Got a pal who got popped yesterday for no seatbelt, and no front plate. I didnt think either one of those were reasons to pull someone over, are they?
I also paid attention to oncoming traffic this morning, and it seemed to me that about a third of the cars on the road dont have front tags. Noticed a lot of cars and pickups that dont even have a place for a front tag - also saw pleny of UM, OSU, etc type of non-license plates mounted up there...
anyone know the laws?
Comments ... #
On Ohio you must display both front and back license (thats why you get two). In Michigan you only need the back - I am guessing alot of cars you saw may have been from MI.
The wife got pulled over in Columbus for no front license plate. A little more obvious the further south you go in Ohion. In Toledo there are so many Mich*g*n cars w/o front plates that it seems ordinary.
what about the cars/trucks that dont even have a place TO put a plate? you have to drill your own holes thru your bumper or something?
couple examples - Dodge ram, ford f-150, chevy malibu... all VERY popular vehicles
http://www.realtruck.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2009_dodge_ram_1500.jpg
http://www.ford-carz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2012-ford-f150.jpg
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2007/01/04-chevrolet-malibu/Chevrolet-Malibu-2-lg.jpg
The comments about front plates are correct. I had a grand am years ago that didn't have a front plate holder, and drove it for a couple years without a plate, now when I would go to Columbus or Cleveland I would throw the plate up on the dashboard so it was displayed in front. I also believe a couple years ago they made no seat belt a primary offense so you can be pulled over just for that, where as prior to that change you had to be pulled over for another offense to be sited for the seatbelt.
Despite recent and ongoing attempts to change the law, in Ohio, seatbelt violations are still a secondary offense unless a child is involved.
A lot of the police I know love the plate code. Antiquated and out of date, but, as of right now, a perfectly legit reason to stop a car. Be wary of displaying the front or rear plate in the window...most codes state the plate should be unobstructed. What is unobstucted to you may not be unobstructed to the Officer who pulled you over.
"Good afternoon, I'm Officer Soandso. The reason I stopped you today is that your vehicle is lacking a front plate. In doing so, I also noticed that you are not wearing your seatbelt. Can I see your license and insurance please?"
A court date or two and 150 bucks later (fines + costs)...I'd be wishing I went to the dealer or autozone for an aftermarket front plate bracket.
It's likely he got busted for not wearing his seat belt. The plate is a bonus. In Ohio the cops can pull you over for not wearing your seat belt. The cops don't like it when you neglect to screw up your Mustang by drilling the bumper and installing the worthless front plate.
Billy, by Ohio law, you have to have a front and back plate. If your car doesn't have a holder, you have to make one. Check with your auto dealer about appropriate placement; I'm sure they've run into this problem many times with brand-new autos, so they should have the optimal solution for appearance's sake.
I don't know if the placing of the plate on the dashboard is legally compliant. At this particular point, we'd need to see the text of the law on plate display. Maybe you'd get help on finding such a text at one of the local licensing offices (Miracle Mile, Heatherdowns, downtown).
...
Whew! I did some searching here, and found it:
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4503.21
BEGIN QUOTE
4503.21 Display of license plates and validation stickers or temporary license placard or windshield sticker.
(A) No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the front and rear of the motor vehicle the distinctive number and registration mark, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under sections 4503.19 and 4503.191 of the Revised Code, furnished by the director of public safety, except that a manufacturer of motor vehicles or dealer therein, the holder of an in transit permit, and the owner or operator of a motorcycle, motorized bicycle, manufactured home, mobile home, trailer, or semitrailer shall display on the rear only. A motor vehicle that is issued two license plates shall display the validation sticker only on the rear license plate, except that a commercial tractor that does not receive an apportioned license plate under the international registration plan shall display the validation sticker on the front of the commercial tractor. An apportioned vehicle receiving an apportioned license plate under the international registration plan shall display the license plate only on the front of a commercial tractor and on the rear of all other vehicles. All license plates shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs their visibility.
No person to whom a temporary license placard or windshield sticker has been issued for the use of a motor vehicle under section 4503.182 of the Revised Code, and no operator of that motor vehicle, shall fail to display the temporary license placard in plain view from the rear of the vehicle either in the rear window or on an external rear surface of the motor vehicle, or fail to display the windshield sticker in plain view on the rear window of the motor vehicle. No temporary license placard or windshield sticker shall be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
Effective Date: 01-01-2004
END QUOTE
It seems that the specifications of "front and rear of the motor vehicle" and "shall be securely fastened" and "shall not be covered by any material that obstructs their visibility" would deny you the right to display the plate on your dashboard.
In addition, the law mentions windows placement only for the "temporary license placard or windshield sticker", so that strongly supports the idea that the license plate is only mounted on the exterior front and back of the vehicle.
As far as I know, all of the vehicles billy mentioned have provisions for front plate brackets. This can be addressed at the dealer.
My vehicle had a front mount attached, which will be slightly disappointing if I relocate to a state without the front plate requirement.
Billy - You can be pulled over for the lack of a front license plate, provided that the officer has verified you are supposed to have one by seeing your rear plate. Seat belt violations cannot get you pulled over, but you had better leave it on once you stop. I have had to argue my way out of a seat belt ticket for removing it so I could get my wallet out before the officer came up the vehicle. Since then I have learned it is best to leave both hands on the steering wheel and not move when the officer can see you or to put the window down and dangle your hands outside if you have tinted windows. The officers really appreciate you taking their safety into consideration. It is better to make them wait for your license/reg/ins card after they ask then for them to assume you are hiding evidence, loading a weapon, etc.
Supposedly when the vehicles are shipped into a state that requires front plates, the manufacturers include a plastic mounting plate for the curved bumper with the vehicle. Most dealers don't even consider attaching them unless the customer requests it. If you have a lease, call the dealer, they likely have a box of them sitting on a shelf in the parts department. If you bought your vehicle at a private sale, things may get ugly as the mounting plates are near impossible to find outside of a dealer. In this situation it is best to take it over to that friend that builds hot rods/mods cars with a 12 pack of his favorite beer. They generally have an eye for attaching it in a way that doesn't look too bad.
posted by brainswell on Jul 20, 2010 at 10:24:36 am #
MJ you are truly laughable. Tell the police officer trying to identify a vehicle how worthless the front plate is. Your fight to be a rebel only makes you look foolish when you insist on bringing it to things such as this.
We went to the dealer (Grogan's) and they installed a front license plate bracket at no charge.
I always wear my seat belt. That being said, I think it's absolute bullshit that the state can force you to wear one.
Simply more nanny state crap. If they can force you to do something in the name of safety, how big of a jump is it before they start saying, for example; Motorcycles are too dangerous, they must be outlawed. Smoking of course must be banned, everyone KNOWS that will kill you. Next comes the food police. "You can't eat that, it's unhealthy".
The line should be drawn exactly where JeepMaker says it should.
"Life is hard!!!"
and as Ryan can attest to, it's harder when you're stupid.
Ohio should get with the times and get rid of the front plate, as Michigan did in 1980. However, they should keep registration fees the same, and having to only provide one plate will save the state a lot of money.
posted by milesdriven on Jul 20, 2010 at 11:57:05 am #
Jeepmaker, I can only hope I am half as smart as you think you are when I am your age in 50 years.
No reason to argue with Ryan, he lives to troll forums and argue with people. 4 out of 5 of his post on this topic are used just to insult people.
I drove around Toledo for more than a dozen years without a license plate on the front of my car. Never had a problem.
A few years ago I was driving to Columbus, Ohio, when I got pulled over by the State Highway Patrol, as I was passing through Upper Sandusky. I had absolutely no idea why the trooper was pulling me over.
The trooper said he pulled me over for not displaying a front license plate. He also noticed I wasn't wearing my seat-belt. He came back with a ticket with a $90.00 fine for the license plate. He knocked down the fine for the seat-belt infraction to just $30 dollars, probably because I was cooperative and didn't argue with him, plus I was wearing a shirt that said U.S. Army. Maybe he figured he would give me a little break.
I hear the Ottawa Hills police are notorious for pulling people over, if they stop at a STOP sign, and the front tires of the car are touching the white line.......even a little bit.
posted by WalterAnthony on Jul 20, 2010 at 12:41:27 pm #
They regularly do seat belt "traps" in Michigan near my family's business. My dad has been pulled over a couple of times for not wearing his. At this point I think he just doesn't wear it in that particular location so that he can argue with the cops.
No front plate here either. The car is a 1990 little red sportscar that has never had a front plate attached since I bought it new. One of these days.....................
Last year, my Mom got a Dodge Journey from Charles Dodge... On the front bumper was 2 little indentations where you would put the screws in for the front plate.. All you got was the 2 screws.. Nothing else..
posted by drunkenwildmage on Jul 20, 2010 at 01:33:01 pm #
I second the front plate law being outdated. Many of today's cars aren't meant to have a plate up front because it screws up the look. Imagine working hard and spending $50 grand+ on a luxury or sports car, and then being told you need to drill holes and slap an ugly piece of metal on the front. I don't see any late model sports cars with front plates.
Also a waste for taxpayers and the state considering what milesdriven said about costing more money to make twice as many.
Lots of people get drunk driving charges because they don't have a front license plate.
Hate the front plate, but always have one because I hate getting pulled over worse than the front plate!
posted by oldhometown on Jul 20, 2010 at 04:37:52 pm #
No front plate is required in the following States:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
West Virginia
Naturally Ohio is not among them. The law requiring a front plate is ridiculous and should be abolished.
Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I wish I had time to worry about stupid shit like that. Seriously, one of the least of my worries.
LOL!!!!
No reason to argue with Ryan, he lives to troll forums and argue with people. 4 out of 5 of his post on this topic are used just to insult people.
Count above. you nailed it right on the button!
Is it that or that I just call out people who do NOTHING but bitch and moan about every little thing and in the process do nothing about anything?
Okay, I got him. Ryan, why don't you go back to your old account on TT? Limedrops.
Back again, after all this time.
Oh you got me. Now are you going to admit you are DarkStarling?
Ryan said: "Is it that or that I just call out people who do NOTHING but bitch and moan about every little thing and in the process do nothing about anything?" Ryan, all you do is bitch and moan on here, it's rather annoying honestly. It must suck to be such an unhappy person.
posted by hunkytownsausage on Jul 21, 2010 at 08:18:23 am #
LOL MJ!! I remember Limedrops even before he was limedrops and he posted under Kerrydebunker... No, I dont that Ryno is slimedrips. Slimy was a retiree.
A side note, no other surface of an automobile - hood, windshield, roof - makes a better reflective surface (AKA "target") for accurate operation of speed-detecting radar and lidar. It's almost as if the plates were custom designed for this purpose. Not to mention photo speed traps. You don't suppose...
posted by SavageFred on Jul 21, 2010 at 09:50:36 am #
^
Dude... loved you on the Wonder Years.
How's Winnie?
:o)
Maybe we can do something more than complain. Is it possible to get this on the ballot? I'm not a legal expert. Signatures? Referendum? TAHL pls advise.
Same M.O. though.
The license plate law has been up one or more times. The police union has defeated it, although last time it was a near miss. State government in the form of your elected official could write a bill stating that we only need one plate here in Ohio.
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