusted with the included wireless remote. The scrolling systems are easy to install and include 12 Volt hardwiring.
The possibilities for the scrolling message systems are endless (and a bit scary) and range from announcing the sale of your car with the price and phone number, showing your website URL or store name, giving warnings and sending notes to other drivers, showing sports game results or your sports team allegiance, holiday greetings, your personal philosophy … and a host of other ideas we came up with which we don’t feel we can propose on a responsible web site.
In addition to its use in cars, the Roadmaster Scrolling Rear Deck Message System version is a stand alone device that can also be used at trade shows or in stores to display specials, opening and closing times, and other business announcements.
All U.S. states allow non-scrolling messages to be displayed in moving cars, but some states and other jurisdictions outside the U.S. may restrict the use of scrolling messages while the car is on the road and may only allow their use when the car is parked or stationary. We recommend that potential customers check their state and local regulations to see if scrolling LED products can be used while their car is in motion.
The Roadmaster Scrolling Digital License Plate Frame (Model RLPF100) and Scrolling Rear Deck Message System (Model RRDS100) are both priced at US$59.