Will the Police Officers of the group please chime in?

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I was pulled over this morning East bound on I275 by one of Ohio State's finest this lovely morning. I should make note that the officer was polite and by the book and i wouldn't label him as an asshole or anything along those lines. But alas, here's the problem.

WTF is with this front plate BS going on? Seriously what the hell is this law about? Is this solely put in place so that the police have one more reason to pull people over at will to check them for other issues like insurance and DUI and such?

Yeah...my POS Bronco II doesn't have a front plate. Ok...stop the press i've broke a law. Know what? In the amount of time it took this officer to run me for i'm sure everything i've done since i turned 18, i counted no less than 23 vehicles across the grass in incoming traffic that had no front plates. That's not counting however many passed me going East bound. Now, i suppose you could assume that i saw 23 Kentuckians since they were going West bound out of Kentucky, and as i understand it KY doesn't have a front plate law. But, c'mon that's BS most of them were probably Ohioans with no front plates.

I did not get a ticket, and like i said i hold nothing personal against this officer, but seriously why do we have this retarded law anyways? I don't have a plate on the front of the 'stang either....why? Because there's no bracket and i'll be damned if i'm screwing 2 holes into the front of my Pacecar bumper. I suppose i should figure something out there too since i'm more likely to be pulled over in that than i am the Bronco.

[bobtsgt]

I would like to know this too. A couple years ago I was "driving quickly" to Milford for a softball tourney and I got pulled over on the off ramp to the parkway. At the time the guy only clocked me at 68MPH (thank god for good brakes :D ) but then he gave me a ticket for the no plate thing. I used the (bracket is on backorder) thing before and it worked but that was when I got the car 2 years prior to that incident. Kentucky doesn't need one plus they can have darker window tint too.

I've seen some people mount it behind the grill with zip ties. that way technically its out in the front just not in plain site. Plus its also illeagle to have your front plate on the dash of your car. One head on collision and your head might be off.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Yeah that's where the front plate is on the Bronco and the 'stang...on the dash.


Another thing is, i have vanity plates on the Mustang...i'm not a fan of putting my expensive plate on the front so it can get wind burned and start rusting. I'd have to cover it with something and i believe plate covers are illegal too?

[1byafender]

i got pulled over a couple of years ago for no front plate got a warning for it but got a seatbelt ticket to go with it:flipoff:

[Kevin Doe]

I suppose in event of needing to run a plate from the front side of a car it could be beneficial to law enforcement. It also provides a nice reflective sufrace to bounce radar and laser off. There might be other reasons, but thats all I can think about.

[untamed]

My son got a ticket for no front plate but it was on the dash. We took a picture of the car to show that it is visible and he took it to court and the judge dismissed it because you could clearly see his tag, the cop was just being an ass to a 20 year old that drives a honda. That was all he was pulled over for.

[Black Hole]

I suppose in event of needing to run a plate from the front side of a car it could be beneficial to law enforcement. It also provides a nice reflective sufrace to bounce radar and laser off. There might be other reasons, but thats all I can think about.
Those are the main reasons...

My opinion.....it's sort of like the tint laws. Most cops don't really care about them, but they are there for an officer to use if they NEED to stop a vehicle.

I could go a lot deeper here, but I'll let Joe or Jeremy handle it for me...... :flipoff:

[Black Hole]

My son got a ticket for no front plate but it was on the dash. We took a picture of the car to show that it is visible and he took it to court and the judge dismissed it because you could clearly see his tag, the cop was just being an ass to a 20 year old that drives a honda. That was all he was pulled over for.

As Bob posted, that is illegal. It's an "improper display" violation. Similar to taping a temp tag into the rear window.

[331TwistedWedge]

i've been nailed for this one ... thats why i keep that ugly front bracket and tag on my stang ...

[untamed]

As Bob posted, that is illegal. It's an "improper display" violation. Similar to taping a temp tag into the rear window. Then I dont understand why the judge seen it our way, im glad he had the final say over the cop.:D

[Black Hole]

Then I dont understand why the judge seen it our way, im glad he had the final say over the cop.:D
There may have been some other reason for it to be overturned.

I have been pulled over for no front plate one time.....got a warning from a Ham. Co. Sheriff. With that said, I don't have a plate on the Cobra....haven't had one on any of my stangs actually.... :D

Could I be pulled over for it? Sure, but as long as I'm not giving an officer a reason to pull me over, I don't think most will look twice at not having a front plate (unless it's a state trooper.....they crack down on the plates/tint/seatbelt stuff :rolleyes: ....mostly because they have nothing else better to do and as you've probably heard, it's the LITTLE things that lead to the huge drug busts and things of that nature... ;) )

[cstreu1026]

The legislature tried to get rid of the requirement a couple of years ago, but as I understand it OHP threw a fit and despite the several million dollars it would have saved the state the legilature gave in. Its a BS requirement when as far as I know every state surrounding Ohio has only rear plates.

[Mista Bone]

I got pulled over twice in the Honda for no front plate, just gives the cops PC to pull you over, check for alcohol smell or other items......like a rolling meth lab. I was never ticketed and was never late getting where I was going. Both Officers were polite.

When ask were my plate was, I simply stated that Lassie stole it.

I was doing 70 mph on Fox highway when a mini-lassie ran out of the median and I didn't have anytime to react. basically on a cold night, the plactic bumper cover just exploded.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I didn't lie or anything, when he said i had no front plate i pointed at it, and said i had just got the vehicle (true) and that i didn't have any screws to mount it (also true) because the bracket is up there. I think that was what gave me away was him seeing the bracket with no plate in it. I'm sure he saw plenty of other vehicles with no front plates...he HAD to.

[Black92LX]

My opinion.....it's sort of like the tint laws. Most cops don't really care about them, but they are there for an officer to use if they NEED to stop a vehicle.

I could go a lot deeper here, but I'll let Joe or Jeremy handle it for me......

Wouldn't really add much more to it. We don't have the plate law here so I can't state as to why Ohio chooses to have it.

If we had it would i pull you over for no front plate. No that is unless I would like to investigate further. But in KY we have the investigatory stops :bigthumb not sure if Ohio has them or not.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Ya know on one hand i can support any reason that a cop might need to find to pull over suspicious looking drivers...but if i had gotten a ticket i'd be PISSED. If the police need more reasons (which i don't think they do) to pull people over and look for DUI and whatever other unsafe drive situations, that's all great and fine but to give me (or anyone i think) a ticket for a front license plate would've been excessive.

How much is a ticket for this anyways?

[bobtsgt]

I think its about $100 when I paid mine. might have been $80 but I'm thinkin $100

[Ryan218]

Yeah that's where the front plate is on the Bronco and the 'stang...on the dash.


Another thing is, i have vanity plates on the Mustang...i'm not a fan of putting my expensive plate on the front so it can get wind burned and start rusting. I'd have to cover it with something and i believe plate covers are illegal too?


if the plate cover is illegally tined then yes..but just a plane cover no...even a slightly tinted cover is fine...my moms trucks has custom plates and has a tinted cover...

[BigBadStang]

if the plate cover is illegally tined then yes..but just a plane cover no...even a slightly tinted cover is fine...my moms trucks has custom plates and has a tinted cover...


try one of these. they do work!
they have them for laser, and photo.
your only defense (http://www.specterguard.com/index.html)

[firestang70]

Law enforcement also fought that law because in a lot of hit and skips the front plate comes off and leaves evidence at the scene. I don't personally keep my front plate on, I don't want to ruin my front bumper. I've asked several friends that are LEOs and they state they only pull someone over if they think they might have a bigger fish to fry(DUI, drugs etc.). I wish the state would save us some money and kill the front plate.

[craigels]

Sounds simple enough... cars registered in Ohio are supposed to have front plates, yours didn't, you got pulled over. What's the issue? Sure, it was probably a hassle and you are definately not the only one who doesn't have a front plate, but you took the chance and he happened to single you out.


Craig

[ewalt]

I got pulled over for no front plate by a state trooper. She just used that as an excuse to give me a no seatbelt violation. Verbal warning on the front plate.

It's really stupid to have the front plate requirement. But if I don't get a ticket for it, then whatever I guess. It just sucks it was used as a ploy to get me pulled over so she could give me a seatbelt ticket. Oh well, it's a non-moving so I just paid it and went about my day.....

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Sounds simple enough... cars registered in Ohio are supposed to have front plates, yours didn't, you got pulled over. What's the issue? Sure, it was probably a hassle and you are definately not the only one who doesn't have a front plate, but you took the chance and he happened to single you out.


Craig


I wouldn't call it taking a chance, i've only had this truck for like 2-3 weeks and haven't gotten around to getting screws for the front. Like i said i wasn't bitching about the cop himself, he was cool. I just think the law is retarded.

Take a drive through a Porsche dealership and count how many plate brackets you see on the front. Today just for laughs i was driving down 275 and i got tired of counting how many i saw with no plates. I just think it's one of those things that gives them a legit reason to pull someone over to search for other things. Which, in most cases is fine i guess since there's Meth labs and all sorts of other nasties going on, but to get a ticket would have been excessive i think.

[Black Hole]

I got pulled over for no front plate by a state trooper. She just used that as an excuse to give me a no seatbelt violation. Verbal warning on the front plate.

It's really stupid to have the front plate requirement. But if I don't get a ticket for it, then whatever I guess. It just sucks it was used as a ploy to get me pulled over so she could give me a seatbelt ticket. Oh well, it's a non-moving so I just paid it and went about my day.....
Actually, the laws have changed.....they can pull you over for no seatbelt.....they don't need another reason anymore.



I wouldn't call it taking a chance, i've only had this truck for like 2-3 weeks and haven't gotten around to getting screws for the front. Like i said i wasn't bitching about the cop himself, he was cool. I just think the law is retarded.

Take a drive through a Porsche dealership and count how many plate brackets you see on the front. Today just for laughs i was driving down 275 and i got tired of counting how many i saw with no plates. I just think it's one of those things that gives them a legit reason to pull someone over to search for other things. Which, in most cases is fine i guess since there's Meth labs and all sorts of other nasties going on, but to get a ticket would have been excessive i think.
One thing you gotta remember is that you're dealing with the OSP.....they have no jurisdiction when off Ohio's highways (other than state property). The only way they can get into anything is by pulling people over on the highways, so you'll see a trooper pulling people over for no front plate or dark tint and you usually won't see your local city cop pulling someone over for front plate or tint (unless they don't have another reason to pull that car over). ;)

[Blackballed]

I wish they would just do away with the law.

[Blackout]

I got a good one for you.....driving in middletown right by the police station, I got pulled over and when I asked the cop why he stopped me he said for no front plate, I put the plate up on the window becouse I just had my front bumper painted. so after he seen the plate he walked around the car about 3 times and measured my tire depth and and then comes to me and says my windows are too dark and he was testing them. ( my windows were down) I looked at the cop and said 'there must not be much crime in Middletown today' and he didn't know how to respond. And before he could get the next word out I just blurted out harrasment. He got all pissed off and threw the ticket and my liscence on the ground and said have a nice day. Asshole cops and thats all I will say about them.

[BigBadStang]

my old man always told me from the time i was old enough to drive...
"don't give a cop an excuse to pull you over, because if you ignore minor ticky-tack laws, they will eventually pull you over just to check you out" and 9 times out of 10 it will be at an inoportune time for you.
when i was 16 i kinda thought he was full of $hit...but i learned quickly after getting harassed by the local Po-Po for everything from loud stereo, to improper lighting...the cop never really explained what "improper lighting" was...just an excuse to see what i was doing.

[jaystang44]

Trust me I have heard of some pretty sh!ty tickets given out. My bud got pulled over for no front license plate and the cop gave him a warning for that I believe. But then he also said he had too much down force due to his spoiler on the back. He had a stang at the time. Now tell me thats not some BS.

Don't get me wrong I now there are two views of the front plate law as well as many others and I agree with most of them. But front plates give me a brake. Cops already have enough reasons to pull someone over. All they would have to say is you swerved a little and that gives them a reason or you didn't use your turn signal hell they can pretty much say anything. So I say get rid of the front plate law but that is just my opinion.

[MCHNROL]

my old man always told me from the time i was old enough to drive...
"don't give a cop an excuse to pull you over, because if you ignore minor ticky-tack laws, they will eventually pull you over just to check you out" and 9 times out of 10 it will be at an inoportune time for you.
when i was 16 i kinda thought he was full of $hit...but i learned quickly after getting harassed by the local Po-Po for everything from loud stereo, to improper lighting...the cop never really explained what "improper lighting" was...just an excuse to see what i was doing.

I was told the same thing when I first drove('80-'81) and learned about profiling and I thank my lucky stars that I got by with what I got by with. When you get pulled over, you are in a damage control situation anyway. Why give them a reason? Even if you are right and the cop is just having a bad day, your going to lose.
It's just not worth the hassle or the money.

[IWRBB]

I'll take my chances. :flipoff: I'm not running one. I think a cop was trying to nail me for it on Colerain one day, but he was going the other way and I saw him looking, so I turned off into the neighborhoods and cut back out to Springdale Rd.

For those who want to run a front plate but don't want to drill the bumper, there are a couple guys who sell brackets for the 94+ cars. They mount to metal in the lower opening in the bumper and hold the plate off the bumper about 1/4". Dunno if they fit Fox bodies though.