Correct; everything else is "above board" (e.g: insured, registered).

In Tennessee, the first two offenses for improper display of license plate are $10 & $20 fines, respectively (but obviously this allows them to initiate a traffic stop; a younger-me couldn't afford this risk). In the past year+, a dozen officers have ignored my plateless transgressions.

This has the side-effect of encouraging me to obey most traffic laws more rigorously (e.g: I speed less, am generally less-aggressive).

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I am a middle-aged fat bald white dude in the US South – I'm practically invisible!

FYI: Halloween is officially "Drive without a License Plate Day" (to protest FLOCK cameras)