Not entirely.....Part of the intention of a plate is still about registering ownership and assigning responsibility for the vehicle.
As a devoted single plate car guy I would selfishly agree but....State government's intention was to make identification easier for law enforcement.....Seeing the plate coming as well as going was their priority. So I'm guessing that this decision is a "canary in the coal mine" indication as first steps to compromising law enforcement in a weak economy.
With the revenue generated by red light cameras in the DC area & speeding tickets in VA I'm surprised any state wants to make it harder to monitor us.
And I suppose that's my point....they don't want to, Nope, after years for forcing citizens to mount a plate on the front and even drill holes in their car bumpers to comply they finally relented. BECAUSE the State's desire to save money offset the convenience and preference of the protesting law enforcers.