Police Catch Drivers Without Front Plate

Traffic police caught 202 drivers without front license plates on their cars Tuesday at a San Fernando Valley intersection, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department conducted the three-hour check because too many people without front license plates were getting away with running red lights, said Sgt. Dale Turner of the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division.

Cameras mounted at intersections to catch red-light violators are designed to take photographs of a car’s front license plate and the driver’s face, but up to 25% of violators caught on film are whizzing away unticketed because the front plate is missing, Turner said.

“The fine is under $20,” Turner said. “A lot of people I’m sure feel that they’d rather pay the fine than put a license plate on and get a $271 [red-light violation] ticket.”