Bumper stickers on cars are known to either bring a smile or a smirk from people when seen. However, everyone is different and some people have different opinions on how they interpret a sticker.
A bumper sticker might be a fun way to express yourself or personalize your vehicle from the next. Either way, they can also give away more information about you than you think.
In this article, we’re delving deeper into what bumper stickers really say about you. Meanwhile, you should know whether you can have bumper stickers on your car, based on your profession.
Table of Contents
1. Baby On-Board Bumper Stickers
These stickers are some of the most common you can find out on the road. They are pretty much straightforward and indicate that there might be a child inside the car.
Besides indicating that you are a parent, they might also allow other drivers to be cautious and patient. For example, you might be driving slower than normal and other motorists will understand and be patient.
Along with the infamous baby on board stickers, you’ll also find the “My Family” stick figure bumper sticker. These often include stick figure drawings of the whole family on a sticker.
They can even go as far as having the hobbies of the different family members depicted in the stick figure drawing. These are synonymous with mom drivers often tasked with taking children to and from school.
You’ll also find these in big family cars such as minivans and large family SUVs. These vehicles are usually good family haulers and are often used to transport the whole family around.
In recent years, this trend died down quite significantly because it was so common. The stickers then started to mock the original family stick figure drawing the bumper sticker.
2. Pet Bumper Stickers
Pet stickers are also a famous bumper sticker that depicts that the driver has a pet or the pet is inside the car. These can serve as a warning for dangerous animals inside the car or a showcase of a beloved pet.
In the case of dangerous animals, it can warn others not to get too close to the car at the risk of an animal attack. These are mostly just for dogs that are territorial like pit bulls.
In other instances, it can be just to show off the love you have for the pet. These are often candid and can also include the pet’s name on the bumper sticker.
For animal lovers, such as pet lovers, this can also be a good way to express your love for them. The stickers can show that you love certain pets or animals in general.
Other pet owners even go as far as turning their pet’s photo into a cartoon-like bumper sticker. This is a customized job and will cost the owner a certain amount to turn the photo into a cartoon decal.
Pet stickers are often just looked at and do not elicit significant emotions in other people unless you’re a pet lover yourself. Just like the baby on board sticker, pet stickers are also often unnoticed.
These can somehow also be a security concern if the decal has the dog’s name on it. Robbers entering your home can know to calm the dog down by using its name.
3. Offensive and Group Affiliation Bumper Stickers
These kinds of decals on a car are up there with opinionated ones when it comes to eliciting high emotions. They often target a certain group or show affiliation with a controversial group of people.
People reading these types of stickers on your car can sometimes picture you to be arrogant or narcissistic. In most cases when you put an offensive sticker on your car, you know what kinds of opinions people will have.
Narcissistic bumper stickers also fall into this category because the sticker may be sexually suggestive and inappropriate.
Such stickers are often selfish in nature and will have the driver being pulled over multiple times by authorities.
Stickers that pledge allegiance to a group that is known to suppress other people are also quite controversial.
These small groups are often seen as angry and suppressive of minorities and people form unfavorable opinions about them.
It is important to note that these kinds of stickers are not illegal per se but can be considered offensive if they are extreme. You can find out the 9 rules to follow about bumper stickers here.
4. Patriotic Or Political Stickers
There’s nothing wrong with voting for a certain political party or having your country’s flag as a bumper sticker. However, some people take it too far and have stickers that mock opposition political parties.
Political views and affiliations are some of the most controversial when it comes to bumper stickers. People love defending their views and you might be found offensive if you go against their chosen views.
It is not unusual to find a road rage incident that involves a car or cars that have bumper stickers where the drivers have opposing views.
This is because someone might be trying to get a reaction as to why you have opposite views to theirs.
On the other hand, patriotic bumper stickers like the ones with a country’s flag are some of the most loved. These tell people that you love your country and are proud to be a citizen.
Some U.S. flag bumper stickers even have a thin blue line in them to signify support for justice and bravery. These are thought to be in support of police officers and others in the same career.
With that said, someone who has different views against the police fraternity might not like this. There have been cases where cars with stickers that support the law enforcement community have been vandalized.
Make sure you check our post on the 100 political bumper sticker messages.
5. Religious Views Bumper Stickers
These types of stickers can also be thought of as controversial because everyone has different religious views. They can range from some that support a certain religious group or one that goes against it.
Much like political views and opinions, people hold close to their beliefs and think others should too. Sometimes this comes across as offensive when seen by people of different views.
Consequently, there are also coexist bumper stickers where all major religious signs are shown. This signifies that a peaceful coexistence lifestyle can be pursued.
Such a bumper sticker also signifies that the driver wants a loving and caring world. Some people might scoff at the idea and think that this sort of person is a pacifist or people pleaser.
However, it goes without saying that religion is one of the most controversial subjects when it comes to bumpers stickers.
Religious bumper stickers also get scoffed at because not everyone belongs to or believes in the same religion. It might get drivers of these cars some looks from other drivers on the road.
On the other hand, some clever and funny bumper sticker lines have been known to be acceptable. They are often funny and can make other drivers ponder their religious views.
With that said, many people argue that spreading the good word works better if you know people personally. This means talking to people one on one has a better effect than a shallow bumper sticker.
6. Hobby Related Bumper Stickers
People love hobbies and will go all out to let others know this by using their bumper stickers. Most of these will likely relate to outdoor activities or hobbies, and many are not offensive.
Some likely activities you might find in such decals would likely be motorcycling, hunting, off-roading, or sports. Such stickers are also some of the most that go unnoticed because they aren’t really controversial.
The off-roading community is one of the largest and well-known for having stickers associated with the activity. These are a group of people who are proud of their hobby and want other people to notice.
Among other decals in outdoor sports activities are hunting and motorcycling. Fans of these activities can be seen with decals and stickers signifying certain hobbies on their cars.
When it comes to a hunting hobby, some people might think that it is morally wrong to hurt animals. As such, not everyone out on the road will appreciate a hunting decal on your car.
7. They Tell Which School Your Children Attend
You’ll often see bumper stickers of school names or emblems on cars. These types of bumper stickers often show prestigious or hard-to-get-into schools.
These stickers tell others that your children attend a prestigious or well-respected school. Other motorists might perceive you as a good parent, or it might suggest that you can afford such a prestigious school.
Parents are always proud to show off their children’s accomplishments, especially academic successes. A bumper sticker like this likely shows how proud they are.
These stickers also allow others to know where to find you during certain times. If you’re always picking up your children, this can help people find you if you’re not home.
On the other hand, this might serve as a safety concern for would-be robbers. If they know where you’re at certain times, it might give them an opportunity to commit a crime.
These stickers also go as far as indicating what the child’s name is and what sports they play. This is cautioned by law enforcement because it gives potential criminals more information about your household.
Certain police departments have issued warnings against bumper stickers that show personal information. However, they did not suggest removing the sticker, but just omitting certain details.
Throughout the years, these sorts of stickers are showing up less, which is rather a good thing. Less personal information on a decal minimizes the risk of criminals using it.
This also goes for people that have information about where they work on a bumper sticker. Criminals and robbers can always find a way to exploit this information.
The law enforcement community has warned against such stickers with personal information on them. Most people have abided by this in the interest of keeping their families safe.