California Cop Stops Car with Hand-Drawn License Plate, Officer Gives Driver ‘Points for Creativity’
A driver in Merced, California was pulled over for using a hand-drawn license plate on his vehicle. The California Highway Patrol noticed the unusual design and upon inspection confirmed it was an illegally created plate. The driver explained that his original plate was lost, but the CHP reminded him that California law requires displaying only state-issued plates and that replacements can be obtained easily through the DMV. The driver received a $197 citation. The article also mentions another incident where a California motorist was stopped for using a mannequin as a passenger in the carpool lane, highlighting some unusual traffic stops in the state.
A driver in Merced, California, took “artistic license” literally when he hand-drew his rear plate.
A patrolman noticed something was off about the design and pulled the driver over, according to an Oct. 10 post from the California Highway Patrol.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that the plate was actually, and illegally, hand-drawn.
“We’ll give this driver points for creativity,” the California Highway Patrol wrote.
California Driver Pulled Over for Using Hand-Drawn License Plate
Most people have gotten behind the wheel knowing they’d be in trouble if they got pulled over.
Maybe they accidentally left their driver’s license at home. Perhaps their registration had expired. Or it could be… pic.twitter.com/Jp1eXOxl4Y
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) October 16, 2025
The driver told police that the original plate had been lost, according to KABC-TV in Los Angeles.
But this wasn’t a valid excuse.
“While we appreciate the effort to stay compliant after losing the original plate, California law requires vehicles to display state issued plates only,” the California Highway Patrol wrote in the post.
“If your plates are lost or stolen, you can easily get replacements through the DMV instead of breaking out the art supplies,” the post said.
The patrolman cited the Nissan Sentra driver with a $197 ticket, according to the Los Angeles Times.
California is known for cranking out artists. Many of them, apparently, are found driving the streets.
Take, for instance, another driver in Santa Fe Springs.
In April, an officer pulled over a motorist in the carpool lane with a suspicious looking passenger, the California Highway Patrol announced in an Instagram post.
California police bust driver with mannequin passenger in carpool lane https://t.co/dlT10c1HkV pic.twitter.com/Jo2q3Ld37U
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) April 27, 2024
The officer only stopped the driver because they had crossed some double lines.
But when the patrolman glanced at the passenger, he seemed tense.
That’s when he had the realization.
“The driver was the only occupant in the vehicle with their plastic friend. The goatee was sharp… just a little too sharp,” the California Highway Patrol post read.
The patrolman cited the driver for multiple carpool violations.
“We’ve gotta give it to them, the appearance is next level modeling but at the end of the day… plastic is plastic,” the Instagram post read.
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