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I am mildly against this.

In a former life long ago and not so far away I was a Texas State Trooper.

The front license plate can be useful to patrol officers. Especially in the night time it can assist in correctly identifying a vehicle which you have encountered traveling in an opposite direction and for some reason have determined that there was a need to turn, pursue and make contact.

It could be a stolen, warrant, Amber alert vehicle, or it might have had indications of DWI such as crossing the center line or fail to dim headlights. Officers can often see and recall the plate number, or at least a partial, and if you are at night and turn to make contact, it is much easier to get the 'right' one out of a string of vehicles if you have that bit of information.

For what it is worth.

CWOOD wrote:Officers can often see and recall the plate number, or at least a partial, and if you are at night and turn to make contact, it is much easier to get the 'right' one out of a string of vehicles if you have that bit of information.

For what it is worth.

well, color me impressed. At night, I have never been able to see anything coming my way at night except for .

74novaman wrote:well, color me impressed.

An LEO could read the plate during daytime.

I can't imagine any groups other than LE and prosecutors opposing this bill. Of course, they both have a very strong voice and have the most to lose if it passed.

The Annoyed Man wrote:In California, you won't get ticketed for not having a front plate. However, you WILL get ticketed for backing into a parking space in a public lot so that the plateless front of your vehicle is facing outward.

You do realize that this is where you are ultimately headed, right?

Just seeking clarity...

IIRC last I recall it was now a fix it ticket for no front plate there. I could be way off though.

Im for no front plate too. they get in the way wheile working on an engine. ive torn more pants that way. they do ugly up the front end. they are not cost effective and there for serve no point.

cheezit wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:In California, you won't get ticketed for not having a front plate. However, you WILL get ticketed for backing into a parking space in a public lot so that the plateless front of your vehicle is facing outward.

You do realize that this is where you are ultimately headed, right?

Just seeking clarity...

IIRC last I recall it was now a fix it ticket for no front plate there. I could be way off though.

Even though it may be a "fix it ticket" it is still a legal reason to be pulled over and ... whatever else comes next.

cheezit wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:In California, you won't get ticketed for not having a front plate. However, you WILL get ticketed for backing into a parking space in a public lot so that the plateless front of your vehicle is facing outward.

You do realize that this is where you are ultimately headed, right?

This reminds me of a friend in California who, many years ago, owned a car with a broken transmission - It couldn't shift into reverse. He had to park his car so that he wouldn't have to back up.

Bullwhip wrote:Let's get rid of inspections too.

South Carolina did that in the mid 90s and the cars are still as safe/unsafe as before.


I'm more worried about the drivers than the cars

cbr600 wrote:
Then again, NC also had unlicensed open carry without any real problems.

GATTTOTP has been a very real concern in liberal areas for years, it's not always an open and shut case of 100% easy open carry.

cheezit wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:In California, you won't get ticketed for not having a front plate. However, you WILL get ticketed for backing into a parking space in a public lot so that the plateless front of your vehicle is facing outward.

You do realize that this is where you are ultimately headed, right?

Just seeking clarity...

IIRC last I recall it was now a fix it ticket for no front plate there. I could be way off though.

Im for no front plate too. they get in the way wheile working on an engine. ive torn more pants that way. they do ugly up the front end. they are not cost effective and there for serve no point.

I never knew anyone to get pulled over for lack of a front plate (they're usually behind you when they light you up, but I've known several to get ticketed in parking lots, my dear wife included.

The Annoyed Man wrote: I never knew anyone to get pulled over for lack of a front plate (they're usually behind you when they light you up, but I've known several to get ticketed in parking lots, my dear wife included.

Sounds to me as though some department is overstaffed, with officers who have nothing better to do. Most municipalities are looking at cost cutting and this department looks like it could use a little trimming.

Just guessing.

Grog wrote:

Bullwhip wrote:Let's get rid of inspections too.

South Carolina did that in the mid 90s and the cars are still as safe/unsafe as before.


I'm more worried about the drivers than the cars

I don't mind the safety inspection, it's the emissions inspection I dread every year. Only a few more years until it's a safety-inspection-only car

CWOOD wrote:I am mildly against this.

In a former life long ago and not so far away I was a Texas State Trooper.

The front license plate can be useful to patrol officers. Especially in the night time it can assist in correctly identifying a vehicle which you have encountered traveling in an opposite direction and for some reason have determined that there was a need to turn, pursue and make contact.

It could be a stolen, warrant, Amber alert vehicle, or it might have had indications of DWI such as crossing the center line or fail to dim headlights. Officers can often see and recall the plate number, or at least a partial, and if you are at night and turn to make contact, it is much easier to get the 'right' one out of a string of vehicles if you have that bit of information.

For what it is worth.

I agree.

A front plate isn't critical to law enforcement, but it is pretty useful for accurately identifying vehicles in a number of situations, e.g. fleeing suspects and surveillances.

You don't always get to pick a spot to watch from that has a good angle for reading the rear tags. At other times you are positioned so you have an adequate amount of time to read an approaching tag on the front, but only a moment to get a look at the departing tag due to turns, shrubbery, etc.

I recognize that there are associated costs and inconvenience involved, and I won't cry whichever way things go, but from an LE perspective I'd like to see the front tag remain as a requirement.

Liberty wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote: I never knew anyone to get pulled over for lack of a front plate (they're usually behind you when they light you up, but I've known several to get ticketed in parking lots, my dear wife included.

Sounds to me as though some department is overstaffed, with officers who have nothing better to do. Most municipalities are looking at cost cutting and this department looks like it could use a little trimming.

Just guessing.

This was in California. Cost-cutting isn't even in the lexicon. Other cities do this too, but it happened to my wife in Montrose, between Glendale and La Crescenta. There is an "old town" section with a lot of restaurants and boutiques along the main drag, with acres of public parking behind the buildings. The parking PO-PO cruise through those lots, partly to make sure you don't overstay your welcome, but also looking for other infractions they can ticket you for. They bagged my wife for parking facing outward, and actually, she had a front plate. But they told her that the law was on the books to stop people who had rear plates only from backing into spaces where their plates were harder to get to and read. In California, your annual registration stickers go on the rear license plate.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

cheezit wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:In California, you won't get ticketed for not having a front plate. However, you WILL get ticketed for backing into a parking space in a public lot so that the plateless front of your vehicle is facing outward.

You do realize that this is where you are ultimately headed, right?

Just seeking clarity...

IIRC last I recall it was now a fix it ticket for no front plate there. I could be way off though.

Im for no front plate too. they get in the way wheile working on an engine. ive torn more pants that way. they do ugly up the front end. they are not cost effective and there for serve no point.

I never knew anyone to get pulled over for lack of a front plate (they're usually behind you when they light you up, but I've known several to get ticketed in parking lots, my dear wife included.

I have been pulled over on many occasions for no front plates on my mustang. They use it as an excuse to go fishing but always let me go when the see the old bald guy roll the window down (tinted windows). I used to work nights in the bad parts of town so they assumed I was a kid looking for trouble is my best guess. The officers were always friendly and I never got a ticket.