Do you know what is a license plate? Do you know about its importance? If not, then don’t worry. Let us first discuss what is a license plate. A license plate can be defined as a sign that displays your vehicle’s registration details. You must be aware of the number plate of a vehicle; the license plate is the same.We can say that the license plate is another name for the nameplate or number plate of your vehicle. You must be thinking about why there is a need for a license plate for every vehicle. Let us give you a simple example. As our ID card or nationality card identifies our personality and registers us as residents of our country, the number plate works the same for our vehicle.
We get our vehicle registered and get a number plate for that vehicle which is kind of a piece of identification. We need to attach it in a very clear position so that it is clearly visible to others. This plate consists of a unique combination of numbers and characters.
When you buy a car or any other vehicle, you do not get the license plate at the time of buying it. You need to complete the registration process to get it. It takes about one month or less to get the number plate of your vehicle.
Some people who prefer buying a used car are more likely to get interested to know if buying a used car without license plates is worth it or not. If you want to know whether it is possible to drive a car without a license or not, you need to read this guide. This guide explains to you the purpose and importance of a license plate and also tells you whether it is legal or illegal to drive without a license plate.
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Before buying a used car without license plates, you must know about the importance of a license plate for your vehicle. Let us tell you that number plates play a vital role in getting attention from passing by the traffic. The law of every country states that you must have a number plate for your vehicle otherwise you will be charged for it as it is an illegal act in many countries not to have a license plate.
This number plate can also be used for getting the information of the owner such as name, contact number, and address. This information is mostly retrieved at the time when you go through any criminal activity or break a law.
For example, if you are driving at night and you exceed the speed limit, the picture of your car’s number plate will be captured by the camera placed on the road from where you were passing. The next day or after two to three days, you will see a notice at your home that will state that you have been charged for exceeding the speed limit.
The picture of your vehicle and number plate will also be provided to you with this challan notice. The date and time will also be mentioned there. You will have to pay for it. Thus, your personal information is retrieved with the help of your registered car’s license plate.
If there wouldn’t be any number plates for the vehicles, the rate of criminal activities would be increased and no one would follow the laws and rules, especially the traffic rules. Every single person would be likely to break the rules as they wouldn’t be traceable. Thus, every vehicle has a unique number plate which is a combination of the characters that uniquely identify that vehicle.
Cost of a License Plate
Let us tell that the cost of a license plate is about five dollars but it is the only cost of the plate. The cost of registration is other than the cost of the plate. If you want a duplicate of your vehicle registration, you will not be charged for it; not even a single penny.
Moreover, there are different types of license plates available out there. If we talk about a university license plate, it will cost you about 35 dollars plus the standard registration fee. If you want a university license plate to get renewed, you will have to pay ten dollars plus the standard registration fee.
If you do not renew your license plate on time, you will be fined with late fee of 10 dollars. Let us tell you that if your number plate expires on Saturday, Sunday, or any other legal holiday, the expiration date of your license plate is extended till the next business day. So, in this case, you will not be charged a 10-dollar late fee.
Buying A Car Without A License Plate?
Some people wonder if they can buy a car without a license plate or not. Let us tell you that when you buy a car from a private seller, you are not provided with the license plate at the time of buying the car. The seller provides you with the associated documents that are proof that you have recently bought this car.
The process of getting the license plate is not for about two to three days. So, if any police officer asks you about your number plate, you can show him the documents of your car where the date of purchasing the car is also mentioned. So, you are not charged with a fine in this case.
If you have bought a used car, the existing number plate of the car will not be removed by the seller. He just transfers the ownership to you when you buy the vehicle otherwise the registration number and other details of the car remain the same such as the number plate. You can change the number plate and select the one according to your preferences but you cannot change that unique code that identifies your car.
Can I Buy A Car Without Driving License?
If you want to buy a car, it is not necessary to have a driver’s license but you have to go through a lot of procedures to buy a car without having a license. So, it would be best for you to have a license when you want to buy a car. It is not a law that you must have a license to buy a car but having a license helps in avoiding many complications that can occur in the car-buying process such as buying insurance or getting a loan.
If you do not have a license, you cannot buy the car online. It means you will have to meet the seller in place and have a conversation with him. So, it will cost you a lot of time. If you do not have a driver’s license, you must have a valid form of identification for example an ID card that represents your identity.
Reasons For Buying A Car Without License
There are many reasons why people want to buy a car without a license. Some of these reasons may include buying a car as a gift for someone. You can surprise your friend or any family member who is not having a driving license.
Another reason for buying a car without a license may be that you want to buy your car for a personal driver. That driver will drive your car who has a driver’s license. The most common example is that many people buy cars without a license and give their car to a driver for Uber. That driver works on the behalf of the owner and gets a salary from him instead of getting payment from Uber.
Moreover, if you want to get a driver’s license and do not know how to drive, you buy a car without a license so that you could learn how to drive the car. You drive this car with a licensed driver. So, when someone ever asks you do you have to have a license to buy a car, you can reply to him that the license is not necessary to buy a car but you might have to face some complications while buying the car.
Is It Illegal To Drive a Car Without License Plate?
We can say that it is an illegal act to drive a car without a license plate if a lot of time has passed since you bought the car. But if you have recently bought the car and are driving without the license plate, you will not be accused of any illegal activity.
If you are stopped on the road for not having a license plate, you can show proof that you have just bought your car. For this purpose, you need a bill of sale. The bill of sale varies from state to state but it is very simple. This bill of sale includes the contract of the buyer and the seller.
It includes the agreed price of the car between the seller and the buyer. The mileage on the odometer is also mentioned. Plus, it also includes some personal and contact information.
It is important for you to determine whether the car is insured or not before buying it. If not, you must get it right away! It is also necessary to check the laws of the state in which you are living so that you could get the license plate accordingly.
How To Get A Car Registered?
If you want to know how you can get your car registered, you must go through this section. It explains to you the procedure that is needed to be followed for getting the registration of your car if you have newly bought it. So, let’s have a look at it:
1. Get Car Insurance
The first thing to do right after buying a car is to get it insured. It is recommended that you get your vehicle within 180 days of the effective date on your insurance ID card. Getting insurance is helpful for you to save money in the future. If something happens to your car or there is an issue with it, you will not have to worry about it as it will be covered by the insurance company.
2. Submit Your Documents
After getting your car insured, the next step is to submit your application and documents of your car to get it registered. When you submit all the documents and are done with all the legal documentation process, you need to pay the registration fee.
3. Getting Documents From the DMV
You need to wait for one to two weeks after the submission of your documents and the payment of registration of your vehicle. You will be mailed with your documents when you get registered. You also get your number plate, registration window sticker, registration document, and 10-day inspection extension sticker.
4. Inspection of Car
When you get your number plate, it means your vehicle has been registered legally. You can drive safely without any issues on the road. It is recommended to you to get your car inspected every year and maintain it well if you want to increase its life. You should also get your car inspected if you transfer the ownership to someone else.
Things You Need to Register License Plates
When you want to get registered for license plates, you need to fulfill the requirements of the state in which you are living. Let us tell you that every state has its own rules regarding different sectors, things, and conditions. You need to follow these rules and requirements of the state in which you are living.
The common things that are needed to get your car registered include proof of insurance, the title of the car, driver’s license, bill of sale, report of vehicle inspection, and stipulated registration fee. These requirements may also differ in different states.
Benefits of License Plates
There are several benefits that are offered by a license plate of your vehicle where the major benefit is that your vehicle can be recognized easily. It is easy for the police to recognize your car if it is involved in any criminal activity.
For example, as we know every vehicle has a number plate, so it becomes easy for law enforcement to track down the criminals after the attempt of a criminal activity or after a car accident, kidnapping, vehicle theft, or any other crime.
In this way, the police can catch the right person instead of someone else who hasn’t committed the particular criminal activity. As we know, many cars look the same so the number plate is a thing that distinguishes them from each other.
The license plates are also beneficial for the states to detect and find the drivers that have used toll roads but haven’t paid for them. Thus, these states can easily find such drivers with the help of the unique number that is provided on their license plate.
A license plate is also beneficial for us to prevent any kind of trouble where we are being pulled for something we haven’t done. For example, if an accident takes place on the road where two bikes fell on the road and you were just passing by them. You might get accused of getting involved in this accident. But your vehicle’s license number can help in saving you from such a situation with the help of the cameras installed on the road.
So, if you want to enjoy the benefits of a license plate, it is recommended to get one for your vehicle before you get into any kind of trouble. No doubt, having a number plate also saves you money as the tickets for driving without a license plate are so expensive.
Advantages of License Plate Recognition Device
Let us discuss some other benefits that are offered by a license plate recognition device:
1. Enhance Accuracy
When we are talking about license plates, here accuracy means license plate recognition video analytics. As we know, humans can make mistakes sometimes, but for the identification and recognition of a number plate, special software has been developed. This software is known as license plate recognition software which is used in many states.
The use of this software makes it able to keep accurate and correct records of all the vehicles in a parking area. It becomes easy to keep citations accurate and identify a vehicle easily. We know that, in the past, the vehicles were checked manually which was a very time-consuming task to perform.
The manual method was not only time-consuming but its outcomes consisted of errors sometimes. But, by using video analytics, we can say that no error can occur in the recognition of the number plates. If there is an unregistered car detected by this device, it alerts the team of the specified area about that car.
2. Reduction of Waste
We know that the manual method included the use of tickets or physical permits. Whenever a person used to park in the parking lot, he was provided with a ticket that recognized the vehicle of a specific person. Thus, a lot of tickets were used for this purpose which resulted in increasing the waste in the country.
The use of video analytics is helpful in reducing the waste on a property. It is a major benefit of a license plate that its unique code is recognized with the recognition software and the data of the vehicle is stored in the computer. Thus, it also results in decreasing the operating cost as well as eliminating the need for manual reinforcement.
3. Prevention of Traffic Jams
The license plates play a vital role in the prevention of traffic jams. You must be thinking how is that possible only with the help of a license plate. Let us explain to you that parking lots are the places that become jammed or full at peak hours with different vehicles.
When these vehicles stop to get a ticket for their vehicle or get an identity for their vehicle, it spent a lot of time for the vehicle to get it. Thus, it resulted in jamming that area. The introduction of a license plate recognition device has resulted in preventing this issue.
It is software that can help the traffic flow smoothly without stopping at any point. This software will capture the number present on the license plate automatically when the vehicle enters the parking lot. Thus, it also results in reducing the number of accidents that can occur due to jammed traffic.
4. Keep The Drivers Safe
License plate recognition software is also helpful in helping the drivers and staff members stay safe. As we know, the advanced technology of license plate recognition helps in eliminating and reducing the need for the staff members to stay near the parking lot from where the vehicles have to enter.
Moreover, the license plate recognition software is enriched with touchless technology that does not require the drivers to touch the system with their hands. It is helpful for them as they do not have to worry about catching germs as the pandemic of COVID-19 is going through.
This software has allowed the drivers to pay for parking through online means. It means they do not need the staff members to be there for paying the money. The number plates can be used by the drivers for paying easily so they do not have to interact with the employees physically which is safer.
Penalties For Driving Without a License Plate
If you have bought a new car, you have time for about sixty days to get a license plate for your car. You will not be charged with a ticket that is sent to your house if you drive without a license plate. You can show the documents of your car in court to show you have just bought your car and haven’t got the license plate yet.
But if you do not get the license plate on time, you must be aware of the penalties against this act. The most common penalty is to pay a fine for driving without a number plate. You should know that this fine is very expensive and is not easy for everyone to pay.
Moreover, the penalties for driving without a license plate differ depending upon the state where you live. Some states say that you should have a temporary number plate in your vehicle’s window if you do not have it on the outside of your vehicle.
When you are caught driving without a number plate, you are charged with a fine depending upon the situation. For example, if a police officer has caught you driving a car or any other vehicle with expired temporary plates in the windows, you will not be fined too much. But if there is no license plate at all, you will be charged more money.
Another case is the worst in which you get caught driving your car without a license plate and you also do not have a driving license. The action against this act is very strict. You have to pay a very high fine in this situation which is too expensive. You may also lose your license in such a condition.
The fine for getting caught driving without a license plate is about 40 dollars per day for about thirty days. You should get a license plate within this period otherwise you will be charged with more fines. Moreover, if you get caught without a driver’s license, you will be fined about 1500 dollars and your license will also be suspended for six months. But it greatly depends upon the state in which you live.
Exceptions For Driving Without a License Plate
There are also some exceptions when you get caught driving a car without a license plate. The most common one is the use of a temporary license plate. You are provided with a temporary license plate by the car owner that prevents you from getting caught due to not having a permanent license plate.
The temporary license plate is placed under the windshield of your vehicle. It is important for you to review the rules, laws, and regulations of the state in which you live because the laws keep changing. So, you must be aware of whether you can drive without a number plate or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you buy a car without a license?
Yes, you can buy a car without a license but it makes it create some complications in the buying process of the car.
2. Where can I buy a car without a license?
You can buy a car without a license from any automotive company but you need to provide your information in detail for this purpose.
3. Do you need a driver’s license to buy a car?
It would be great if you have a driver’s license to buy a car because it saves you a lot of time and you can complete the purchasing process online.
4. How to get a license plate?
You need to get your car registered to get a license plate for it.
5. What is the benefit of a license plate?
A license plate is beneficial for you to prevent any kind of criminal activity or getting accused of something that you haven’t done.
Conclusion
It is important for you to get registered if you want to drive legally in your state. When you get registered, you are provided with a license plate that is used for recognizing your car. We know that there are many cars that look like same so the license plate is helpful to distinguish them.
The laws in every state are changing regarding license plates and their installation. For example, some states allow you to get a license plate in three days, some provide you with the time of sixty days and some only let you drive your car when it is registered by DMV.
You can also get a temporary license plate for your car until you get the permanent one. This temporary tag helps you to prevent different types of awkward situations. For example, you do not get caught if you have a temporary license plate in your vehicle’s window.
You must get your license plate renewed if it has to get expired. Keeping an expired license plate in your car is better than not having any license plate. You must be aware of the penalties when you are caught driving without a license plate. You should also never drive without a license otherwise you will lose it for about six months.
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