Steve 96C4S

I'm driving home last night about 11pm from Baltimore to Gaithersburg. Saw a cop near me on the road but he was going really slow so I pass him going 8 miles above the speed limit and 2 miles later he stops me and pulls me over. I was pissed. In my mind I didn't speed. 8 or 9 over is fair game to me. He says he paced me going 15 over, 50 in a 35. I was actually in a 40 mph zone but whatever. Didn't want to argue. Ok, I did want to argue. I wanted to say "What the F is wrong with you?" But of course I didn't say a word.

He asks me if was drinking tonight. I told him I don't drink.

Another cop pulls up and he walks and talks over to him behind my car for 10+ minutes. They parked side to side in a main road talking, laughing, etc. I didn't know what the hell was going on. They both come over and the guy tells me that he's writing me a ticket for no front tag. He asks me how long it's been missing. I stupidly said a couple of months, that I was waiting on a bracket to come in as the old one broke.

They both walk to the front, smile and walk back to me. The guy says, "Are you sure you've had a front tag on here? (it's clean as a whistle with no holes, just bumper plugs)

He says "I have a classic car too and I don't even put a front tag on my car. It looks like crap on there so I don't use it. Yours looks really good without the front tag, that's why it's not on there, isn't that so?"

I said that I actually was simply waiting for the bracket and pulled the license plate from under my rear mat to show him I had it. He says he's not going to give me a ticket for speeding, but only a warning. He says that'll save me the points but the missing front tag ticket is $70.

$70? Seems kind of high to me. I thought they were $50. I realize they're A LOT more elsewhere, like in California but still...I don't live in Ca.

Now I have to wonder... should I now get the tag holder to avoid this in the future?

Nah, I'm not getting a front tag holder just yet. Hopefully this was just a fluke and this won't happen again for a similarly long time. Unless they're only now cracking down but I doubt it. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It's weird that a cop can just pull you over and claim he paced you at 15 mph over yet there's no real way to prove it. He said he noticed the no front tag while I was driving, which is why he probably busted my ba**s in pulling me over for the bogus 15 over the limit thing which wasn't correct.

Guess I should consider myself lucky in a way.

Todd B

That sucks Steve. In MD missing a front tag is now a primary offense, no need to pull you over for something else. I know several people that have received tickets for no front tags. Guess all the camera's is forcing the police state identification schemes enforcement.

I run with a tow hook plate mount, so no holes in the bumper.

onboost

Yeah, that sucks!

Used to be that this was a secondary offense and they had to pull you over for something else.. like "15 over in a 35."

The Brewmeister

Just put the front tag on, dress it up with a nice plain black frame (to match what I'm sure you have on the back) and be done with it. I agree the car looks better without it but never understood why so many of you guys have the "I need another reason to get the attention of the police" attitude. The car itself has a way of doing that...

goofballdeluxe

States are broke and having no plate makes you an easy target for exactly what happened. If you like being a cop magnet more than having no plate, expect more of the same, as almost every government agency is chomping at the bit for easy money like you. And if you pull any attitude at all, they'll stick you with the bogus 15 over speeding ticket and get a few more hundred out of you as well. This is one of the real downsides to living in a financially bankrupt system; it literally is highway robbery.

rw229

I love the "I'll cut you a break, fine no points" line. Translation "we'll get the revenue and I don't have to go to traffic court".

Could have been worse, an equipment violation would have meant that you actually had to show them that you fixed it.

They do this in PA. Rather than give you XX over the limit, it's "failure to obey a traffic sign". You pay the fine and no points. They get their revenue and save the court costs. Long term I suppose it works out for everyone though.

bugkiller930

I think in California you can just get it sign off by another officer and pay the $10 fee.

RDS928S

I just keep my plate on the dash far right corner behind windshiled.
Never get stopped-I have driven right past police & I know they have looked at it.

Mark in Baltimore

Steve,

It's always a good rule of thumb to never pass a cop. If you had hung back, I doubt he would have pulled you over for the missing plate, even if he had noticed it.

I've been pulled over twice in six months in the Miata for not having a front plate and just saw the fines as a "permit" for not having run a tag for over four years. Still, there's one spot on I-83 south just heading towards the city/county line where they hang out (and where I was nailed both times), so whenever I drive past there, I use other cars in front of me as cover so that any LEO's hanging out in the median strip won't get a good view of my naked bumper.

Steve 96C4S

How could that suffice, having the plate on the dash? How do the cops see it there when driving? Doesn't that still violate the law of having to display it on the front bumper of the car itself? I can't believe they wouldn't give me the same ticket I got 2 days ago if it was there instead of the bumper.

And yes, I am considering putting it actually on the car. Yeah, aesthetics are important to me, but as you said, getting pulled again and worrying about it all the time when driving by cops is a bummer as my car is now my daily driver and had been for 3+ months now. I drive it all the time, all over and at all hours. There's much more chance for cops to see it.

I never drive my actual DD BMW anymore. Until it starts snowing and roads are salty, I'm driving the 993. I'm actually considering it driving it even then but will see. How bad is salt anyway? Ok, probably pretty bad. I'll most likely garage it till the salt is gone after the rains.

LOVE this car to death.

ble2011

I hate the front plate law. I understand the rear plate, but the front as well? Is it really necessary?

mjsporsche

Steve,

Been there! I was stopped once and I really was tense everytime I passed a local LEO since no front plate is easy pickin's to meet quota. So I picked up one of the tow hook mounts since I did not have any holes in my bumper. Better than blood presseure meds!

You have the holes already. Just put on the plates and stop being a anti gov protester!

P-daddy

That's a bummer Steve. That cop sounds like an a$$ with the comment that he also has a classic car and does the same thing, but gives you a ticket for it. Maybe they are cracking down on this, but I would chance it before putting holes on my bumper. What's another $70

Mercedesben

The angle might be to not run a front tag so the cop gives you a 0 point missing tag ticket instead of a speeding ticket. I have never been pulled over in a p-car for no front tag. I was pulled over once for a headlight being out with no front tag and the officer did not say anything about the missing tag. I do run a tag on my 993 now and I do not like how it looks on the car.

uicnick

I highly support anti - gov protesting mjs! If not we would have to put up with all sorts of stupid laws how else are we going to give feedback that the plate ruins the lines of the car? I digress. Putting the plate in the corner of the windshield won't fly. I tried that on my civic years back when I was street parking. It's not "displayed correctly." I caved in and put the plate on the front, only because the city checks the cars every day and I started getting multiple tickets. When I moved out to the burbs, I took the plate back off and put the bumper plugs in. Never had an issue. Now I'm back in the city and have to street park occasionally so I put the front licence plate back on the Merc. I had to park at Ohare short term and the city controls the lot so I had a ticket for no front plate on top of the $30 a day to park there it was such BS. To that same end, I consider it a cost of the car. In my mind $70 over 9 years is hardly a price to pay but I'm surprised that the law allows them to pull you over just for not having a plate. I say keep it off, possibly write your local rep on changing the law and in the mean time the hell with the front plate. For what it's worth though, at the Porsche and Mercedes museums I noticed that most of the modern cars on display included a front plate.