Rules of the Road: California License Plate Rules

CHP Sgt. Brian Pennings joined FOX 5 Wednesday to discuss California license plate rules.

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[davidgenie-cizl]

It is not about safety, it is about money.

[jbsbayarea]

That BS, most tesla owners don't have them in front. I have neighbors who have been driving without them for years....

[iMotoTacticL]

TESLA OWNERS NEVER USE TWO LICENSE PLATE…THEY THINK THIER EXEMPT.

[jinzukinoha]

99% Tesla cars don't have front licenses plates. Why not start with them? Plenty of tickets to give.

[Calx]

HEY FIX THE HOMELESS PROBLEM BEFORE WORRYING ABOUT OUR FRONT PLATES

[smplyizzy]

Funny you cannot get arrested for stealing from stores in CA. BUT if you do not have a front license plate your going to get f’d over, fools!

[joelnielsen]

For safety reasons? That's a good one!! If that were true, then a reflective strip of some kind would be required around the entire perimeter of the vehicle. 😂😂😂

[thomsullivan]

He is incorrect about the black and yellow plates only being issued to classic cars. I just got them for my car, and it is not a classic.

[dii-N-sd]

My car has been registered in CA for 5 yrs, and I never put the front plate on my vehicle. They never stop me or inquire about the missing plate. Cops don't seem to be too pressed about it. I'm sure they have more important issues to be concerned about.

[UpUpDnDnLtRtLtRtBAStart]

This guy's reflective argument is baseless.

[richurro]

I told my dealer to not drill the front license plate on my car and he was chill about it. He Just said not to snitch him out if I got pulled over.
Still driving with no front plate today. I rather pay the ticket.

[HaloDude]

This clown could not be more wrong. I will address his genius points
1: Theft - what thieves would drive around in a stolen vehicle with stolen plates? It’s 30 seconds with a screw driver and then they become invisible by taking the plates off.
2: Safety - as the news anchor mentioned, the retro and temporary plates are not reflective. In fact the entire car should be reflective to a degree, but it’s not illegal to get a matte paint job.
3: Other states have front plate laws - this is not an argument. Almost half of the states don’t require it. Of those that do, many do not even consider it a primary offense, so you cannot get pulled over for it.

The real reason, is MONEY. Traffic cameras and laser speed guns need the front plate to issue tickets when you are going 5 mph over the 55mph speedzone.
They also can issue fix it tickets that are $100-$200 each. It is not required to actually install the plate. You can IGNORE the ticket and just pay the fine. Or, you can attach it temporarily, get the fine reduced to $20, and take it off immediately. It is literally a tax for rich people that just want to avoid drilling holes in their $80k car.

[wazamarine]

It’s state law in California to have front and rear license plates, if the citizens don’t like having front plates, petition the state legislature to change the law, it’s not the cops fault, they don’t make the laws.

[ChevroletImpalaSS]

Front license plates should be optional like most other states. Can’t wait to leave this awful state.

[Jackson_]

5:54 property of the state? Then why am I paying for it?

[TWudz]

The fact that he says SHALL is a problem!! and if our license plate our property of the state, how come we have to pay for them ??? it should be free! If we pay for them if he comes ours!!! make it make sense?

[tuc]

Notice how he stutters when he talks about safety? Not even he believes the lies he is saying.

[jovanyaguirre]

I've seen countless highway patrol vehicles fly past me at 80-90+ in a 65 with no emergency(lights and sirens off). But I'm the one breaking the "law" by not having a front license plate... yea ok

[pharoah]

It's all about law enforcement being able to easily track you, and to identify you.

[oldmanfromoc]

I had a big truck stolen and the cops never found it! l found it in an alley! they didn't even bother to finger print it!