Question for Police / VA Front License Plate

i got pulled over in va for no front plate and i'm registered in md. pretty low probability though, i drive through there every day. only happened once in over 10 years. I'll tell you where you'll get a parking ticket for that no matter where you're registered-D.C.

 

What is your question John?? Can an officer stop you for it?? Will they stop you for it?? I will try to answer any specific questions you have ..

 

John,
My best friend from jr high is a VA Trooper, he actually flies the helicopter and planes now out of Manassas. Bottom line it is illegal in VA not to have a front plate. Many times if they write the ticket you can appear in court with picture showing the plate mounted after the fact and they will through out the charge. Kind of like not driving with a licesne, say you forgot it at home. They can write the ticket, but if you show in court with it, they will through it out.
I have never place a front plate on my '02 or '06 M5 and have never been stopped or questioned even when pulled over. Really its a trival matter to them.
Congrats on the car and happy driving!!!!!

Robert

 

I see these posts all the time and I have to wonder...

What is the big freakin' deal over the front plate issue?

IF your state requires it, why not just go with it?

I actually have a front plate bracket (NOS) for my Dino. Should I EVER MOVE TO A STATE that requires a front plate, I'll mount one up.

Do you run all your cars with no front plate, or just the ones that catch the eye of the local constabulary? Is there some perverse **** you thing going on here? Are we police baiting???

Dave

 

Around Richmond, it may be another matter. But if you get to a town that invested in red light cameras, they'll probably be more worried about the front tag.

Without a front tag, what do they aim the Lidar at? (Not that it helps -- I got a custom front plate bracket fab'd up for my 328, but after one trip down the parking garage ramp, the front plate isn't entirely vertical any more. But it makes a handy curb feeler. )

 

In MD the red light cameras take a pic of the rear tag---and what is LIDAR??

 

Any chance of getting the Commonwealth of Virginia to change its laws regarding front license plate?

My understanding is that the several States that have removed the requirement for front plates, did so based on overall fuel savings and reduced costs.

Why isn't it optional in VA? Most cars would benefit from not mounting one, even large SUVs and pick-up trucks come with a more aerodynamic front end when the front plate mounts aren't needed.

Does anyone have any connections with the higher-ups in the State government to make this happen?

 

MOST are not like me and really into cars. Some don't care if your driving a CGT--a violation is a violation---thankfully there are cops like me who will follow you all around town just to get a good look at the car and look the other way for petty sh&^ like that...!!!

 

I work in a specialized unit. We are Collision Reconstructionist, but do write a majority of citations throughout the agency. Honestly, most guys don't mess with it. Alot understand a nice car and the looks of a nice car being ruined by a front tag. We basically use that violation when we NEED to...
Last year my agency wrote around 25,000 MD citations total. I would say maybe 100 were for no front tag... those are good odds..

 

Ask Arlingrad. That's what the cop called the laser gizmo that claimed my 45 mph (okay, maybe 48 max) was 52. (The exhaust note in 3rd shifts at 50. So no way it was 52.)
(It didn't matter, because that 45 mph road was 35 for that block.)

(Yes, I know I keep going on about this -- but it seems like I only get nailed for speeding when I'm just staying with traffic like a good little sheep. It'd be different if I was really pushing it. But I get annoyed for being ticketed for having a car that stands out just by appearance alone.)

 

I have no front tags on my cars but I live in PA...when i lived in MD I didn't have them either and NEVER will. When I lived in MD I got maybe 2 tickets for no front plate.

 

I am quite aware of what it is, I was kidding---I have been laser certified for years!!!!

 

From what I understand Lidar is usually pointed at license plates but can also be pointed on windshield, parts of the paint, and headlights.... Basically anything that will reflect back to the lidar device. Its got a 3 ft wide beam that is fairly accurate. So a cop can basically pinpoint you out of traffic if he wanted. Also the range is quite far, my last ticket I was clocked at around 1150 ft away.

 

I have gotten people at over 3100 ft away!!!!

 

That's the point -- there isn't a single vertical surface on the front of a 328. The windscreen is raked way back, the radiator is steeply angled, the headlights retract -- on mine, even the plate would be a "two cushion shot" between the plate and the road.

 

i live in nj, we are required to have a front plate as well. i refuse to drill holes in the front bumper to mount a bracket... the fine if pulled over is 59 bucks here. 2 yrs later, never been pulled over for it.

 

Probably because you sell your cars faster than you get the hard plates in...

 

I don't see how a VA or any other State can enforce a front plate mandate, If the state you are from does not issue such. Granted, a ticket can be issued, but can you be convicted?

Cheers
Warren (from PA)

 

The relevant Virginia Code section (§ 46.2-714-5) only references plates issued by Virginia's DMV, so it wouldn't apply to out-of-state drivers. In practice, you will get pulled over if you have a boring car without a front plate. You will get let off without a ticket once the cop believes the state of registration does not require plates unless the cop is really, really dumb -- perhaps insist on talking to a supervisor if that happens?

Now, just because something is legal in the state of registration doesn't mean jackbooted cops won't shake you down for revenue. Get this -- the Georgia Supreme Court (Ciak v. Georgia, 6/7/04) struck down a window tinting law specifically because it exempted outsiders. So now if you drive your legally tinted Texas car in Georgia, you face this:

"Violation of the law by either driving a vehicle with illegal window tint or installing the illegal material is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment."
http://dps.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,5635600_7401398_39267808,00.html

 

I am not sure (haven't tried it) that it is possible to get two PA plates. When I lost one and applied for a replacement - I got a new plate.
I suspect they make up a bunch and there is no provision for duplicates. A state with a law like GA would be awkward.
Thanks
Warren

 

Yes, VA enforces the front license plate law but it is very arbitrary and chances are most cops, seeing that you are driving a very expensive Ferrari, are not likely to pull you.
Short story: “A friend” had just bought a new C5 Vette back when they first came out. He got pulled by a state trooper for not having a front plate. Trooper asks why he doesn’t have a front plate installed and he says because he doesn’t like the way it looks, now how much is my fine and throws a wad of cash on the dash. Trooper walks away complaining something about rich guys in their fancy cars thinking they can do anything. Bottom line it’s not a moving violation and unless the cop wants to pull you for something else chances are he isn’t going to pull you just for that.

 

I was wondering about this myself. If it's no points I'll probably take my chances and maybe keep the front plate in the car. I know some of the cops around here and I'm making it my mission to give any and all traffic cops rides/take them fishing whatever it takes to demonstrate good will, but I might be in trouble in some of the other corners of the Commonwealth.

As an aside, I drove my car home from Fairfax with no plates whatsoever. The previous owner wouldn't part with his old vanity plates, and I wasn't about to kill the deal over the plates. I was too excited to wait and arrange transportation; I never dreamed of having my first Ferrari shipped to me, I dreamed of driving it home. I knew this wouldn't happen if I bought the car in California, but it was only 100 miles away. I didn't know that Virginia will issue one time use transportation plates for just this sort of eventuality.

I made it all the way to Albemarle Co., past at least 6 speed traps on rt. 29 in Culpeper, Madison, and Greene. Just before I got into town, I was pulled over. I gave a complete mea culpa, showed the county cop, all of the paper work to prove that I had rightfully bought the car two hours earlier, and admitted that I knew I was doing a bad thing but I just couldn't help myself, and I'd gladly pay the ticket if I could be allowed to take the car the last 6 miles home. The officer tried to lecture me a bit, but he was grinning too hard. We spent 15 minutes talking about the car, and after I promised to keep the car in my garage until I got plates, he not only let me off without a ticket, but he escorted me home so that I wouldn't get pulled over again. Albemarle and C'ville cops are good guys. It certainly helps that this is a prosperous area and ticket revenue is not a huge issue for the county.