IOWA: Abolish Front Plate Petition

[wrek]

http://www.petitiononline.com/ksnpvmt/petition.html

Sign it.. not sure it'll do any good but sign it anyway. (not my petition, I just signed it)

[BumbleDs]

you can gaurentee im gettin on that

[Milk 1027]

hmmmmmm. The first point is the only valid one. Ther rest are either flawed or make no sense at all.

[Brokinarrow]

yeah, i have to agree with Milk on this one. I REALLY want to see that happen too.... Maybe include something about how a front plate bracket can damage the car just by being there and thus reduces resale value... I do like the quote about the other 20 states that have done this, maybe include a citation for a study to back up the statement? And throw some numbers in there, lawmakers love numbers for this kinda thing Also, not sure how effective an on-line petition would be, as it is easier to 'cheat' on. Reading through the sites FAQ, if they get a request for validation they basically send an e-mail to a sampling of signers. I'm guessing you have to respond or click a link to validate that you did indeed sign it, but this doesn't guarantee that I haven't just created 10 different e-mails with fake names...

[Brokinarrow]

Or we could shoot for no front plates required for a vehicle that doesn't have a built in spot for one....

[Brokinarrow]

Looking at this some more, we should write up a stronger version and start our own petition, think it would work better. I'll need to do some research though... gonna through some dollar signs their way, should get someone's attention

[wrek]

I'm all for it Brokinarrow... write it up and I'll sign. I'll even send it off to Grassley on Facebook.. he ALWAYS responds!

[toetter]

I am a cop in Omaha, NE and live in Iowa. I am even having a hard time putting a front plate on when it gets here. I told the dealer to leave the bracket off when ordered. I have seen a couple of Camaro's with no front plate when I am working, I just wave and let them drive on.

[BumbleDs]

Originally Posted by toetter

I am a cop in Omaha, NE and live in Iowa. I am even having a hard time putting a front plate on when it gets here. I told the dealer to leave the bracket off when ordered. I have seen a couple of Camaro's with no front plate when I am working, I just wave and let them drive on.

Youre the man!

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by wrek

I'm all for it Brokinarrow... write it up and I'll sign. I'll even send it off to Grassley on Facebook.. he ALWAYS responds!

I've sent a few e-mails asking for info, no response yet though. I'm gonna try n get a draft done up this weekend when I'll actually be able to FOCUS on things (work keeps interrupting me dangit! )

[Brokinarrow]

Hmm, well not looking good from arguing on a cost perspective here. According to the DOT each license plate costs $1.30 to buy materials, manufacture, and ship. Here's the full e-mail I got back from them:

The website below will provide photos and information on all license plates that are offered in Iowa.

http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/ovs/plates/index.htm

I do not have specific annual costs for license plate production, as they are ordered on an as need basis by the state county treasurers, but I can provide you some information regarding the process.

The state of Iowa has approximately 3.4 million registered vehicles. License plates are issued when a person purchases a new vehicle and does not have plates from a sold or traded vehicle to place on the newly registered vehicle. Those plates will remain on the vehicle until it is again sold or traded. The plates remain with the customer to use on a different vehicle, if applicable. Annual registration receipts are issued that will indicate that a vehicle is currently registered every year. The average price that the state pays for a pair of automobile plates is $3.62. This includes materials, manufacturing and delivery costs.

Iowa's license plates are manufactured by the Iowa Prison Industries. The state pays for the materials and manufacturing costs associated with all plates. This includes the delivery of plates from Iowa Prison Industries to the 99 county treasurer offices.

The 99 Iowa county treasurers are responsible for titling and registering vehicles. They maintain an inventory of most plates for customers. Some plates are special ordered such as personalized plates.

If you have additional questions for your research, please let me know and I'll do my best to respond.

Thanks,

Sally NoName
Office of Vehicle Services

[Brokinarrow]

Next step is going to be to figure out an average of the number of plates produced each year, along with the number of front license plate tickets written each year. My girlfriend's dad is a police officer, so I'm having her ask him how much a front plate ticket would run. But unless the state barely writes any tickets for that, the revenue is gained is going to quickly outpace the costs of producing the plates. If that's the case, we may still be able to file a petition asking them to switch it to 'only if the vehicle has a spot for 2 plates' thing...

[2010 SSRS]

We need one of those petitions here in Rhode Island, damn front plates.

[wrek]

Maybe we could just focus on the overall need? What use is there of a front plate? Why did it start and why does it continue? Nobody looks to see what the plate is of the car that's about to run up on the sidewalk and hit a fire hydrant and run off... they look at the back as it runs off.

The only thing a front plate does, that I can tell, is advertise the state and give troopers a reason to pull you over to check for something more serious.

I have a front plate, using the hide-away plate mounting system but I'd like to remove it.