Q. I see a growing number of vehicles with no front license plate attached, presumably to maintain the “sleek” look of the front end. I always thought that plates were required on both the front and the back in California on cars and trucks. Am I wrong?

– Scott Veatch, Orange

A. Nope.

It is at the officer’s discretion as to whether such a violation warrants getting pulled over, and a scan on public roads is evidence that the lack of that front plate isn’t a high priority among law enforcement.

Still, the amount of missing front plates – or at least missing front license-plate numbers – might shrink a bit with a new option.

License plate wraps.

They are reflective vinyl, the same size as a metal license plate and look like them, too. They are designed to come off easily with a heat gun or a hair dryer loosening up the adhesive. No holes or screws are needed, and they conform better to some curvy bumpers than a flat plate.

A Huntington Beach company – License Plate Wrap – sells them for $93.89, which includes sales tax, at licenseplatewrap.com.

The wraps are one of several experiments the Department of Motor Vehicles is overseeing, including the digital license plates Honk has discussed a few times.

The wraps for standard plates – blue letters on a white blackground – and the Legacy yellow-on-black plates are offered. So are the Coastal, Breast Cancer Awareness, Veterans, Arts and Kids and Disabled-Person plate styles. Others are expected to be offered in the future.

The wrap’s style must match the back plate’s, with it taking four to five weeks to get the wrap, a company representative told Honk.

Angelica Martinez, a DMV spokeswoman, said the wraps are a pilot program until Jan. 1. The California Legislature can extend the testing period, and can make the wraps a permanent option, too.

“Currently, 3,349 vehicles display the license plate wrap in lieu of the front metal plate,” she told Honk earlier this month.

Is it possible that an officer isn’t aware of the program and asks a driver about the wrap?

Yep.

But motorists are to keep the front plate and a letter from the DMV inside their vehicles.

Automated license-plate readers, which law enforcement uses to scan license plates to find wanted vehicles, work with these wraps, too.

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HONKIN’ FACT: When Quanda McGadney, 51, was struck by a hit-and-run driver last week on Interstate 80 in Solano County, the landscape maintenance worker became the 190th Caltrans worker to be killed while on the job since 1921, the agency said. An arrest has been made.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at [email protected]. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com