Why Are So Many Vegas Cars Missing License Plates?

Every time we go to Las Vegas, my wife and I notice at least one car without license plates a day. At home in Pittsburgh, we literally never see one. What accounts for the missing license plates in Las Vegas?

There are a lot of reasons why a car might not have license plates.

Nevada is a two license-plate state, but front plates are optional if the vehicle isn’t designed for a front plate, such as the manufacturer doesn’t provide an add-on bracket or threaded holes for machine screws. So you might see a car without a front plates that does have a back plate.

When you buy a car from a dealer in Nevada, the dealer is required to issue you a temporary placard that takes the place of the back license plate. It’s good for 30 days, at the end of which the car has to be registered with permanent plates. Those cars, even if they’re made for front plates, won’t have them.

Some people simply take their chances driving unregistered vehicles without license plates.

The missing license plates could have been stolen. Thieves steal plates with current stickers to put on their own unregistered cars, so they’re not obvious to police. Sometimes they steal numerous plates and swap them out, keeping the car “fresher,” so they can drive it longer. Or they use stolen plates in order to circumvent parking restrictions; parking-enforcement personnel often write tickets based on the license plate alone, not keying on the make and model.

Another common license-plate scam is to put a stolen plate on a vehicle, then “pump and run”: fill the car with gas and leave without paying.

And, of course, purloined tags disguise stolen vehicles and/or or getaway cars used in major crimes.

Las Vegas ranked seventh highest in motor-vehicle theft rates in 2008 and ninth in 2009, but since then it hasn’t been in the Top Ten. The car-theft rates have improved slightly over the past 10 years — 24th in 2012, 18th in 2015, 16th in 2016 — but it’s still high enough on the list for missing plates to be noticeable.

We're sure readers have other ideas; we'd like to hear them.

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[email protected] May-29-2018

Stickers stolen in Michigan

In the lovely City of Detroit, the most common thing is a "stale" or sticker-less plate.  An easy way to spot a bad one is a rusted plate. Michigan issues new plates every 7 years to avoid this. Often with a stolen renewal sticker. On a really hot day, these things will peal right off. Also, in wonderful Motown, the citizens just steal the whole car and do some dastardly robbery and drive-by shooting. Ramming the vehicle into a liquor store or to steal an ATM. Then (for spite) wreak it or maybe set it on fire. Such a friendly city.

Rick Sanchez May-29-2018

No plates

If you move in from out of state you don't get a plate if you order a personal plate. You just get a sheet of paper that you need to keep in your car.

Jackie May-29-2018

Regarding Tickets

For parking tickets.  Newer vehicles have bar coded VIN numbers on the dash, visible and scanable through the windshield.  The ticket will show the current license plate assigned and if currently registered.  The person issuing the ticket will the check the plates.
For traffic stops.  You are required by law to keep the copy of you license plate registration in your vehicle and shown to an officer upon request or to a Judge and pay a fine if not.
Otherwise, your are risking being either out a lot of money or time spent in jail or prison.  Stupid is as stupid does.

Roy Furukawa May-29-2018

Cali Cool

Here in LA there are far more cars missing license plates than in LV and it's because so many people are too cool to have license plates and leave the plate from where they bought the car. Lots of them are called Prestige or Elegant or some ritzy sounding name, or if bought in Beverly Hills, it's a status thing. Most of them drive like jerks too.

Question of the Day - 29 May 2018

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