Licence Plates

[Perezroy]

How many of you guys (especially in New Jersey), only have license plates on the back of your BMW and not the fornt for aesthethic reasons?

[frogman57]

[gkb 88 M6]

I had avoided putting the front license plate on my 87 635 for some time due to aesthetics when while driving in downtown Baltimore a policeman pulled me over. Fortunately I had the plate in the trunk and claimed it had come off (a white lie) and I complimented him on his qualities of observation (rather than telling him he should be doing more important things). He gave me a warning. It is back on front, but I drove for about 3 years without incident. But it is a law in Maryland. I do not know what the actual penalty would be.

[Stinger9]

guys just ride around with the front plate in the trunk. (real important to have it with you) Many get away with it for years.
When you drive cross country in the summer time, the bugs are hard enough to just get them all off the front bumper, much less having to work around a plate. They get baked on real good. It's lots of work to get them off.

[767Driver]

to like the look of my German plate I got form the Euro Delivery program. It brings back fond memories of the autobahn,Italian alps etc!Never gave much thought to the standard state plate look.Definitely does not give that european feel/look to the car!

[Bucholz]

either and I wish we weren't required to sport them here, but I can guarantee that having the plate in the trunk wouldn't make any difference in Texas as to whether the cop writes a ticket or not. Personally, I'd be surprised if it would make any difference in any state that requires the front plate. It's about having the plate where law enforcement can see it that matters, not whether the owner can prove he has one.

And no, I'm not a cop. I'm an attorney and for years I handled traffic offenses.

S. Bucholz

[Stinger9]

you know more about Texas law than I do.
Mentioned on the other board was that you want to have the plate in the trunk to prove that you have it in your possession rather than somewhere else on some other car for illegal purposes.
I do believe 'in the trunk' is no guarantee, but that individual police behavior from one officer to another can vary. And how much fine for a plate in the trunk can they charge. I'd pay to not have a plate up front.

[Bucholz]

I was relegated to traffic cases, so I'm not absolutely sure what the fine is today. It varies city to city anyway, but in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area is seems it was $150 for the first offense, $300 for the second, and on a third citation the fine increased again plus you could have your license suspended for up to 6 months.

Hardly seems worth it to me. I guess I see it as if the car is that nice to look at as it is, a simple plate shouldn't deter that much from the appeal of the car, save for perhaps exotics. And in my case, a BMW is not an exotic so I've learned to live with it. That doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate being able to do what I like.

Also in case you haven't heard, more and more states that do not currently require front plates are starting to talk about making them mandatory. I believe some states have already gone back to requiring them. So if your state doesn't currently require it, you might want to enjoy it while you can. I wouldn't be the least surprised to see all states require them eventually.

S. Bucholz