Do You Need A Front License Plate in New Jersey?
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The rules and regulations regarding license plates can be confusing to understand, especially if you find yourself traveling or moving from state to state. While certain states want you to have a license plate attached to the front and back of your vehicle, some only require you to have one. Whatever the law is in your state, you must be aware of it and follow it so that you avoid the consequences. Luckily, we’ve got your back, as we’ll tell you all you need to know about whether you need a front license plate in New Jersey or not, so read on!
Quick answer: Yes, You Need a Front License Plate
New Jersey is indeed a two-plate state, meaning that you’re legally required to have a license plate on both the front and rear of your vehicle. If you don’t, you risk getting pulled over and paying a large fee. You need a front license plate in New Jersey, and it’s impossible to avoid this, so go ahead and make sure you take care of it and attach your front license plate properly before you head out. After all, why risk getting in trouble if you can avoid it?
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What to Know about License/Registration in New Jersey
One of the trickier pieces of license plate legislation to know about in New Jersey is that you can be penalized if any piece of the word New Jersey is covered up or cut off at all. The entire license plate needs to be fully visible. Even the word “New Jersey” being obstructed by a couple of centimeters can land you in hot water with particularly picky police officers, leading to you receiving a citation, so make sure the word is fully visible.
You also must know that New Jersey requires you to renew the registration for your car annually. You’ll get two stickers in the mail after doing so, and both must be displayed prominently on your license plate. The first sticker says the month that your registration expires (which will never change after you first register the car, since it’s renewed every year), and the other sticker tells the year of your registration’s expiration. It’s vital that these stickers are both displayed in a way that they’re completely visible, but the rest of your plate still needs to be visible, too, so make sure nothing is obstructed by the stickers.
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What Happens If You Drive Without a Front License Plate in New Jersey
You need a front license plate in New Jersey, so driving without one simply means that you’re inviting trouble. If a police officer catches you driving with no front license plate, it’s likely that they’ll stop you and give you a ticket. The police need probable cause to pull someone over and give them a citation, and the absence of a front license plate is enough of a reason for them to do that. It’s been said before that the police don’t really look for absent front license plates anymore, so you don’t need one, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s not enough to just have a front license plate somewhere on the front of your car, either. It specifically has to be on the front bumper of your car, so don’t try to get around that and put it on the dashboard or anywhere else. The fine you’ll have to pay if you get caught without a front plate is approximately $200, which is a huge amount of money for something that can easily be avoided. For that reason, it’s best to go ahead and securely attach your front plate right away.
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Why it’s Always Good to Have a Front License Plate
The number one reason that you should take heed of all license plate laws is that you need a front license plate in New Jersey, and you run the risk of risk paying a penalty of $200 if you drive without a front plate. This is already a great reason to always have a front license plate, but it’s not the only benefit.
A rule that applies to everyone, no matter who you are, is that you should always drive with a front license plate because it’s the safest thing to do. This is an excellent reason why you should always have one, as it will keep you and your passengers safe. Modern license plates are optimized to help let other drivers remain aware of your presence on the road, particularly at night. The technology in these plates reflects light, greatly enhancing your visibility when oncoming headlights hit your car.
An additional risk of driving without a front license plate is that you could get punished even harder if you make any mistakes at all while driving. Let’s say you’re driving and notice that one of your headlights just went out, and you try to get it repaired immediately. If you have no front license plate while this happens and a police officer notices, you’ll likely get pulled over and be punished for two offenses. Naturally, it goes without saying that you should always drive safely and avoid breaking any laws, but it’s unwise to put yourself in a dangerous situation for no reason if you make a mistake. Drive carefully and keep your front license plate clean and secure so that you have nothing to worry about.
Everything Else You Need to Know about Front License Plates
Why are some drivers resistant to having a front license plate installed? They don’t want to drill holes into their front bumper and risk marring the exterior appearance of their car. It’s certainly a reasonable line of logic, but the fact of the matter is that no one can get around the law, so attaching a front license plate to your bumper is non-negotiable. Luckily for those drivers, though, there are new technologies out there that make it possible to attach front plates without drilling holes, such as adhesive plates and magnetic mounts. Look into these options if you don’t want to feel like you’re chopping up your car, and always have a front license plate on your car!
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