Anybody drive without a front license plate?
 

I'm thinking of taking mine off, I really dislike how it looks on the 7. Yes I know there is a risk of getting pulled over. Does anyone else drive without theirs?

I do... since I got my FMIC I haven't been pulled over in my FD, prior to that I was pulled over 3 times and never got a ticket. But I have NEVER had a front plate on my FD

I just got pulled over and ticketed for it last wednesday... and modified exhuast.. what a dick... But, the only reason I didnt have my front plate on is becuase I hit a racoon, at 70.. I just went to the dmv and got new ones for like 30 bucks..

I got ticketed 8 yrs ago for no front plate driving my z28 in Portland & also in Washington the same day. That totally sucked

I have been pulled over 3 times for not having one on my last FD. Granted all of those were right in front of my highschool and two of them were the same cop. Since I have graduated and got my new car I havent had any problems. I actually just have a plate that says RX-7 on the front plate now with no problems yet.

i haven't had a front plate on either of my vechiles foralmost 3 years now.
i stopped even carrying the front plate with me....
and i've been warned once but thats it....

i have been warned but i will never put one on the fd

I stick it between the front dash and the window, it fits in pretty nicely.

That's a terrible idea. If you get into an accident that plate turns into a piece of flying metal death. I highly suggest you secure it somehow. Personally I use 4 suction cups to keep the plate attached to the inside of the window. I'd rather use a bracket to ensure that in a crash that the plate will stay firmly attached to the car rather than fly around in the cabin. But those suction cups stick pretty hard though!

^ Thats actually pretty dangerous.. When you get into an accident.. it would be better to just carry it with you... like.. in the pocket behind the passenger seat.

for a whil i used mounting tape and put it in the passenger side top corner
worked well and didn't impare MY vision

I don't like the whole have to have a plate on the front law. There really isn't a point to it. A cop can get your plate from the rear just as easily

I'm going to take my front plate off, I'll take the risk, my 7 would just look so much cleaner without this awful chunk of metal in the front.

You know? You have a good point, haha. Well, I've seen various ways to stick it in the general *front* of the car, maybe I'll experiment with a couple things.:uh:

Here's the problem with the front window, cops are more likely to give you a ticket for that because it's so dangerous if it's not secure and you are involved in a collision. Cops are dicks if you still have the plate visible inside the car cuz then why woudn't you have it on the front? Mine stays in the passenger side rear bin =)

ive heard cops would rather have no front plate than one in the window. but my buddy got pulled over saturday because of it and got a 98 dollar fix it ticket. so u may get some grief here or their but if ur bumper doesnt have a place to put it then u can always fight it.

I'd say you're better off having "no place to mount it" (tell them that if you get pulled over) and keeping it IN your car, but NOT in your front window. Every time I've shown em the plate and explained that my car has no place to mount a front plate they are pretty understanding. That's all WSP officers though. City cops probly won't be as nice... They never are for anything else!

Madatim, that sounds like a reasonable way to get out of it, but I tend to go with the letter of the law rather than the spirit. :)

You can only get away with "no place to mount it" if you have the car inspected by WSP and get their certification that you truly cannot mount it on the car. I've never done this myself, but legally it is possible. As far as the window goes, by state law the license plate has to be no more than 4' off the ground. I got pulled over once for it and actually argued a bit with the officer about it. The best thing you can do is arm yourself with the facts. By law, if the plate is secure in the window, I don't see it as being illegal, it's in the front, attached conspiciously, it's readable, and it's no more than 4'. That was my reasoning, and the officer did not give me a ticket, he only warned me that I may be pulled over a lot in the Bellevue area.

[Edit] Also, I think the reason most cops give out that ticket is because of the hazard it presents if the motorist gets in an accident.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.16.240

Here's the section you want to pay attention to:
"The vehicle license number plates shall be attached conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle for which the same are issued and in such a manner that they can be plainly seen and read at all times. However, if only one license number plate is legally issued for any vehicle such plate shall be conspicuously attached to the rear of such vehicle. Each vehicle license number plate shall be placed or hung in a horizontal position at a distance of not more than four feet from the ground and shall be kept clean so as to be plainly seen and read at all times. In cases where the body construction of the vehicle is such that compliance with this section is impossible, permission to deviate therefrom may be granted by the state patrol."

Holy crap dude... That's too much work for me to find all that! I am going based on personal experience and I DO NOT have anywhere to mount it. The 3 troopers that have pulled me over said that was fine if I have nowhere to mount it and said it is ILLEGAL to post the plate in the front window because of the danger it presents in the event of an accident. And I'm not lying when I tell them I have nowhere to mount it, cuz I really don't! Not gonna drill holes in my bumper or throw it in the front window and obstruct my view and take away from the high class look of my FD.

damm it I just got pulled over for the first time in three years of driving my car for not having my front plate in the 'correct' location last friday. I was driving on 405 and a state-r pasted me doing around 80, about two miles up the road I see him on the side of the road stopped and he then pulls out and followed me for a few miles then pulled me over. he gets up to the window and proceeds to tell me the plate is in the wrong spot blah blah blah and I feeed him some bs line about how someone hit the front bumper and broke the brackets off and he let me go without a ticket. What a borde state-r to pull me over for that in 4pm traffic lol

heres a pic of where my plate still is lol, -observe how the wiper conveiently covers the numbers up.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...7/resized2.jpg

Hey man, I wasn't trying to flame you or anything. I know that it's very possible to explain your situation to the officer and get off with a verbal. All I was saying, as a fellow motorist, I like to dot my "i's" and cross my "t's". Before mounting my plate in the window with suction cups, I went through and researched the actual law. No offence was intended at all, and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I'm super anal about laws and compliance of my cars to those laws. This isn't because I want to be super legal with my car, it's to cover my ass incase a cop try's to write me a bs ticket. In my case I did argue a bit with the cop, but he backed down because I think he knew that I knew the law and that he had no just cause.

Notveryhappyjack, your plate could be technically grounds for a ticket because the number is illegible.

All that said, I think the front plate law is a bunch of crap, many other states only issue one plate and don't require the front. Think of how much money the state could save if they produced only half the plates. lol

lol on friday night i had a "friendly" cop encounter which required a cop to run my plate when he was in front of the car.
he looked around for a bit then walked to the back and didn't say anything.
i was really expecting some grief for it.

I know you weren't tryin to flame me. No offense was taken. I was just surprised you pulled out your book of law to look it up. And I was trying to explain my specific situation and experiences with how the Police respond. I think it's partly the look of the FD that gets me so little crap. I've had it for a little over 3 years and I just turned 22 on Friday, so the car really helps out. I think most people my age would get hit hard for it if they were driving more of a "ricer" car.... You feel me?! It really depends on how you present yourself and your car IMO. Keep in mind everything we say is MOSTLY opinion... =)

Haha, no worries... I guess I'm kinda wierd, that way. A while back I got on a kick about learning exactly what laws my car could be in violation of. Incase anyone get's bored here's a good site for a bunch of car modification related laws.

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/cvd/pasequip.htm

It won't account for ordinaces in specific cities or towns, but you'll get a good general feel.