Helpful or Annoying?
While you might not always notice car bumper stickers, some are so disorienting that they can even pull your attention away from the road. It's not that people shouldn't be allowed to decorate their vehicles—some decals are perfectly fine and even useful—but others are so obnoxious or blinding that they might as well be illegal. Wondering which category your stickers fall under? Here are the 10 most distracting car bumper stickers and 10 practical ones.
1. Optical Illusion Stickers
Putting bumper stickers that double as mind-boggling optical illusions might seem like a fun idea, but it may distract others on the road. It can especially affect the driver behind you, and by drawing their attention to these illusions, they may accidentally rear-end you.
2. Sparkly or Glittery Text Stickers
The same goes for any stickers that are too sparkly, glittery, or overly flashy. Under the sunlight they might blind other road users—which can be a major safety hazard—but even on overcast days, they might still be distracting.
3. Interactive Stickers
"Honk if you like pizza!" Sure, while these kinds of bumper stickers can be humorous, they encourage behavior that may confuse other drivers. You might not be able to differentiate it yourself, whether the person behind you is blasting their horn because of a maneuver you did, or because of your sign.
4. Controversial Stickers
If you have controversial bumper stickers, such as those that indicate your support for notorious groups or ones with offensive jokes, expressions, or opinions—keep those words to yourself. In the worst-case scenario, you could anger someone else enough that they may damage your vehicle, perform dangerous maneuvers around you, or even confront you.
5. Overly Political Stickers
While there's nothing inherently wrong about embracing your political views and takes, the same rule from the previous point applies here, too: you don't want to get too controversial. Doing so may provoke negative or aggressive reactions, and that should never be your goal.
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6. Personal Information
You should also be careful about what you display on your car. Bumper stickers that seem innocent to you, such as ones that display your children's school or club name, the number of people in your family, or the pet breed you have, may provide vital information for others with criminal, harmful intentions.
7. Wordy Messages
Adding bumper stickers with jokes, riddles, or messages might give your vehicle some flair and add some personality to it, but when it's overly wordy (kind of like this sentence), it can be distracting, especially when it takes up the entire width of the rear. It becomes even more of a nightmare if the text is glittery, too.
8. Stickers with Profanities
Stickers with profanities are similar to ones with controversial messages. Not only are there children who can see your bumper stickers and learn the negative, vulgar words from them, there are probably better ways to express your thoughts without using foul language.
9. Too Many Stickers
If you have so many bumper stickers that they practically take every inch of space at the back of your vehicle, you might want to tone it down. Not only could they pose as distractions for drivers behind you, they might obstruct your view as well if they cover the rear window.
10. Fake Numbers
Attaching a fake number as a punch line to certain jokes (for example: "How's My Driving? Call 1-800-WTV-LOSR") goads others to call it. And if they do it on the road, that means they'll be driving distracted, which could put your life, theirs, and others at risk.
So, what are some practical decals you can decorate your car with instead? Let's cover 10 different kinds.
1. Child or Pet Safety Stickers
By now, you've probably seen more "Baby on Board" and "Pet on Board" stickers than you would like to acknowledge, and you might not even bat an eye at these anymore. Even then, these stickers are important and send a clear message to other drivers to keep roads safe.
2. Caution Stickers
Ever driven behind a vehicle and wondered why it was moving so slowly, only to finally catch the "Caution: Make Stop Frequently" on the rear? These kinds of decals are often required by law, but more than that, they're helpful, and you'll know to pass them safely when you can.
3. Stickers for New or Inexperienced Drivers
If you're a learner or a new driver, you're also required to indicate to others on the road that you're a student or still inexperienced. This sign will allow other road users to understand why you may drive slower than the usual flow, or why you might take more time completing other maneuvers.
4. Small Stickers
Whether it's your favorite show or cartoon or band, small, unobtrusive stickers are also okay to display. Sure, they're not technically considered "practical," but as long as these decals aren't overly large or flashy, they showcase your personal flair and remain discreet enough that it won't distract others on the road.
5. Disability Awareness Stickers
If you live with a physical disability, such as blindness in one eye or a health condition, feel free to display stickers that inform others of your condition so that they give you ample time and space. You may also want to tack on decals that showcase awareness and support.
6. Reminders
You probably already know to yield to transit or school buses when you see them on the road, but having these rear stickers serves as helpful reminders for those who momentarily forget or aren't fully paying attention. If the vehicle you're driving—such as for work—requires these types of reminders, remember to stick these on,
7. Reflective Stickers
Reflective stickers can help provide better visibility at night and in certain weather conditions. While you may wonder if these kinds of decals are similar to sparkly or glittery text, they tend to work differently. In any case, you should choose the one that promotes safety than one that doesn't.
8. Medical Health Professional Stickers
If you're a medical health professional such as a nurse, doctor, paramedic, or firefighter, displaying a bumper sticker that announces this fact may come in handy in certain situations. After all, you never know if you may need one on the road—although we hope you never do.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
9. Warning Stickers
If you're loading heavy furniture or items into your vehicle, another practical sticker to use would be ones that warn other drivers of the load you're carrying. This way, they will know to not follow you when driving uphill, or follow too closely behind.
10. Kind Messages or Simple Jokes
Simple jokes and kind messages can also make great bumper stickers. The use? Well, they can make others smile or brighten their day—provided, of course, that the expressions on them aren't vulgar, disrespectful, discriminatory, or just plain rude.
