Front License Plate

[Russ Dickey]

Missouri State Troopers are the only ones that I have ever seen enforce this law. I have been pulled over a few times by municipal officers in the Cobra, and a couple in my Mustang (neither of which run front tags), and they never said a word about it. But my wife was driving the Mustang once and got pulled over by a Trooper for it. She was let off with a warning.

I think they muck up the front ends of vehicles and I refuse to put them on. Here's my question for the legislators who claim that officers need to start enforcing the law in order to generate revenue: how much revenue would we SAVE if we didn't produce that extra front plate in the first damn place!?

[GlynMeek]

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

$100 fine in Texas. I have never seen a cobra with a front plate here in Texas.

There was a clip on the news the other night that said the police would start enforcing the no front plate laws and that it would bring in approximately $3,000,000 in revenue for the state per year.

WOW, Steve, was this on your local TV news? I've heard nothing of it down here in Austin. Was it City or County or State police? We provide training facilities for all three police groups in 'high-speed pursuit' stuff down here in Austin at our racetrack, so I will ask them next time they have a 'training day', and let everyone know what they say! Couple of the guys in the Austin Cobra Club do have front plates, but you're right, at the March gathering I don't remember more than 2 or 3 out of almost 100.

sh!t, I just remember I don't have one on my 'daily driver' either...

Glyn

[bulletbrown]

Didn't have my Cobra out on the street hour on its MAIDEN Voyage and got nailed . But motorcycles don,t need one ????? Clear and fair law from Ill.

[Russ Dickey]

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

There was a clip on the news the other night that said the police would start enforcing the no front plate laws and that it would bring in approximately $3,000,000 in revenue for the state per year.

Just a quick follow up to prove the point from my last post. According to a news report I just found, Texas has more than 20 million registered vehicles, up from 14.2 million in 2000. So that equates to about 725,000 new vehicles per year being registered in Texas.

Now do you think that the cost of materials & labor needed to produce the plate, not to mention your yearly renewal decals, all cost at least $2 per plate? Probably so.

So instead of trying to earn $3 million per year by wasting officers (and citizens) time through the enforcement of a ridiculous non-moving violation, they could have been saving at least $1.45 million per year by just not making front plates!

Now I realize there's a difference there of $1.55 million, but I firmly believe that if the law starts being enforced that rigorously, you'll have everybody in the state putting their front plates on in no time, and that revenue number will decline sharply after the first year of enforcement. All states should just repeal these laws and save the money and resources for something worthwhile.

[4RE KLR]

Russ,
That approach has been tried here several times, to no avail.

It is my opinion that the current enforcement is about revenue generation for the state and not about saving a nickel or two. The law states... and the troopers are going to start enforcing it. As the trooper said, they do not make the laws, they just enforce them.

Does anyone remember when they started enforcing the click it or ticket campaign? The law was in effect for quiet awhile before they really started to enforce it with vigor. Now it is about income generation and not necessarily about safety.

I agree the front of the cobra tends to look odd with the front plate, but it is because we have all become accustomed to seeing it without one.

I am not sure what the laws are if the car is registered as a 1965 or 66. Can the make you have a front plate if the car did not have one when it was built new? I do realize most are replicas, but would that even apply if it was registered like that?????

[BDHE]

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

I am not sure what the laws are if the car is registered as a 1965 or 66. Can the make you have a front plate if the car did not have one when it was built new? I do realize most are replicas, but would that even apply if it was registered like that?????

My cobra is titled and licensed as a ’65, as allowed under Missouri law. This exempts me from some things (smog equipment, for example), but does not make me exempt from the front plate requirement.

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

No front plates required here.

Thank gawd for small miracles.

When you think about it, the front plate serves no useful purpose anyway.

Wayne

The claim I heard was that is to allow the officer to read your plate from the front while going the other way. Of course there are so many flaws in that logic.

[AMiller]

Thanks for the info guys. I know the right thing to do is to run the front plate but I just hate to put on a bracket and see that plate there.

Aaron

[Got the Bug]

I run from front plates on my daily driver and my wife's car. No big deal on the street cars, since it doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. I'm not running one on the Cobra. If I get stopped, I'll rig something up to get the ticket signed off...and then take it off again.

[Mastiff107]

I do not go along with laws I don't agree with and see no reason for. Too many laws and I was a cop and Federal Agent for 36+ years. The way I rolled was that I also didn't enforce what I considered to be stupid/ BS laws (including no CS tickets). Always amazed me how many cops don't use their common sense in enforcing laws. I always figured I was there to protect the public, not screw with them. No front plate. If stopped, tell the cop I said it was OK.

[rms427]

Original street cars have a hinged front license plate holder that folds down at speed. It is spring loaded and pops back up when you stop. I have been stopped a couple of times back in the early 70's for no front license plate in California but wasn't given a ticket since it pops back up when I stop. One officer gave me some grief about it since it folds down (he actually kicked it and asked if I thought I was funny) but I just told him it was delivered that way from the factory in California.

I have been driving my C6 Z06 for about a year and a half in California with no hassles. However, on a trip through Iowa I got a ticket for no front license. The bracket that comes with the car uses double sided tape to hold it on. I just don't like the idea of running a license held on with double sided tape.

[Jim Kellogg]

Aaron,
I added a front plate bracket to my SPF a couple of years ago. It is stainless steel, and mounths between the quick jack/body and between the turn signal/body. No stress cracks (I drive year-round) and bonus is I don't have any stone chips BEHIND the front plate

You are just up the road from me (I live in Breesport and work at the Toyota dealershpi in Elmira). We wil have to meet up some day!

[carmine]

No stress cracks probably because your plate mount has the benafit of a side support attached to your quick jack. There are other plate mounts out there without this side support. Stay away from those.

[Rick Weber]

I was reading this thread and hope someone out there can impart some advice. I own an SPF Daytona Coupe. There is simply no way that I can see as to where one could mount a license plate bracket. The only place would be in the snout intake area. Fortunately I haven't had any police issues so far but New York is a state where both plates are required to be displayed. Any thoughts? Maybe a hologram set up?

Thanks,

Rick

[Don]

Rick:

Might want to post your question on the FFR Coupe Forum:

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=21

[Rick Weber]

Thanks Don,

I dunno if I can post anything anymore today. The heat is fugly!!!

Keep cool.

Rick

[Don]

Rick...........fyi

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/showth...ket#post226027

[Rick Weber]

Thanks again Don. It looks like there aren't any good ideas out there so far. I might have to stick with the hologram idea. hahahaha...

Have a good weekend.

Rick

[carmine]

Try this Rick; Show-n-go retractable licence plate holder.
forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=464294

[Rick Weber]

Hey Carmine,

Thanks. Now that looks like it could work. I'll check it out.

Thanks again.

Rick