Front license plate not cool....

Some states like them so they can identify you coming and going through those video toll booths and red light cameras.

Front license plate essential so that they can read the reversed imprint off the hit and run victim.

Without a front license plate, I'd have to go behind my Uber pick-up vehicle to verify its authenticity.

Front & rear is a requirement in the UK, mainly so that police cars & static cameras using ANPR can instantly check if the car is licensed, tested & insured. Motor bikes are not required to have a front plate for safety reasons.

Definitely for, anything that helps are car be identified is good.

The license plate is about the only thing on a car that is not "mass-produced"; there's only one of each number. If anyone thinks that identifying a car by number is not necessary, not everybody can identify cars by their paint-jobs/decals/scratches/rust-holes. The license plate at least attempts to broad-cast to everyone that it is at least minimally up-to-date/allowed-to-be-on-the-road. Maybe it's not "cool". But, it's not cool to let a car-thief get away with your wheels just because no one could recognize the that the driver and the car was not a good match (stolen).

I'd hate to see "phantom traffic jams" because of check-points with police stopping everybody when they're looking for a particular car's rear-end view. Nobody seems think it's wrong for police cars to be identifiable from all angles (including numbers painted on the top). Maybe that's not "cool", either. Is this really a debate over Function Vs Fashion?

A rear license plate and VIN# is all you need ....if you're that worried about theft, get Lojack...or some other tracking service....

I fitted a tracker to my car. It was interesting when it was in the garage last week for a new cam belt. I could watch the live tracking & see when it moved into the workshop & out for a test run.

Why does the "answer(s)" always result in buying more stuff? Why can't it be made easy to just keep the stuff we have? No wonder the cost of living is so high. Is the police ineffective? Just get the Russians to do it. I'm sure they'll be glad to do it. Simple, easy, and cheap.

I live in a state that only requires the rear plate, but having front plates makes logical sense to me. It gives the opportunity to identify a car as it approaches and retreats which seems reasonable and useful.

Most production cars have provisions for both anyway.

I was recently at a "car show" in California (more like a display of green vehicles) that had a Tesla 3 that the owner was "piloting a license plate decal" for the front bumper that maintains the aerodynamics and prevents drilling. Something like this:

Interesting! It looks authentic, and is certainly aerodynamic, but unless it is provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles, it's probably illegal.

but unless it is provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles, it's probably illegal.

He said it was a pilot through CaDMV.

I don't see why this can't be done electronically with every car beeping it's vin # on an assigned frequency....That way you don't need any plates at all....faster and easier for cops to check, harder to fake...

. . . and then they can match the VIN # against the voter registration records of the owner(s) and . . . .

https://insights.globalspec.com/article/11876/digital-license-plates-now-legal-in-three-states

The article didn't say whether they are on the front, back, or both. Since they are expensive, I suspect only 1 per vehicle. California does normally provide (and, I believe require) plates for both front and back, although Identification for recently sold vehicles has been lax.

I'm a California resident, but was not aware of these digital plates. The CA DMV has long been known for antiquated computer systems and long lines at the counters, so if this becomes common, it will hopefully hasten modernization...

But $7 per month subscription fee? Jeesh.

I'll keep my tin one. Thanks !!

Well I don't know if that is the total registration cost just prorated on a monthly basis, rather than paying by the year...In that case not that much difference...I think I pay about $40 a year...

Jury is still out...

Be really happy! My registration fee, on a 4-year-old not-a-luxury sedan, for nothing more than the sticker to be applied to my existing metal plate, was nearly an order of magnitude higher than that! That's how California taxes are!

I didn't go back and re-read the article, but I'm pretty sure it said the monthly fee was in addition to the already high registration fee.

The whole state of California is approaching complete financial collapse...

..."On average, renters in California make an hourly wage of $21.50 an hour, which is 41.2 percent lower than the necessary hourly wage to afford the cost of living.Jun 18, 2018"....

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/the-top-source-of-financial-stress-in-california-isnt-pricey-housing.html