Here in Los Angeles, why are so many cars allowed to be driven with no license plates?

[shance]

For the past few years I have seen an increase of unlicensed/unmarked cars and SUV's on the road.

When did that not become illegal?

One thing I will at least say for Texas, at least when I lived there, driving an unlicensed vehicle could get you in a slew of trouble.

Isn't it against the law?

That is a real problem to have unmarked SUV's and cars driving around unaccountable to anyone, because that is essentially what they are doing when they drive without any vehicle identification.

[DBoon]

1. When the voters passed prop 13 many years ago

and decided they didn't want to pay enough taxes to support law enforcement.

Los Angeles has the lowest number of police per-capita than any other large US city.

[shance]

5. How does that apply to registered drivers maintaining a license plate on their car.

I don't understand.

[nonconformist]

10. Enforcement? nt

[DBoon]

16. yes

Do you think an understaffed police department is going to care about drivers with no plates?

Once people figure out certain laws aren't really enforced then they stop obeying them at their convenience

[Ayesha]

2. I don't know why

But I'll back you up in saying that I noticed it ALL THE TIME when I lived there and it disturbed me too. People can drive around with no plates, yet if my car was still parked on the street at 9:02 am on street cleaning day I'd get a ticket, or at 11:30 even if I knew for a fact the street cleaner had already been through. Just one of the many reasons I hated that place.

[Cleita]

3. It's illegal but the police and highway patrol can't keep up with

them. The city is too big and law enforcement not enough to enforce the law. It's more important to chase down illegal immigrants anyway :sarcasm:.

[LibDemAlways]

4. It's probably a low priority for law enforcement.

In my neighborhood they hide in the bushes waiting for people to speed by. If one of the speeders happened to have a missing plate, they might notice it.

[shance]

7. I see a lot of very nice cars and tinted SUV's with no plates. It's pretty disturbing.

It doesn't make sense to me why there aren't at the least temporary plates on for identification.

[LibDemAlways]

9. If you don't have a front plate, you can't be identified by one

of those intersection cameras set up to catch people who run the signal. That's probably the reason some people remove them. I agree that plates should be required, but law enforcement doesn't seem to crack down on it.

[AndyTiedye]

6. It Is NOT Illegal If The Car Was Just Purchased New

New cars come with a temporary registration which is visible in the front window (from very close) but no license plate.
It is legal to drive a new car without any license plate until the plates come from the DMV in the mail.
Cars from out-of-state get a temporary tag that goes in the back window (has a big number on it for the month it expires).

[shance]

8. That should make no difference. There should be a temporary license on the car.

Think about it. If someone hits you or assaults you and drives off in an unmarked car, you essentially have absolutely no recourse.

[AndyTiedye]

11. It's Not As If Anybody Can READ What is Scrawled on those Temporary Tags Anyway

I wasn't commenting on the merits of the system, only pointing out that those who drive brand-new cars with no plates in California are most likely NOT breaking any law.
That said, has anyone ever managed to copy down all the handwritten numbers on a temporary tag while a vehicle is leaving an accident scene? I doubt it.

You probably would have liked the system in Massachusetts better, they won't let you drive off the lot without real license plates on the car.
Their system did entail hours waiting in multiple lines at the Registry of Motor Vehicles however (and no, they did NOT take appointments).

[TheMadMonk]

14. Which almost certainly explains why they do it.

Probably cheaper than insurance.

[DemoTex]

12. Neighbor here in Greenville, SC, drives a Volvo wagon with Virginia plates ..

No big deal, except those Virginia plates expired MAR 06. That means the owner of that fairly late-model Volvo V-70 wagon is not paying personal property taxes in South Carolina or Virginia. The big late-model Suburban in their driveway appears to be properly registered in SC.

BTW: Both vehicles sport W stickers.

[Lobster Martini]

13. In this area, stealing licence plates is common.

In this area, thives will carry a pair of tin snips and cut off the corner of a license plate where the registration sticker is attached and resell the sticker. It is so bad that some people tape their licence plates inside the rear window. Others try to foil thieves by putting the sticker in the middle of the plate. Unfortunately, thieves know how to use screwdrivers and just steal the whole plate.

[LiberalArkie]

15. Here in Arkansas, will all the incentives from the dealers, people can afford the car

but the the plates. To get the plates, you have to have proof of insurance, paid property tax, and pay the sales tax. All big bucks.

[TankLV]

17. Here in Nevada - I heard that you don't need a front plate - just a back plate...

they issue two plates - but the front one is not insisted upon...

I drove around with the front one IN my car after some fool ripped it off crusing thru an intersection against the red light awhile back...