Bumper Stickers

You don't think traffic is chaotic enough? Well, AutoWeek magazine reports that a Texas company called SameLane has developed software that would enable drivers to make connections with strangers on roadways via cellphones. Here's how it would work: Motorists would register their license plate and phone numbers with the company's website and receive bumper stickers letting the world know of their availability.

It was on the back of a Bronco pocked with Bondo and body work. Next to a silhouette of the twin towers were the words, "Sometimes War IS The Answer." I've been a fan of bumper stickers for a long time. I used to make note of the best ones. I was charmed by "Obviate Nuance," "E=mc2. It's A Law We Can Live With" and "If You Love Something, Set It Free. If It Doesn't Come Back, Hunt It Down and Shoot It." I also liked "Jesus Is Coming.

They're big. They're ugly. They're offensive. So say owners of the hybrid Toyota Prius -- not about larger gas-guzzlers that hog the road but about the decals the state is handing out that allow hybrid owners to drive solo in carpool lanes. Prius owners cheered when Congress approved solo driving in carpool lanes last month.

The decals are hard to miss: "Jesus Is God. Read the Bible," they proclaim, in 3-inch-high gold letters stretched across car trunk lids, emblazoned on rear windows, or crammed into the rear portholes of utility-style vans. Some read "Jesus es Dios. Lea la Biblia" in red- or gold-lettered Spanish; a few advertise the same message in bright blue Korean characters.

When Nydia Hernandez thought of people sitting in their cars, she thought of a captive audience. Hernandez, a former chair of the city's library board, then hit upon the idea of creating bumper stickers to promote reading. The Santa Ana resident convinced fellow board members to contribute $200 for 300 free bumper stickers distributed to city libraries and schools. The winning design was chosen from a contest among children who use the library.

In an effort to promote pride in the city, officials here are selling "Los Al" bumper stickers. The $2 oval decals have black and silver shimmery lettering on a white background. The hometown bumper sticker fad began with Huntington Beach's "HB" in 1992. Now, hundreds of thousands of cars bear similar stickers boasting towns such as SA (Santa Ana) and WH (West Hollywood).

Swerving through traffic, Carol Gardner stalks her prey like some kind of freeway Marlin Perkins. An unsuspecting Volkswagen Beetle, isolated from the herd, lumbers up ahead. Pulse quickening, Gardner zooms in for the kill, then abruptly calls off the pursuit. "A Bug without a bumper sticker?" she gasps. "That's almost illegal." She should know. Gardner, 50, is a veritable bumper sticker scholar. For nearly two years she has roamed the countryside--from a Mosquito Festival in Paisley, Ore.