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Why Ohio Lawmakers Voted To Ditch Front License Plate Requirement
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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The state’s new transportation budget will do away with the requirement that Ohioans display a license plate on the front of their cars. That might not sound like a big deal to some but it was for some lawmakers who voted to make that change.
The Ohio Highway Patrol argued in favor of keeping the front license plate. But Republican House Speaker Larry Householder said requiring Ohioans to drill holes in the front of their cars hurts the vehicle’s value.
“When you go to trade it across state lines, and a lot of our cars are traded across state lines anymore, they are worth less money. And the other thing you’ve got to consider just moving into the future, aerodynamically, cars are starting to get narrower fronts and so it won’t be long before there won’t be a place in the front anyhow.
“When you talk to the auto manufacturer, all of the technology that they have, the smart car technology, all of it is in that front bumper.”
All of Ohio’s surrounding states have already scrapped the front license plate requirement.