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Journal: We Need To Support This NY State Bill Exempting Historic Vehicles From Front Plates

We Need To Support This NY State Bill Exempting Historic Vehicles From Front Plates

By Ted Gushue
January 10, 2017
14 comments

Photography by Ted Gushue

We’ve all been there, heck, a good chunk of us have even been ticketed for it. The dreaded front license plate has long been the bane of the classic automotive community, and finally New York State is putting it to a vote, joining a long list of states that have figured this out.

Do you live in NY? Do you drive a classic? If you don’t support this then I’m not sure we can be friends.

From the legislation:

  • S.B. 832 would help protect the aesthetic contours of certain historic vehicles and relieve vehicle owners of the burden and expense of having to create mounting holes on some original bumpers.
  • S.B. 832 would save money, conserve resources and bring New York in line with other comparable states that are moving to a single plate requirement. 
  • S.B. 832 provides that the single plate requirement would take effect on January 1 in the year after the bill was enacted into law.  

Overview: Legislation (S.B. 832) was introduced to provide that a historical motor vehicle which was not manufactured with a license plate display area on the front of the vehicle may display only a single plate on the rear of the vehicle.  The bill will be considered by the Senate Transportation Committee.   

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT LOCAL LAWMAKERS AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS BILL

Tags Historic Vehicle/ License Plates
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Takudzwa Munyaradzi Maramba
Takudzwa Munyaradzi Maramba
7 years ago

What exactly is the beef with front plates? It doesn’t change anything about the cars aesthetics or performance or value. Cars everywhere else in the world are expected to display plates on the front and rear (and in some cases, a 3rd plastic sticker on the windscreen) and this affects changes absolutely zero else on the vehicle. Anyway, is this really a fight the classic car community wants to expend valuable political capital on? What if New York or any other metropolis then puts forward a bill to prohibit pre-1998 vehicles/motorcycles from being driven in the city a la Paris? How will you fight that? All the political capital and public support you had was spent on trying to prevent yourselves from displaying front license plates. Poliyical capital must be husbanded as a finite resource. It must be spent wisely,
sparingly, and with the greatest return on investment.

-2
Fernando Souto
Fernando Souto
7 years ago

I asked my friend who is a cop in New York about front license pates on classic cars. He said, it’s just for ticketing reasons.

1
Fernando Souto
Fernando Souto
7 years ago

I clicked on the contact law makers bill button and was not connected.

0
Bill Meyer
Bill Meyer
7 years ago

A few years ago I left the People’s Republic Of California for Arizona for two very good reasons….

1. No front license plates required.

2. Legally available 30 round AR magazines.

0
fWhit
fWhit
7 years ago

Fun fact: vehicles with historic plates from a single plate year are already exempted from the front plate requirement in NY. Time to buy 1964 or 65 (among others I’m sure)!
Would be great to see this expanded however.

1
Bobby jones
Bobby jones
7 years ago

Ok, guitar slinger, care to offer any REASON as to WHY you’re so anti anti front plate?? “Front plates make a difference”…!!???? What does that even mean????

0
JB21
JB21
7 years ago

It’s kind of funny…I actually like having the front plate on classic cars (and modern cars, and supercars and hypercars and all of them). I see it a bit like being present when your favorite movie star farts. The front plate on a car reassures that it’s just a fucking car after all.

-1
Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
7 years ago

Actually … being responsible CITEZEN’s first and foremost … and Gear/PetrolHeads second …

We really do not ! And SHOULD NOT !

To put it succinctly .. this aint the EU .. never has been .. much of the EU requires front plates … front plates make a difference …. and TS to all who think otherwise . I can tell you point blank should such a misguided and self centered resolution ever appear before the Colorado senate I’ll be throwing my weight / funds and connections against it full force

And here’s hoping NY has the common sense to toss this one where it belongs . In the relegation bin

-9
Richard Harrold
Richard Harrold
7 years ago
Reply to  Guitar Slinger

Why? Most US states do not require front plates, and I would welcome their abolition here in the UK and EU too.

2
B Bop
B Bop
7 years ago
Reply to  Guitar Slinger

Nothing more than fake outrage from the Guitar Hack. Go ahead, throw your ‘weight / funds and connections against it full force.” No one cares

4
Porkchopious
Porkchopious
7 years ago
Reply to  Guitar Slinger

Guitar Slinger, the front license plate is nothing more that a tool to facilitate writing parking/moving violation tickets. It has nothing to do with being a responsible citizen, since it does not improve public safety. Your residence in Colorado is very telling. Like living in Amerika? Why not make it voluntary? That way you can display your front plate and the rest of us can choose not to.

2
Dennis White
Dennis White
7 years ago

California should be next. I’ve gladly paid for a few tickets and have gone so far as to wire up a “portable” plate for my daily driver. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I put front plates on my other cars! I can’t believe the Brits are ok with the humongous plates they’re stuck with.

3
Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Dennis White

…. in other words you’re more concerned with your own self interests and vanity than your responsibilities as a citizen , the law and its intentions . e.g. A touch of Ayn Randian philosophy perhaps * ? And err FYI .. open yer eyes son … most of the EU requires front plates as well

* a recent cartoon in the NewYorker showing a farmer and his son in a corn field with the farmer/father saying ; ” The corn is too immature to pick son . Its still reading Ayn Rand ” … says it all !

-8
Richard Harrold
Richard Harrold
7 years ago
Reply to  Dennis White

The British plates are OK on most things – they’re wider but also shorter than most US plates. There are some cars that do look better without them, though – E-types among them. Guitar Slinger, what are you on about? This is nothing to do with citizens’ responsibility.

1

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