I just got a ticket this morning for the most petty, rediculous thing. No front license plate. I was walking from my car into Target when a cop in the lot honked his horn. He then pointed out that I didn't have a front plate and asked for my driver's license. I tried to get him to give me a warning, but he wouldn't. $75 ticket (but not a moving violation). Aren't there more serious things that cops can pursue?

On the way to the police department (I had to pay the ticket to keep my license) I was counting cars with and without a front plate. Seems as though about 10% of drivers here in the Chicago burbs don't have a front. There were even 3 in the parking lot at the police department (out of about 20 cars there). And of course it is usually missing on the nicers cars that would look silly with a front plate (i.e. Vette, 300C, Miata, etc.).

I really wish IL could be like the other 19 states that don't require a front plate!

 

i hear ya. I've been driving without a front plate on my car since I was 16 in the same area as you (I used to live in Schaumburg). I've gotten one ticket in all that time. Just be happy it's not a moving violation, and consider it a fee to drive around without a front plate and keep your car looking nice.

 

on a semi-related note...Los Angeles had a problem of not getting the plate number of drivers running red lights b/c a ton of cars didnt have the front plates on. they stuck a bunch of cops at different to write tickets for people without plates and made a ton of money. i read that a while ago in Road&Track

 

Maybe the cars you see that don't have the front plates are grandfathered with the older plates? At least here they are.
But if you're willing to play then you gotta be willing to pay.
I hate my front plates too, but am too chicken to remove it.

 

I would have denied it was even my car and kept walking.....dude could have done nothing but sit and play the waiting game. He had no probable cause to say you were wrong. Dude was just upping his quota figures....thats all! Neighboring Hoosier feelin for ya man....we have no front plates here! Maybe you could find somebody just outside of Ill to register your car from (like somewhere in Indiana) then they couldnt do jack! You would be an out of state driver so far as they would know!