Michigan Front Plates Coming Back!

I support front license plates, but having lived in NY for the growing up time, I know they can be a pain in the butt. If they introduce the bill, it should be "For all new cars sold after xxxx date"

Plus, with the new pedestrian standards making the front of the cars almost flat and 80 feet high, I'm not seeing why a front plate is an issue on new cars.

irish44j wrote:

mndsm wrote: cop that was bent on giving me an equipment ticket.

...or he was just bent on enforcing the law. Which is kind of his job....

cops only give these kinds of tickets when they can't nail you with anything else.. same with the ticket they give for having fuzzy dice or an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror...

bravenrace wrote: In reply to stan: It depends on where you live, and who the cop is. I've been ticketed 3 times over the years in three different districts, and my buddy has been once.

That might be some depts placing an emphasis on not letting people slide with this. One guy I work with was pulled over for it, while two other guys I work with have been doing it for years. This is in and around Dayton.

novaderrik wrote:

irish44j wrote:

mndsm wrote: cop that was bent on giving me an equipment ticket.

...or he was just bent on enforcing the law. Which is kind of his job....

cops only give these kinds of tickets when they can't nail you with anything else.. same with the ticket they give for having fuzzy dice or an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror...

EDIT: I this post when I say "you" I don't mean you personally....I'm just using it as a generality ;)

cops "could" nail people for things every 2 minutes if their goal was just to harass people. Hell, does ANYBODY actually drive at or below the speed limit? Signal when changing lanes every time? I'm sure wherever you are there's no shortage of people not obeying traffic laws that the cops "could" nail them for if they so desired.

I doubt they're sitting around when you go by and they say "well, all those speeders just went by, but I really want to pull THIS guy over, because a license plate ticket is way more fun than a speeding ticket."

But hell, hang around car forums and it's like Shawshank Redemption. "Nobody in here is guilty."

"Cop said I was doing 72 in a school zone. Stupid pig just doesn't have anything better to do."

"Cop pulled me over for having no muffler. He should be out solving murders or something."

"Cop pulled me over because I'm driving a WRX with a wing and a flatbrim hat. It had nothing to do with me weaving through traffic like an asshat."

"Cop pulled me over for having no front license plate, like that's illegal or something."

etc etc etc.

they all sound equally ridiculous. No front plate is illegal in your state. You know it is, so no use in bitching about getting caught doing something you knew was illegal, even if you think it's a "trivial" thing, IMO.

My main problem is with the legislators who made the law, not the cop who is just doing what he's supposed to be doing. And I have to have stupid front plates on all my cars here (including 3 with vintage plates). I'd rather take the "coolness" penalty of having them than taking a financial penalty, personally. But that's just me.

And I do write my state reps about it periodically. No dice so far ;)

irish44j wrote: My main problem is with the legislators who made the law, not the cop who is just doing what he's supposed to be doing.

Amen. Some cops are shiny happy people, most are just people doing a job. Same with meter maids , we all hate them, but is it really their fault?

I'm more concerned that Michigan has a state senator named Tupac, than I am about this bill passing into law.

It isn't about traffic cops using the plates to catch speeders, it's about speed cameras and the revenue they can generate.

AngryCorvair wrote: In reply to Feedyurhed: certainly some of the revenue from "no front plate" tickets will be skimmed for those city services you mention.

One would hope anyway. Are you familiar with Kwame Kilpatrick, the previous Mayor of Detroit? He was just just sentenced to 28 years in prison for taking money, corruption etc. And unfortunately he was just one of the administrations that did the same thing. So not much of the money actually ends up helping the people in Detroit.

I got pulled on the Rover for no front plate. I explained to the cop I had just bought the truck a couple weeks before and was waiting on a front bracket. (it came from PA) the cop asked why I didn't just screw it into the front bumper.

I flat out asked him if he would do that to his own car.

He let me go after that. I was honest, I really had ordered a new one and was waiting for it come in (It arrived 2 days later) and when I asked him if he would do it to his own car, let him know I was not going to deface my new (to me) vehicle.

Feedyurhed wrote: One would hope anyway. Are you familiar with Kwame Kilpatrick, the previous Mayor of Detroit?

i've lived in the suburbs on detroit's west side since 1993.

and i agree with ChrisV that it's just the first step toward implementation of enforcement cameras.

Senator Tupac huh... Well. Uh. If being in the government in Michigan is the price to come back from the dead... I'm not sure I'd take that deal. I really hate front plates. MI also repealed the helmet law and made some serious fireworks legal in the last couple years. I'm all for not requiring a helmet if I'm also not required to spend my state health care dollars keeping your veggy-carcas alive when your mellon meats something hard (and you should be required to be an organ/tissue donor too). I actually got tired of firing bottle rockets last time I was up there. Didn't know that was possible.

License plates are somewhat expensive to manufacture. So if you stop requiring front plates, you can cut your manufacturing cost in half and still charge the same amount of money for registration. This idea has been kicked around several times here in Maryland.

Brett_Murphy wrote: I support front license plates, but having lived in NY for the growing up time, I know they can be a pain in the butt. If they introduce the bill, it should be "For all new cars sold after xxxx date" Plus, with the new pedestrian standards making the front of the cars almost flat and 80 feet high, I'm not seeing why a front plate is an issue on new cars.

Please keep your ideas in New York.....granted I doubt IN would bother. I don't think we have ever had front plates, and I want it kept that way.

Feedyurhed wrote: Good golly, these politicians have no bounds to their stupidity.

Maybe he can prevent Guam from capsizing! (Google it).

You might try contacting the SEMA Action Network. It's an enthusiast-friendly lobbying group. They might be able to help.

Chris_V wrote: It isn't about traffic cops using the plates to catch speeders, it's about speed cameras and the revenue they can generate.

as someone who speeds pretty much everyplace I go, I can still say "there is an easy solution for not getting caught by speed cameras.....front plate or not."

Sky_Render wrote: License plates are somewhat expensive to manufacture. So if you stop requiring front plates, you can cut your manufacturing cost in half and still charge the same amount of money for registration. This idea has been kicked around several times here in Maryland.

this is exactly what I say when I write my legislators: charge me the same, and give me half as much product. In this particular cars I'm totally fine with that :)

Speed cameras are perfectly capable of capturing a rear license plate. As far as I can tell, this will waste far more money that the state already doesn't have in making the plates, than it will ever make back in revenue specifically relating to the front plate.

Will wrote: You might try contacting the SEMA Action Network. It's an enthusiast-friendly lobbying group. They might be able to help.

I almost wonder if some politicians just associate SEMA with "Fast&Furious" and "import tuner" scene. I know exactly what SEMA is ACTUALLY about, but when I see the word the first thing that pops into my head is hellaflushed [insert current trendy car here] with Volks and a purple valve cover. And of course a huge turbo. SEMA, to all the old stodgy politicians, probably just seems like a show that Paul Walker and his crew put on every year :)

I would say that it would be more effective if it was from Porsche Club of America or some other organization that is made up of wealthy members who are more likely to throw big money at campaigns.

About eight years ago, my wife literally got pulled over for no front plate leaving the dealer lot when she picked up her new Lancer. The Salesman saw what was going on, walked out and told the cop they had to order the bracket for it. She got the ticket anyway

TN is a no front plate state and they have no problems with red light or speed camera revenues.

yamaha wrote: Please keep your ideas in New York.....granted I doubt IN would bother. I don't think we have ever had front plates, and I want it kept that way.

Oh, no. You misunderstand. I moved to a non-front plate state. I just don't see what the big deal is for new cars.

Found an online petition to say no to front plates:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-front-license-plates-1.fb40?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=9379566

Gearheadotaku wrote: Found an online petition to say no to front plates: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-front-license-plates-1.fb40?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=9379566

Thanks for the link

Gearheadotaku wrote: Found an online petition to say no to front plates: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-front-license-plates-1.fb40?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=9379566

Signed

signed.