"Unclear Plates" violation in NJ Q? (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Damm police state I live in (NJ) where the cops are all crooked and they get to profile all they want! Get pulled over today in the monsoon out there, decided to drive, so coming home get pulled over by this cop 42mpg in a 25mph. Since I have no points on my license, I get a warning, but the kicker is he says my license plate frame is "illegal."

What constitutes an illegal frame? I tried to do a google search but I get nothing but the offense and no description.

Jay

 

[Jason Wilcox]

no clue....what does your liscense plate frame look like?

 

[Eric Kahn]

plate frames are illegal here in ohio if they obscure any information on the plate, the name of the state on top, the yearly registration sticker on the lower right, or the county sticker either in the middle of the bottem or the lower left

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Found it very easily right here: http://www.state.nj.us/mvs/dm99/99pt6.htm :

where the cops are all crooked

Really? All? I know you're mad about the pull-over for your speeding, but c'mon...

 

[Mike Lenthol]

No mention about tinted plate covers? Those should be illegal too.

 

[Neil Joseph]

They are not legal in Toronto either, but then again, we have an automated toll highway that takes pictures of your plates and sends you the bill in the mail. Police have laid hefty fines on people trying to cheat the system. Heck, there was one motorist they were trying to nab for sometime. He would pull a level and the plate would flip around when he was entering and exiting the highway.

 

[Jeff_P]

About 5 years ago I received a ticket for having a license plate cover on my car. It was a clear plastic the obstructed nothing(NY plates are plain). I took it off that day to avoid another ticket but it still irks me when I see tinted license plate covers. I also get a kick out of new car owners that display the paper temporary license in their back windshield that is so tinted you can even see if someone is in the car.

I think the police could pullover someone every minute driving around in NY. If they did maybe we wouldnt have the crazy drivers that we do.

 

[Don Black]

I'm sorry but these types of systems are a little too big brother for me. I'm all for fighting them. If you want to raise money, raise taxes and deal with the resulting public outrage. Don't backdoor it in through these Orwellian countermeasures that track me wherever I go.

 

[Jay H]

You mean I have to have visible "The Garden State"? I don't have one of those anti-photo radar jobs but my frame covers all of "The Garden State" logo on the bottom and 50% of New Jersey on the top. It doesn't cover any number/letter nor does it cover the new registration stickers we use. It's completely obvious that it's NJ, especially to a cop that was behind me and walking towards me, unless he's blind.

Not mad about being pulled over, I was going about 40 in a 25 mile zone, I knew I have a good chance of just getting a warning but the plate thing threw me off guard. I am not a ticket magnet cause I know where all the cops hang out at and I do a good job of using other drivers as my radar detector. In fact I don't even use a radar detector anymore. The last time I got pulled over...mmmm about 2/3 years ago, I got another warning but no ticket. I've only had a speeding ticket once in NY in a rental car. This cop was driving towards me on the road which is why I couldn't know apriori that he was there. I already just went past the one cop spot that I see every now and then so I figured I was clear.

Really? All? I know you're mad about the pull-over for your speeding, but c'mon..

Thanks Peter for the link, I will have to check that out letter by letter. I'd love to contest this thing just to be a pain in the ass, even though it's only a $44 fine. But the news here recently, besides all that profiling scandal that we went through is that the top cop in NJ is affiliated with the mob. He has like some 8000 s.f. $675k house in Gilette even though he filed for bankrupcy about 5 years ago. And the development is reputed to be mob owned/associated.

Jay

 

[Todd Hochard]

You were pulled over for 42 in a 25, and your complaining about a frame ticket?
17 over- that's four points, and a guaranteed insurance hike here in FL.
Today's word is gift, boys and girls. Look it up.
Don- I'm not big on the concept of big brother, either, but given that it is a state-issued plate, you play by their rules. If you want to move anonomously, you have other means to do so. And no, I don't want implanted Lo-jacks in everyone, so don't take it there.
Todd

 

[John Watson]

The answer is Level 42?

BTW Dealers who gratuitously install a frame that obscures your plate should be fined big time too.

In winter, in Canada, many people get away with obscured licence plates, because, ya know, it's snowing. Balderdash!

But when the government abandons a requirement for a licence plate on the front front end of the vehicle, as many Canadian provinces have, you gotta give up...

Thanks for your post Jay, wondered when I'd ever get that rant off my chest!

 

[Jay H]

Never said I was complaining about being pulled over, it was just unlucky for me. Since he was driving on the road towards me and I just passed the place where the pi^H^H cops hang out at, it was just bad luck. But to give me a warning and a lousy ticket for the plate is just odd.
Feels kind of like one of those penalties American football players get for overcelebration in the endzone after a touchdown, you're happy you scored but feel pissed for getting a penalty for it.
John W, wasn't a dealer installed license frame, I have flossed out the dealer advertisement long time ago and have replaced the frame with one from my alma mater. I still have my dealer frame in the front plate because the dealer stripped the threads when they decided to change the plate frame (FROM A DIFFERENT DEALER!!!) to theirs... But I didn't find it was stripped until I tried to change that to a custom frame and by that time the offending dealership was out of business. They also messed up a water pump replacement too, but that was a different story and I did get restitution from the manufacturer though. (happily surprised how easy it was!).

 

[Denward]

I'm sure we all see a lot of obscured license plates and other illegal vehicle modifications, but it's probably one of those things where cops aren't going to pull you over just for that. But if they've already pulled you over for something else, then they can cite you for the minor offenses (not using seat belts, illegally colored lights, excessive window tint, etc.).

 

[Chet_F]

Hate to disappoint everyone here but cops can pull you over for NO reason. Just their word against yours and guess who wins when you go to court? Ask any lawyer.

 

[KyleS]

If you want to fight the ticket go to court and present your case to the Judge and remember to bring pictures of what your plates look like so it isnt just you standing up there saying they are not illegal because then it is your word against the cops. If it isnt blocking any important information then you should be able to get off or at least get the fine reduced. Other then that you should consider yourself extremely lucky since the plate is not a moving violation so your insurance wont go up and you will not receive points on your liscence. I understand how mad you are about a simple ticket like this but its a lot better to pay the $40 dollars and consider it a lesson learned.

Another major reason people are getting pulled over is the color of lights you have especially when people have Neon. Red and white and yellow are allowed in the front/rear in oregon with only Yellow on the sides. No lights can be around your liscence plates besides a white light to illuminate (which is required) or you can/will get a ticket. All Liscence plates covers including clear or tinted ones are Illegal here in Oregon but as stated you wont usually get pulled over for them but if they want to be technical they can give tickets for them once your pulled over.

KyleS

 

[Ryan Wright]

No mention about tinted plate covers? Those should be illegal too.

Like hell they should. I have NICE tinted covers on my Fiero. They are not darkly tinted - just enough to look great - and are plainly visible at all times, including at night.

They also fully comply with Washington State law.
http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsea...1017104742&p=1
Relevant sentence: "License plate frames may be used on vehicle license number plates only if the frames do not obscure license tabs or identifying letters or numbers on the plates and the plates can be plainly seen and read at all times."
I printed this and keep a copy in my car, in case some cop tries to harass me over them. Anyone claiming my license plate can not be "plainly seen and read" is obviously blind, or a liar, or both.

 

[Julian Reville]

What's the big deal with licence plate frames, covers, neon lights? Isn't the purpose of license plates to make for EASY identification? All this other stuff on there just makes it harder. If someone were to do a hit & run on you, wouldn't you want their car to have plates that were easy to read?

Of course, what I really love to see is cars with a totally different plate on the front, like one from Colorado. So you lived there once, so did I. Big deal.

 

[Ryan Wright]

All this other stuff on there just makes it harder.

Are you claiming to have any difficulty whatsoever reading my plate in the picture above? (the last letter notwithstanding due to the angle of the photograph)

As for "What's the big deal", some of us drive cars for the love of driving, rather than just as a form of transportation. As such, we personalize our cars to suit our tastes. License plate frames have cool designs or messages on them that their owners like. License plate covers protect the plate, keep it looking nice, and make it difficult to steal the registration tabs. My tinted covers also reduce glare and eliminate the plates as the focal point of the car. Without them, looking at my car, all you see is a big, bright license plate. With them, you see the whole car. And, incidentally, you can still read the plate perfectly.

At night you can't even tell these covers are there. The plate lights shining on them make them all but invisible, and the plates are very clearly seen.

So, why this unfounded urge to ruin our fun? So long as the plate is easily read, there is absolutely no reason why people such as myself should not be able to dress them up a little. And if it cuts down on tab theft, all the better.

 

[Julian Reville]

As such, we personalize our cars to suit our tastes

Seeing as how I'm such an old fogey that I can barely understand driving a car for fun, I guess I shouldn't mention the 1970 240Z I customized myself with flared fenders, alloy wheels & 205/70/14 Pirellis, front & rear spoilers, rally springs, nitrogen shocks, rear sway bar, louvered rear window, and limited slip diferential. This was in 1974, before this kind of stuff was standard on Zs.

I just don't see the point in making it harder for someone to ID your plate and easier for the police to give you a ticket, all at the same time.

 

[Ryan Wright]

So how does your tag frame make your car drive better?

Love of driving usually = a love for your car. The cover enhances the car's beauty and protects the plate and the tabs. People who only care about transportation don't bother with these accessories, but that doesn't mean those of us who do care should be stripped of them.