? about license plates

[CanTechZ]

Not all provinces in Canada require two license plates. Here in BC two are required but in neighboring Alberta only one plate is required.

In BC we have a collector plate program (still two plates), where if a vehicle is 25 or more years old and verified to be fully stock, or restored to stock and is good condition it can qulaify for this program. The benefits are a unique set of plates, very low insurance rates, full pleasure only driving priledges, & only one set of plates/insurance is required for all qualifying collector cars in your fleet. I have had these plates since 1995, the other benefit is that collector plated cars are exempt from annual emissions testing.

Mike

[Sailor Bob]

Newfoundland (Canada) is a one plate province as well - when I got my car in California it had two. I prefer the one plate look.

[TomoHawk]

I'm not really sure if I understand what you are saying about the spacing since I have a 78 and my front plate is bolted directly to those threaded holes. All of which has nothing to do with the topic of the thread.

At a local car showm I had a off-duty policeman ask me (unofficially) why I didn't have a license plate in the front. I showed him where the screws were in the bumper and explained that the spacing wasn't the same as the U.S license plates. Maybe your bumper is different than the one I have on my car.

The point is relavent, as it is possible to mount a front plate in states where it is required, even though it's not as obvious as on most cars. The most you'd need is a special mounting bracket andto get those two rusted-in screws out of the bumper.

[sblake01]

Maybe your bumper is different than the one I have on my car.

Evidently. Though mine is OEM and I'm sure yours is too, I'm just curious as to why the spacing would be different. Don't all US states use the same size plate?

[Tony D]

Michigan HAD a two-plate requirement till the mid 80's, then they changed.

Of course, they used to issue new metal plates every year as well.

It was found it was cheaper to just put tags on the plates, like many other states did.

Let me ask you, since you are insistent on 'wanting a good reason' as to why the state of Michigan only issues one plate instead of two:

When Michigan went from Two Plates issued by the State to One Plate issued by the State, were the FEES paid to the Sate decrease by half?

The answer: No, they did not!

This is simply a way to DOUBLE the fees (profit) to the State by simply reducing the amount of service or product provided.

It really is that simple. If you saw the Michigan Secretary of State revenue statements during the years involved, you would agree completely. It was a selling point for the removal of the front plate. There was no compelling reason to put the plate on the front.

For all it's worth, photo enforcement is a Bogus reason for employing a front plate as well. So are Amber Alerts. Since the Amber Alert has been instituted EVERY case has been from someone driving alongside or BEHIND the suspect vehicle. The closing rate is too great to get a proper reading on a front plate.

They really are totally useless. Unless you photgraph them. And in that case, a plate is useless, a sticker could be used as effectively without increasing drag or unaerodynamic flat, vertical surface on the front of today's cars!

The way OBD is going, Licene Plates will be useless within 10 years as it is...remote target acquisition through remote monitoring driectly from the vehicle's ECU will be commonplace. If VIN-Coded Transponders aren't legislated before then, that is... FAR more effective than relying on Human eyes. Think about 'photo enforcement'---it still can be foiled fairly easily. But a VIN Transponder going through the same proximity radar field that currently triggers the cameras...with a link to flash download of the vehicle's ECU current OBD Status giving vehicle speed, throttle position, etc....Fourth Amendment? What's that? You were, after all, breaking the law!

Remember guys, OBD2 had protocols specifying 38 open channels to be left in the archeticture for "Remote Monitoring Channels"---Wonder what was applied when OBD3 was instituted?

[Tony D]

Evidently. Though mine is OEM and I'm sure yours is too, I'm just curious as to why the spacing would be different. Don't all US states use the same size plate?

You BOTH have OEM Bumpers. One is OEM, one is OEM JDM.

The spacing on Japanese Plates is further apart than on North American Plates.

You will notice in the back of the car, there are two unused plates for the rear plate as well.

I had to make a bracket to fit my US plate to my Fairlady Z's, though on one of them, the PO had drilled out and installed some bolts.

Same thing happens when the US Spec Cars go to Japan: Plates don't fit, got to drill out the second set of holes, or make an adapter bracket.

Good Excuse for the 'no front plate' though!

[Tony D]

Since I can't edit these damnable posts and add this stuff later...

BTW, in addition to to the above reasons for the front plate being useless, the 'witnesses' is specious as well. The front plate, at ANY give speed will be a mere 'flash' compared to the rear plate as the car drives to the horizon. If it is going slow enough to get a good front-plate reading by visual I.D., you would be better spending your time checking out the driver, what he's doing, and then picking up the plate as it goes away.

Try this: Stand at a drag strip at the 60 foot line---or even the 1/8 mile point. Close your eyes, and at some point during the race before the car reaches you open them---try to read the plate before it passes, then watch it and try to read it as it's going away...you will find 'going away' is far easier to do. The mind doesn't process things coming closer too well (refocus), but for some reason something going away is easier to keep in focus.

Front plates are useless, save for Photo-Revenue Enhancement Purposes. As long as the plates aren't altered to give 'reasonable doubt' when presented in court. I ain't sayin' any more on that issue! (shhh!)

[sblake01]

I'm aware of the differences in plate size between the US and Japan. I said his bumper was also OEM. I was just curious as to why a car destined for the US would have a bumper on it that wasn't designed for US type plates unless some PO had changed it at some point. My 320 pickup has both sets of holes for the plate as well as areas where the RHD stuff, steering column, pedals, etc., would be mounted. I understand that as they were most likely trying to keep costs to a minumun in those days. As far as the 'Photo-Revenue Enhancement' system, they also get some fairly recognizable pictures of the driver since it's human nature to look an the flash from the camera.