Decals: Yay or Nay?

Should cars be a canvas for their drivers' personalities, or should drivers try more to "fit in?"

After some thought, I decided to remove two decals I had on the rear window of my car. One was half the Italian flag and half the European Union flag, which was my favorite decal ever. Another was a pair of evil eyes over the words "Back Off" which I had added after I got rear ended about a year ago.

These luckily just peeled right off and so I just sprayed some window cleaner after to remove the grime outline that remained afterwards.

I felt these two stickers could incite negative attention--after recently being harassed for over six miles on west I-88 and well into Aurora on Eola Road by a maniac driver. I'm pretty sure that person had a mental problem and was just a A-class @sshole. Which is my personal favorite diagnosis for how he acted. I'm sure even if I had zero decals on my car he would have still tried to almost crash into two lanes of traffic as he meandered on both Southward lanes to prevent me from passing him...like he did to show off his car and flip me the finger out the window.

So back to the decals discussion. Many younger people who want to showcase their personality and taste oftentimes brand their cars with decals, much as they would if they were tattoos. Most decals are for: sports, schools, stick people families, religious symbols, famous characters (like Tinkerbell or other Disney) and bands.

Is sharing all that personal information, really another way to open yourself up to abuse? What about freedom of speech?

Decals can be a great way to personalize your car to your taste, especially if it was a family hand-me down vehicle, or just whatever was affordable at the time. Or if you really had a 100% involvement in getting your car, it's just another way to make it all yours and an extension of your personality.

But if you notice people react strangely to you as you drive, and you can pretty surely rule out your driving technique...what do you do? What do you do if someone openly harasses you about your car?

In my case, after having to deal with a maniac, I opted to make a personal decision to play it safe since my driving can sometimes draw enough attention as it is on the highway. I'm also making a vow to visit the local $3 car wash to get rid of grime more often.

Besides, psychopaths like me like to act normal and then spring surprises on A-class @ssholes when they lest expect it. I bet that guy doesn't know I know where he lives now >;oD

Have you ever been harassed because of what car you drive, your driving style, or what decals you have on display? How have you handled it?