Current Events > Coworker got cited for not having a license plate in front of his Tesla

(+) Yeah! (+)

And he's fucking pissed lol. Apparently in the state of California you're required to have a licensed plate number for both front and back. For some reason Tesla's don't have it in the front as default, you have to install it yourself. I think the highway patrol that pulled him over was having a bad day or something.

I had no idea some states required front and back plates until this year, lol. My state has always been a back only one.

Weird cus I dont use my front plate on my car

Maybe your friend should know the laws where they live?

New York requires it in the front and back. I actually didn't know it wasn't required until spending a good amount of time outside New York

Tesla dealership should have explained this to him. but i mean, was this his first car in CA or something?

I have a Tesla and it came with a front license plate frame. People have to be aware of the laws in their states.

I didn't realise there were places where you didn't need license plates both front and back

Fair, next. If you live in a given state, you abide by their laws. California, and Illinois where I live, require in-state registered vehicles to have front and back plates. The dude not installing the plate that the state had already provided is all on him.

teep_ posted...

I didn't realise there were places where you didn't need license plates both front and back

Don't need them in Mississippi or Tennessee.

Bass posted...

I had no idea some states required front and back plates until this year, lol. My state has always been a back only one.

Yeah same lol.

Baha05 posted...

Weird cus I dont use my front plate on my car

You probably live in a state that doesn't require it.

Mr_Karate_II posted...

Maybe your friend should know the laws where they live?

He's a coworker and ain't nobody got time for that.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

Tesla dealership should have explained this to him. but i mean, was this his first car in CA or something?

I hear mix things about this. My dad says they tried to sell it to him as a feature/accessory while my coworker said the dealer didn't say shit about it.

Shouldn't Teslas have a front license plate built into the car?

I mean, Tesla is in California, wouldn't they know better?

Mr_Karate_II posted...

Maybe your friend should know the laws where they live?

This lol

mystic_belmont posted...

Shouldn't Teslas have a front license plate built into the car?

I mean, Tesla is in California, wouldn't they know better?

Does Tesla strike you as a company that would care about that sort of thing?

teep_ posted...

I didn't realise there were places where you didn't need license plates both front and back

Alaska dropped the requirement for a front plate a couple years ago, and soon after the DMV started only giving out one plate.

Prestoff posted...

My dad says they tried to sell it to him as a feature/accessory while my coworker said the dealer didn't say shit about it.

"This thing is required by the state, would you like it or not?"

I thought this was going to be him requiring a plate literally in front some distance away, not just at the front.

Then I remembered it seems americans dont need them at both ends.

How do you live in California and not know the laws?

mystic_belmont posted...

Shouldn't Teslas have a front license plate built into the car?

I mean, Tesla is in California, wouldn't they know better?

That's what my coworker was bitching about. There is no front license plate built into the car and I just walked by a bunch of parked Tesla's with no front license plates on them lol. I also texted my friend, who is a police officer in a different district, and he says that while it's illegal, it's almost never enforced.

Cop was probably just being a dick becasue he had a quota to fill.

Everybody in California knows its supposed to be in front and back, but only about 60% of cars have it in the front. Nobody ever gets a ticket for it

the cop just didnt like your friend

mystic_belmont posted...

"This thing is required by the state, would you like it or not?"

This thing is required by the state, we can add it for an extra $500 if you want.

Jupiter posted...

Don't need them in Mississippi or Tennessee.

or the Carolinas!

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I think it should be legally required for every car to have a dash cam installed imo.

Laws like this are stupid, Tesla is not the only manufacturer who doesn't put a spot for a license plate on the front and as long as you have at least one on your vehicle that should suffice.

At the least if they're going to require it then the state should pay for it or force manufacturer's who sell vehicles within that state to have it on them. Forcing consumers to pay out of pocket for something the state requires and the manufacturer doesn't provide by default shouldn't be a thing.

Kradek posted...

Laws like this are stupid, Tesla is not the only manufacturer who doesn't put a spot for a license plate on the front and as long as you have at least one on your vehicle that should suffice.

At the least if they're going to require it then the state should pay for it or force manufacturer's who sell vehicles within that state to have it on them. Forcing consumers to pay out of pocket for something the state requires and the manufacturer doesn't provide by default shouldn't be a thing.

Yeah, it's stupid and there are several laws like that. For example, in California it's illegal to have your front windshield tinted, but it's not illegal for shops to sell it to you.

He should have realized it was required here when the DMV handed him 2 plates.

They're required in most states. 31 to be exact. Everywhere I've lived has required them.

I'm also of the mind that it's beneficial to require both front and back license plates for the same reasoning of it being easier to catch hit and runs with dash cams if they have a front license plate.

hyperskate65 posted...

or the Carolinas!

Pennsylvania is another!

Huh. It's not required on the front in some states? That makes sense. Watched through Atlanta a while back and it kept catching my eye that a lot of vehicles didn't have front plates, but I assumed it was just part of the setting or possibly a filming thing in general (I don't watch a lot of live action) I hadn't noticed before.

Bass posted...

I had no idea some states required front and back plates until this year, lol. My state has always been a back only one.

I honestly think front and back should be standard. I live in KY and it's only on our back. Being able to see a license plate on both ends are helpful for accidents and hit-and-runs. I remember seeing a video several months ago that someone was fucking around in their car, did a bunch of damage to several other cars, then drove away from a crowd of onlookers in reverse so they couldn't see the license plate.

I moved from Louisiana (only requires back plate) to Illinois (requires front and back). This was explained to me when I registered the car in Illinois. They literally give you 2 plates. No excuse for not knowing.

Bass posted...

I had no idea some states required front and back plates until this year, lol. My state has always been a back only one.

I had the opposite revelation last year, that not every state requires two plates.

Bass posted...

I had no idea some states required front and back plates until this year, lol. My state has always been a back only one.

My state is both, I was shocked there are states where this isn't the case

CableZL posted...

I'm also of the mind that it's beneficial to require both front and back license plates for the same reasoning of it being easier to catch hit and runs with dash cams if they have a front license plate.

Yep, it should absolutely be the standard in every state to have front and back plates mandatory. No reason not to. Dealers should be required to include both plate holders, it shouldn't be on the customers *looks at Tesla*.

TendoDRM posted...

Yep, it should absolutely be the standard in every state to have front and back plates mandatory. No reason not to. Dealers should be required to include both plate holders, it shouldn't be on the customers *looks at Tesla*.

When I got mine, I asked them about this specifically because I had seen so many in Texas without front plates. When I took delivery, the frame for the front plate was on it. So I'm guessing people in states where the front plate is required either didn't ask for it or asked them to not put a front plate frame on.

Wasn't the car dealer-inspected when he bought it? Unless it was bought out of state, the dealer should be liable for not properly inspecting it.

TendoDRM posted...

He should have realized it was required here when the DMV handed him 2 plates.

Correct. It's not a backup or decorational plate.

Ohio got rid of front-plates about 2 years ago. Now every suburb has Flock cameras.