Special License Plates Tag Careless Drivers With Skulls in Memphis, 1939

In 1939, special license plates for traffic violators are being considered as a safety measure by Cliff Davis, commissioner of public safety in Memphis, Tennessee.

If the measure is adopted motorists who persistently break traffic laws will be required to run in their regular license plates for special tags, similar to that shown in the photograph above, bearing a skull and the words “traffic-law violator.”