Non-front license states: Use fake front plate as decoy?

[lordhawhaw]

Say you put a NON-REFLECTIVE fake Euro or other decorative plate on the front that screams "shoot me" to act as a decoy. Will LEO aim at that and buy you an extra second or two before he moves on to the headlights?

[Stealth Stalker]

Yes. They are trained to shoot centre mass to begin with. If he goes a few seconds without getting a lock, that will usually cause him to focus even more specifically on the plate, which is (with a regulation plate) a more vulnerable target than the lights. You're going to be right on top of him before he starts trying your headlights, if at all. A non-reflective decoy tag will almost always buy you some valuable time.

However, not only does aiming strategy vary from user to user, but so does the quality of the aim. Most officers shoot freehand these days, not off of tripods, like they do at GOL. Consequently, the aimpoint tends to wander all over the front of the vehicle. Just like when you shoot a gun at centre mass, you sometimes still hit the head and extremities, the same thing happens with lidar. They may be aiming at your centre mass and LP, but over the course of a few seconds, they are almost certainly going to paint the entire front of your vehicle, hitting the headlights, grille, fog lights, LP, and everything else. Often, they will actually paint the entire front end intentionally after a couple seconds of not getting lock.

Don't put too much faith in officers being able to hold steady, pinpoint aim on the one point they are trying to hit. They just can't do it, especially at close distances. And actually, the less steady their aim is, the better chance they have of finding your weak spot and locking on you.

[lordhawhaw]

Where can I buy a high quality fake "decoy" plate like this made in non-reflective plastic?

[Stealth Stalker]

I am leaning towards the best solution being a high quality colour photocopy of your actual plate, laminated on hard cardboard, and mounted behind a Laser Shield and a plastic frame to hide the edges. Depending on your state, the Crapplates can be really horrible looking.

[TSi+WRX]

I find everything that Stealth Stalker to say here to be right-on.

It's rare that the two of us completely and totally agree, but heck, here's another one.

So, I only have one thing to further comment on:

hawhaw, like SS cited, the CR8ALP8 can be hit-or-miss, and this is completely dependent on the way they replicate your particular tag (with some states having more than one design, and thus, one or another being better or worse).

See if you can search up others here who has your exact one, to see their experience.

Also, search for "plate copy" or "plate photocopy."

This reference, with its outlinks, should serve to get you started:

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/464075-post48.html

[lordhawhaw]

Is it illegal to put a photocopy of your plate on the front even when your state doesn't require the front plate?

[Stealth Stalker]

That's a difficult question that would vary from state to state. Having a front plate when one is not required would probably not be a violation, in and of itself. But there probably is a law against counterfeiting an officially issued state LP that they could attempt to get you on. That would be easy to beat in court, as that certainly would not be the intent of the law. But they could still hassle you seriously on it.

If it were a plate that resembled an official plate, yet was not registered to your car (like a Euro plate, or other plate with numbers not registered to you), then that would surely be a violation in any state. A Euro plate, they would probably let you get away with, as it is a typical status thing for Euro car drivers. But a stateside plate, you can bet they'd probably arrest you for. Most states have a law specifically aimed at "fictitious plates".

Your safest bet would be a purely decorative plate, and not one that resembles an official, government issued plate. However, some states have decorative plates that resemble official plates, and those would be okay. For example, Floridia has (had?) those plates that looked just like an official plate, but said "ARRIVE ALIVE" on them instead of a registration number. Of course, you'd still want to Laser Shield one of those, even though they aren't retro-reflective.

[TSi+WRX]

^ Excellent advice, all-around.

[DidacticSlip]

Seems like you would stand out like a sore thumb with a "front license plate" in a state that doesn't issue/require them, esp. when you're driving around in said home state...

[siRman20]

Rob Right on Bro. Your Right So Smart, Your the man ok what about texas custom plates myplates.com any of those reflective ive seen bunch on mack daddy rides they look like hard plastic in texas would that be a way to go?