Is this true? (Long)

Nina_LV

Member
Sep 4, 2006
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Today when I was driving back home from school, I got pulled over by a police officer. The officer was quite rude towards me, asking how I was driving such an expensive vehicle, when im so young, etc. He proceeds to tell me the reason that I was pulled over was because I didn't have a front license plate. I then tried to explain to him that my car didn't have the holes where you attach it. He replies with "How is that my problem". In the end he gave me a $200 dollar ticket. So my question is; Is it required to have a front license plate?:confused1:
 
Some states do require a front plate. When we lived in Ohio we had to have a front plate. We bought the car in KY and it didn't have a place for one, so we had to take it to a dealer in OH to get a bracket installed. We live in WV now, and we don't have to have a front plate.
 
what on EARTH could you possibly be required to have a front plate for? i have one from my college chillin' there right now.

sounds like he just wanted to be an ******* an give you a ticket, though.
 
Thanks for all you help ladies.:heart:
I forgot to mention that this is my first time getting pulled over, meaning I was extremely nervous and couldn't find the registration paper or my license. This seemed to annoy the officer even more.:roflmfao:
 
These days, it is probably a good idea to have the officer follow you to the nearest police station.

It used to be that this advice was mainly offered to ladies driving alone, or people with "ethnic minority" heritage and/or appearance, but today, it's good advice for anybody. Obviously, it takes care of "faux" law enforcement personnel, but it also helps out in instances where the officer has some degree of "discretion" regarding what action to take for a particular offense.

Even if the front plates in your state are mandatory, you might check to see if that $200 fine is mandatory, or if it could be a range of fine amounts, depending on officer discretion, and if so, go down to the station and talk to them about your situation. And good luck!
 
Shimma is totally correct. If you are uncomfortable pulling over at a certain point you have every LEGAL right to put on your emergency blinkers and continue driving until you get to a safe location (i.e. gas station). It helps if you call 911 to tell the operator that there is a car with flashing lights behind you but you don't feel safe pulling over. They can usually confirm whether it is an actual police officer.

And in Washington, a front license plate is required. But we don't have to put the tags on the front any longer, just the back.

Sorry that he was a jerk. I understand how they can get that way. My husband has been accused of being rude (and I'm sure he deserved it!) and the only excuse I can offer is that they have a very difficult job and sometimes they get very jaded. Their sympathy can be very limited and it can be hard for them to relate to people. It's mostly because almost every person they deal with lies straight to their face and they just get sick of it.

It could also be that he's had a bad experience with someone who drove a similar car. Or even someone in your age range. It's hard to know why .... sometimes they are just jerks in real life and in their jobs. :smile:

But you should be able to go to court and contest the ticket - sometimes the judge will reduce it and sometimes throw it out completely. It seems a little excessive for such a minor offense. And it wouldn't hurt to write a polite letter to the police station just mentioning the officer's behavior.

Do NOT be accusatory or rude, just state the facts and of course how you felt ("I felt"...not "he made me feel"). The letters that get the most attention are polite, to the point, and also admit to whatever they were doing...I'd mention that you were truly not aware that having a front license plate was required. Feel free to send in photos of your front license area to show that there is nowhere to attach a license. That would help in court as well.

Sorry you had to deal with a jerky cop. It's not your fault that he was rude. I will say also that when my husband got more than a couple of letters complaining about his interpersonal skills he took notice and he does a much better job interacting with people he pulls over now. :smile:
 
Yep, here in Ohio you legally must have both. I think it's stupid and a way for our state to get more money out of its residents.

There has always been this long running joke about Ohio police officers not being able to do their job with just one plate, that they have to have both just to be sure.....it went something like that, I'll ask my dad if he remembers the actual joke.
 
Shimma and Casto - you're both probably right - but faced with an already mean/rude police officer I know that I would succumb to the intimidation factor and just accept the ticket. I would just want to get away from Angry Man With Gun as fast as possible, and fight for my "rights" later.

Same deal w/ licence plates in Canada, some provinces require one on both front and back, some only on the back. I'm pretty sure anyway - it's been a while since I drove in another province.
 
It depends on where you live-here in NY it is required for you to have a front license plate.

When I bought my car, it didn't have the holes in the front for a license plate either (it orignally came from down south somewhere). I had my mechanic drill holes so that I could put my front license plate up.
 
i got pulled over once because i did not have the front license plate. the police officer was realyl nice to me and only gave me a warning. but yeah, to answer your questions, some states require both front and back license plate.
 
What state do you live in? In Illinois, we had front and rear plates; Here in NC, only rear plates, so we have the holes in the front bumper, but no plates now! $200 seems really steep for something like that. It's not even a moving violation.
 
In IL you need both front and rear plates and you're responsible for drilling holes in your car's front bumper and affixing a plate if your car didn't come with a plate holder already. I'm guessing your state is like that too, sorry. But I think Jen is right, you can get the fine reduced if you get a front plate by the time you have to go to court.