When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I run the front plate, as it is required in NYS. Being that automobile registrations are a states' rights thing you will not find a uniform standard. LEOs like the front plate as it give them better opportunity to catch your plate with the scanners. I don't care about LE using the scanners, but they are not the real threat. Private companies now do the same thing. My friend is a LEO in Florida and he showed me the program in his official laptop. Sold by Vigilant Technologies, this software aggregates data and provides the information to those who pay for the access. Where are the scanners? Well many repo tow trucks have them and more and more are being installed in fixed locations. My buddy looked up my plates and while the Vette did not come up, all my other cars did - with photos. The software does not detect states - yet - so you have to sort through quite a few plates manually. All this means that as you get scanned over and over, you habits and destinations become more focused for data miners to sell. Big Brother is not the problem, Big Business is. I have zero interest in sharing my whereabouts. Even though one could argue that the plates are all out there for anybody to see, there is a huge difference in visually seeing them and using a computer to amass and study them. Insanely huge.
I run the front plate, as it is required in NYS. Being that automobile registrations are a states' rights thing you will not find a uniform standard. LEOs like the front plate as it give them better opportunity to catch your plate with the scanners. I don't care about LE using the scanners, but they are not the real threat. Private companies now do the same thing. My friend is a LEO in Florida and he showed me the program in his official laptop. Sold by Vigilant Technologies, this software aggregates data and provides the information to those who pay for the access. Where are the scanners? Well many repo tow trucks have them and more and more are being installed in fixed locations. My buddy looked up my plates and while the Vette did not come up, all my other cars did - with photos. The software does not detect states - yet - so you have to sort through quite a few plates manually. All this means that as you get scanned over and over, you habits and destinations become more focused for data miners to sell. Big Brother is not the problem, Big Business is. I have zero interest in sharing my whereabouts. Even though one could argue that the plates are all out there for anybody to see, there is a huge difference in visually seeing them and using a computer to amass and study them. Insanely huge.
Where in NY are you? Been not running a front plate for over 25 years (7 Vettes) without a ticket. Have been thought a few roadblocks and they just say something like better get that plate out of the inside of that car and put it on the outside. From what I have seen the farther south in this state (closer to NYC) the more aggressive the cops are.
Most plate readers I see are on the front and back of LEO cars and most times they get your plate. (that comes from a couple LEO buddies that run scanner cars!)
Had my new C7 three days tops and got pulled over by a county cop (Charles County MD) specifically for no front plate. No other issues or reason- Warning and installed the aero mount a few weeks later.
Convinced it was to get a better look at the car as it was new in a very small-town area (lot of compliments from the officer) but just not worth the hassle... I loathe front plates from an aesthetics perspective but a C7Z convertible garners enough LEO attention so I'm not going to give them a silly reason to interrupt my day.
For some reason, MD is the worst for not tolerating the lack of a front plate.
I've been pulled over more times than I can count and I finally gave up.
I live in Northern Anne Arundel County.....just wondering, did you get pulled over more by County cops or State Police? I've had 4 vettes and have always run a front plate for fear of getting pulled over. Just bought a C7 and am contemplating whether or not to run the front tag (because I hate it!). I have friends with vettes who never run a front tag and have never been pulled over......even in Ocean City. I guess it's a crap shoot.
Hmm . . . well I've lived in AA Co. for 20 years now, and I gave up a long time ago after being pulled over by county LEOs multiple times.
I did do this on my Lotus, and for some strange reason, they seemed to think this was OK. I guess it was because I made an effort to display the plate number.
I live in MD as well and can tell you that having a front plate on is just worth the peace of mind. You never know if a bored LEO looks for any excuse to pull over your car.
The one time a State trooper did pull me over was for not having a front plate in my previous E90 M3.
Crazy how folks in PA can get away with no front plates!
Last edited by Checkmate1; 02-18-2018 at 06:48 PM.
I live in Northern Anne Arundel County.....just wondering, did you get pulled over more by County cops or State Police? I've had 4 vettes and have always run a front plate for fear of getting pulled over. Just bought a C7 and am contemplating whether or not to run the front tag (because I hate it!). I have friends with vettes who never run a front tag and have never been pulled over......even in Ocean City. I guess it's a crap shoot.
Around here that's the problem, I went almost a year without a LEO looking twice then in a couple of weeks got stopped twice and gave in. Still way more high end cars around here without. But I don't like messing with them.
More state troopers than Calvert county deputies. Neither A.A. Co. Or Naptown Cops seem to care .
Originally Posted by Foosh
Hmm . . . well I've lived in AA Co. for 20 years now, and I gave up a long time ago after being pulled over by county LEOs multiple times.
I did do this on my Lotus, and for some strange reason, they seemed to think this was OK. I guess it was because I made an effort to display the plate number.
Originally Posted by Checkmate1
I live in MD as well and can tell you that having a front plate on is just worth the peace of mind. You never know if a bored LEO looks for any excuse to pull over your car.
The one time a State trooper did pull me over was for not having a front plate in my previous E90 M3.
Crazy how folks in PA can get away with no front plates!
Unfortunately, I live about a minute from the State Police Barrack P so between the Troopers and then the MTA Police constantly patrolling the Airport Loop, I don't stand a chance.
Interesting that all of us have had completely different experiences in MD (in regards to agencies) , but you just can't get away with it in this state.
I drive to BWI (and past the cop shop) a couple or four times a month, they never have been a problem up there.
Although, I am curious about Foosh's front plate????
I live in MD as well and can tell you that having a front plate on is just worth the peace of mind. You never know if a bored LEO looks for any excuse to pull over your car.
The one time a State trooper did pull me over was for not having a front plate in my previous E90 M3.
Crazy how folks in PA can get away with no front plates!
Easy, PA only issues a rear plate. 31 states require front and rear plates and 19 do not. PA is one of the latter.
Originally Posted by owc6
Interesting that all of us have had completely different experiences in MD (in regards to agencies) , but you just can't get away with it in this state.
I drive to BWI (and past the cop shop) a couple or four times a month, they never have been a problem up there.
Although, I am curious about Foosh's front plate????
You can get any plate you want made in the link below, which is where I got the plate for the Lotus. The Lotus was low to the ground and there was no good place to put a US-style plate. It was my actual MD-issued plate number. My theory was they look for the absence of a plate, and if they see anything on the front, they don't bother.
It worked, and I was not pulled over in 7 years, but on every car I tried without a front plate, I was stopped at least once. I gave up the fight about 8 years ago.
I don't think I'd want to try it in TX. They get real **** retentive about having the correct plate on the front.
I have a hard time imagining anyone more strict than MD on this issue, but anything's possible. I didn't expect that "non-official" Euro-style plate to work either, but it did. No plate didn't work at all for me.
02-17-2018, 02:13 PM
