Why do People Still Buy Personalized License Plates?

Last year people in the U.K spent 67.000 pounds on personalized license plates.
Personalized license plates seem to be popular among the different echelons of society. People such as Lord Alan Sugar and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have them, and even in these times of crisis it doesn't seem to stop those with less means from succumbing to he apparent charms of these badges.
Apparently the film industry has noticed the effect that personalized license plates have on people, since they have been used in James Bond films and in many television series to tell the audience something about the character.


Opinion:

What does the popularity of personalized license plates tell us? Well, it seems that the need to be seen, to make a statement is intrinsic to humans, or at least to many of us.
Articles like t-shirts, caps, bags and many others have been personalized for years. It is only logical that cars would also be used in this fashion, since they, more than many other material goods people own are a symbol of status and are often associated with power, beauty, virility, sportiveness and sex; so for those who need approval and a bit of extra self confidence it seems like a logical step to personalize their license plates.