One of our readers wrote in to Overheard in DC to let us know that while she doesn’t ride the metro, she’s been noticing a different form of communication: car decor. As a commuter who drives, she has noticed an inordinate amount of Virginia vanity license plates. The reader writes:

Many proclaim their political and religious affiliations via bumpersticker. Although I think the Honda with the Gore 2000 sticker needs to give up the ghost. We’ll get ’em next time buddy, next time.

But Virginians really love to make their statements with vanity plates. Never in my life have I seen so many people name their cars, state their professions, and give shout-outs to their favorite sports teams in this medium. You can tell a lot from a person by their vanity plate.

The reader then listed a few of the Virginia vanity plates that she has seen out on the roads. They include:

TIDEND
SULTRY (the reader noted that, in fact, the driver was not sultry)
EXPDSHN
AJS RIDE
ICE PRINCS
REDSKINZ
NRLYPAR (jury is out on what this one means)
ENVRMT (On a Honda hybrid, of course)
HEY JERK

It’s nice to see that VA drivers are being oh-so verbose via license plate. Rumor has it that Virginia has the largest percentage of vanity plates driving around, but we have yet to find the numbers to back it up. The Virginia DMV even has a site where you can see if your desired combination is taken. Good news: AM COOL on a special interest plate is, apparently, still available. VA, MD and District drivers, what are some of the more interesting and memorable vanity plates that you’ve seen as of late? Jot down a comment and let us know.