Do you drive w/o front license plate?

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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 11:37 AM
  #1  
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Do you drive w/o front license plate?

I personally think RL looks much much better without the front license plate.
I know in some city or state you get ticket for not having one, but still.
I live in LA area and drive without one.
And I put it up on dash when I park my car since parking patrol people might give you a ticket.
Are you with me?
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 11:38 AM
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Agreed. cars look better without the front license plate, but depending on where you live, you are taking a chance with tickets. If I park my car in the city (Chicago), if I cop feels like it, he can give me a ticket with no front plate. Having the plate on the dash does no good here.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 12:12 PM
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In the People's Republic of New Jersey, that'll get you pulled over and ticketed approximately once per block.

They're brutal around here.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 12:56 PM
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Yeah, after all, those front plates come in handy as nice reflective targets for their laser guns, and they are also good for redlight camera pictures, so the police love 'em.

I'd like to see all states drop the requirement for front plates (and those lame redlight cameras while they're at it). Then dealers wouldn't have to deface the front bumpers of cars drilling holes for those flimsy and ugly license plate holders.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 01:20 PM
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I drive without a front plate, mostly because it looks better. Fortunately, the bracket comes off without leaving holes in the bumper (like the RX300, or Odyssey). One of the grille bars is no longer quite straight, though.

I received a fix-it ticket in my previous car for no front plate, and having a clear plastic cover on my rear plate. So, I put on the front plate, took off the lens, and got the car signed off. Oddly enough, the front plate then came off while the rear plate cover found its way back on.

Not to get started on a new topic, but I am daily faced with a red light camera on the way to work. It is impossible to approach this light when it is already green without a sense of dread and foreboding. How long has the light been green? Is it about to change? How close is the guy behind me?

Our local cameras take front and rear pictures, and I've heard that your ticket comes with a URL so you can see the video of your malfeasance.

I've personally seen a rear-ender thanks to someone stopping at a yellow light at this intersection, no doubt too scared to chance going through even though there was plenty of time. The folly (in my mind) of the camera at a heavily traveled intersection is that even if a red-light runner goes through after the yellow, traffic is already at a standstill so an accident is unlikely. Just one intersection over, people run the red left-turn light like they're going to a get prize for doing so.

Many states do not have a front plate requirement. California isn't one of them. If those states can get along without it, why not save the natural resources and prison labor for something else and enjoy better-looking cars on the road?

Rob144
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 02:45 PM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by Rob144
I drive without a front plate, mostly because it looks better. Fortunately, the bracket comes off without leaving holes in the bumper (like the RX300, or Odyssey). One of the grille bars is no longer quite straight, though.

I received a fix-it ticket in my previous car for no front plate, and having a clear plastic cover on my rear plate. So, I put on the front plate, took off the lens, and got the car signed off. Oddly enough, the front plate then came off while the rear plate cover found its way back on.

Not to get started on a new topic, but I am daily faced with a red light camera on the way to work. It is impossible to approach this light when it is already green without a sense of dread and foreboding. How long has the light been green? Is it about to change? How close is the guy behind me?

Our local cameras take front and rear pictures, and I've heard that your ticket comes with a URL so you can see the video of your malfeasance.

I've personally seen a rear-ender thanks to someone stopping at a yellow light at this intersection, no doubt too scared to chance going through even though there was plenty of time. The folly (in my mind) of the camera at a heavily traveled intersection is that even if a red-light runner goes through after the yellow, traffic is already at a standstill so an accident is unlikely. Just one intersection over, people run the red left-turn light like they're going to a get prize for doing so.

Many states do not have a front plate requirement. California isn't one of them. If those states can get along without it, why not save the natural resources and prison labor for something else and enjoy better-looking cars on the road?

Rob144

It is important to remember redlight cameras are not there to reduce or eliminate accidents ... they are for revenue generation, even more so than radar traps. Any HONEST police or government official will admit that, since there is no study in the country that has proven they reduce accidents or injuries. They are a low-cost, immediate generator of millions of dollars of income requiring virtually no manpower, so they are essentially "free money generators" for municipalities.

Having said that (and to stay on-topic), I ran for 3 years with no front plates on eithert of the 2 cars I was driving, and never got so much as a second look from the police. Maybe I was lucky, as Texas does require them.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by synth19
Agreed. cars look better without the front license plate, but depending on where you live, you are taking a chance with tickets. If I park my car in the city (Chicago), if I cop feels like it, he can give me a ticket with no front plate. Having the plate on the dash does no good here.
I can totally agree being a resident of Illinois and a suburb of Chicago.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 04:54 PM
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That's interesting. Ohio cops really don't care. my parents, nor myself have ever had a front plate on our cars and the cops could care less.....
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Frazman
That's interesting. Ohio cops really don't care. my parents, nor myself have ever had a front plate on our cars and the cops could care less.....
COULD'NT care less. See, if they don't care, then they care so little that they couldn't care any less than they do.

(Sorry, no offense, but that phrase is misused so much it's become one of my major pet peeves. )
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 05:51 PM
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I was pulled over for speeding last year. THe cop was pretty cool, when I asked if he could find it within himself to give me another chance, at first he said he couldn't. Said his supervisor caught me and called me in so he was going to get in trouble if he let me go. Then he said "hold on a minute". He went to the front of the car and looked (obviously to see if I had a front plate) and then came back and said he would give me a fix-it ticket for the tinted cover I had on my rear plate and a warning for the speeding. He went on to say that if I went to court proving I removed the cover, it would get dismissed.

That way he got to give me a ticket, and I wasn't going to get dinged for a moving violation or fine.

Sure enough as I was waiting for him to write-up the ticket another cruiser with "Traffic Supervisor" comes creeping by.

My point is that I'm sure he would have given me a ticket for the missing front plate if I didn't have one.

Oh by the way, the ticket did get dismissed when I went to court.
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 07:19 PM
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In the State of Washington you have to have a front plate, if you don't, well thats $101 everytime they catch ya and they look !
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 07:26 PM
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i dont use it... im in florida =]
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Old Nov 16, 2006 | 10:32 PM
  #13  
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I use my front plate. Why invite a pull-over?

In Ohio, there was movement in the legislature away from front plates, but law enforcement vigorously defended the front plate, for some of the reasons noted by Mike_TX above.
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 08:32 AM
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We don't use front plates in Georgia. Gun racks are mandatory, however.
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 11:55 AM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Mike_TX
COULD'NT care less. See, if they don't care, then they care so little that they couldn't care any less than they do.

(Sorry, no offense, but that phrase is misused so much it's become one of my major pet peeves. )
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My pet peeve is people that pronounce Porsche "Porsh" instead of the CORRECT "Porsha".

Since I have owned a car(over 25 years) I have never had a front plate. In all that time I was only told to fix it once, at a roadblock in the town where I lived where the cops were standing in the middle of main street stopping people for things like no inspection sticker, no registration, etc. I told the cop I'd get it fixed right away.

I have to put it back on for inspections, but it comes right back off when I get home.
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 12:35 PM
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Don't have one. Didn't have one on my 02 CL nor my 94 Integra.
Goty pulled over for speeding and got a fix tik. Put it on had a cop sign off that I did. Then took it back off. Here in San Diego they only getcha if they pull you over for a more serious offense first.
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by HelloLarry
We don't use front plates in Georgia. Gun racks are mandatory, however.
Now, if only gun OWNERSHIP were mandatory.

(Hey, it works in Switzerland! )
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 02:10 PM
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Maybe we should start a new thread : "Weapon mods for your RL - suggestions/pictures"
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 04:40 PM
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When we moved back to Arizona from California last year, I was reminded of how nice our Acura's looked without the front license plate. I now have a collection of license plate frames in the garage .
MarkD
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Old Nov 17, 2006 | 04:58 PM
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I haven't run a front plate on my cars and pickups for over 16 years. No tickets yet
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Old Nov 20, 2006 | 01:02 PM
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No front plates since moved to California in 1969.

I regularly traveled 4k miles a year to Texas and back, and never got stopped then either. I moved to the N/West 4 years ago, understand how Anal they are about anything, but still have not put any front plates on. Shoot, did I just ruin my Karma ?? DanF
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Old Nov 20, 2006 | 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Frazman
That's interesting. Ohio cops really don't care. my parents, nor myself have ever had a front plate on our cars and the cops could care less.....
Yeah I live in PA outside philly and I've never driven with one, I wouldn't even know how to put one on haha, now I'm at Virginia State U. in petersburg annnnd I'm still driving without one.
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Old Nov 20, 2006 | 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted by jftjr
In the People's Republic of New Jersey, that'll get you pulled over and ticketed approximately once per block.

They're brutal around here.
I dont drive with one. I live in North Jersey. Haven't had one on in 20 years and only 2 tickets, one for $30 and one for $50. Worth it in my opinion.

Just a little tip, not having one can save you money. The two times I got tickets I was pulled over for speeding, and with a clean license and being very nice to the cop I was able to get a ticket for no front plate instead. Cop was covered becuase he still gave me a ticket and I was thrilled obvoiusly to not get a speeding ticket.
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Old Nov 20, 2006 | 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by treky11
I dont drive with one. I live in North Jersey. Haven't had one on in 20 years and only 2 tickets, one for $30 and one for $50. Worth it in my opinion.

Just a little tip, not having one can save you money. The two times I got tickets I was pulled over for speeding, and with a clean license and being very nice to the cop I was able to get a ticket for no front plate instead. Cop was covered becuase he still gave me a ticket and I was thrilled obvoiusly to not get a speeding ticket.
A few years ago, I bought a car from a PA dealer. The dealer transferred my NJ plates, and put a PA temp tag in the window. There was no NJ inspection sticker yet.

As I was driving it home from the dealership, I was pulled over no less than FOUR times in 12 miles by various NJ municipal police, because I displayed NJ plates and no inspection sticker.

Nobody gave me a ticket -- they all took one look at my documentation and let me go. But I actually wound up pulling over to a local Sears, buying a screwdriver, and taking the damn plates off -- because the PA temp tag was sufficient for me to drive with no plates or sticker, and the NJ plates were causing a ruckus with the police.

Mind you, this is SOUTH Jersey. Cops in North NJ have better things to do, there's all kinda crime and high population up there. Here in the bucolic farm lands and suburbia of South Jersey, however, the cops are bored, and need to get in all the revenue they can.
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Old Nov 24, 2006 | 04:32 PM
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I dont use a plate on the front. Never have. in AZ now used to be WA.
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Old Nov 24, 2006 | 11:06 PM
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We don't need one here in Georgia, however I have the Acura Plate on there.
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