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Step 0 in the US might be enforcing laws against fake temporary tags or concealed license plates. If I had a dollar for every “thin blue line” sticker-sporting car with a barely-transparent bit of plastic over the license plate…

Seems like the illegal covers would be straightforward to enforce any time these cars are parked on public streets.

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Those plastic license plate concealers are wild. I couldn't believe it the first time I noticed one and I don't understand how they're legal.

Non-obscuring covers are typically sold to protect the plate from the elements, flying rocks, UV exposure, etc (may be handy for vanity plates).

It also adds a bit of deterrence against tag theft, depending on how you secure it.

A person walking by may not be able to tell the difference between one meant to protect the plate and one that hides the plate from cameras, which can cut both ways. I've heard from people who have non-blocking plates get tickets because they were assumed to be the camera-defeating variety, even though they were basic polycarbonate covers.

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