So, another thing came accross my mind. In Arizona we only require a rear license plate, also the tint on my windows are at 35% which is Arizona legal. I understand that I will be driving through 13 states where my tint is considered illegal. The tint came with my car when I bought it in 2005 and I am not taking it off. Sure I could drive with my windows open, but I feel that I shouldn't have to. Plus I don't like having them open. So how is enforcement in New England?
I am paranoid because of an incident in Dubuque, IA last year. I was harrassed by a cop for my windows and no front plate. He did the false alert trick on me, searched my car and dispite the fact that he found nothing illegal in my car (there never was and never will be) he accused me of transporting drugs. WTF? I have NEVER done drugs in my life. I have a clean driving record and a clean background. Yet I was being treated like a common criminal. In the end he gave me a fix it ticket and told me that the reason why he was not going to arrest me was because he didn't want to ruin my trip.
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
I got pulled over several times for driving with a windshield that was obviously cracked in many places - New Mexico legal, but not so in other states. I was given a warning each time with the strong undercurrent of "stop defacing our beautiful state with your shitty car".
I have gotten pulled over for 58 in a 55 and had the car searched for drugs. Police don't need an excuse if they don't want one.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 11, 2011, 05:36:38 PM
I have gotten pulled over for 58 in a 55 and had the car searched for drugs.
Wow, I didn't know that 58 in a 55 = drug dealer :rolleyes:
QuotePolice don't need an excuse if they don't want one.
Apperently so!
Quote from: AZDude on June 11, 2011, 06:16:19 PM
Wow, I didn't know that 58 in a 55 = drug dealer :rolleyes:
everyone's a drug dealer. and if I were going precisely 55, they'd have gotten me for that. Impeding the flow of traffic or the like.
The single-plate thing SHOULDN'T be an issue, though of course nothing is guaranteed. Even DC, which requires both front and rear plates and enforces it as to non-residents, makes an exception for residents of jurisdictions that issue only one plate. If they don't ticket for it, surely nobody else would, as DC is DRACONIAN. I know a guy, Virginia resident, who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? The "month" and "year" stickers were reversed from how Virginia says they're supposed to go–that is, Virginia says the month sticker is to go on the left and the year on the right. This guy had them backwards, which for some reason isn't unusual in Virginia even though there's really no reason for not putting them on correctly. Either way, who cares as long as it's clear when the plate expires, right???? Not in the eyes of the DC ticket writers!!!
DC has a lot of land owned by the federal government that they're not collecting taxes on. They need the revenue.
Quote from: AZDude on June 11, 2011, 05:07:50 PM
So, another thing came accross my mind. In Arizona we only require a rear license plate, also the tint on my windows are at 35% which is Arizona legal. I understand that I will be driving through 13 states where my tint is considered illegal. The tint came with my car when I bought it in 2005 and I am not taking it off. Sure I could drive with my windows open, but I feel that I shouldn't have to. Plus I don't like having them open. So how is enforcement in New England?
I am paranoid because of an incident in Dubuque, IA last year. I was harrassed by a cop for my windows and no front plate. He did the false alert trick on me, searched my car and dispite the fact that he found nothing illegal in my car (there never was and never will be) he accused me of transporting drugs. WTF? I have NEVER done drugs in my life. I have a clean driving record and a clean background. Yet I was being treated like a common criminal. In the end he gave me a fix it ticket and told me that the reason why he was not going to arrest me was because he didn't want to ruin my trip.
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
Kentucky requires a sticker certifying the level of aftermarket tint (has since the late '80s). If your state also requires stickers, and they are properly affixed, that should be sufficient. Your car is legal in the state of registration and you are just passing through.
Same for the front license plate issue. Kentucky doesn't require them, and my pickup truck has a stylized "3" (Dale Earnhardt) plate on the front of it. I've never had any problems in states that require a front plate and I've driven through a bunch of them in that truck.
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
Quote
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
I think there is but it may only apply to the back window and rear windows if the tint was installed from the factory. The front windows is another story. I know in Georgia the law says that out of state drivers are not exempt from getting a ticket, which is bullshit. Thankfully their law is 35% too.
As for the driving age, I was once told a long time ago that the driving age in Nebraska was 15. I never believed that.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 12, 2011, 01:53:39 AM
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
There usually are, but not always. After I got my license at 16, I remember reading New York wouldn't let anyone under 18 drive even if they have a valid license from another state. This may still be true today. I'm sure one of our NY residents could confirm or deny this.
Quote from: mightyace on June 12, 2011, 04:58:59 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on June 12, 2011, 01:53:39 AM
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
There usually are, but not always. After I got my license at 16, I remember reading New York wouldn't let anyone under 18 drive even if they have a valid license from another state. This may still be true today. I'm sure one of our NY residents could confirm or deny this.
Nope, permit at 16 and liscence at 16 1/2. Out of state you must be 16.
Quote from: mightyace on June 12, 2011, 04:58:59 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on June 12, 2011, 01:53:39 AM
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
There usually are, but not always. After I got my license at 16, I remember reading New York wouldn't let anyone under 18 drive even if they have a valid license from another state. This may still be true today. I'm sure one of our NY residents could confirm or deny this.
The age is 18 in New York CITY not STATE where it is 16.
QuoteAren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
As far as I know, the age is still 15 in Idaho for a license. My little sister got hers in 2007- permit at 14 1/2, then a full license at 15 with no night driving and no more than one unrelated passenger until 16. When I got mine in 2003 you could get a permit at 14 and full unrestricted license at 15.
I remember having trouble in Ohio when I had my 14-year-old learner's permit. I was driving around with my Grandpa in his old truck (I was already learning exclusively on a stick in Idaho, but he wanted me to get some practice on his 1974 Chevrolet with a giant V-8 and three on the tree) near Greenfield and the Ross County Sheriff pulled us over on the back road to Chillicothe because I looked young and then politely informed us that I couldn't legally drive in the state of Ohio with an Idaho learner's permit. They didn't do anything, realizing there as no way we could have known (the Idaho permit didn't say "This is only valid in Idaho")- they just made my Grandpa drive
Regarding reciprocity issues, Virginia will ticket out-of-state drivers whose tint doesn't comply with Virginia law, regardless of whether it's legal in their home state. Some cops–the more reasonable ones, IMO–will often let it go unless they pull you over for something else and you mouth off at them or you were driving like a complete asshole before they pulled you over. But some of the more uppity cops might give you a ticket for tint alone.
Virginia's rationale, BTW, is that the General Assembly has determined what level of tint is safe and it makes no difference where the car is from. A federal court challenge to the constitutionality of the ticket would fail because it's possible to comply with both states' laws, even if that means not using the maximum tint allowed in the other state. (That was one of the factors discussed in the famous 1959 Bibb case from the US Supreme Court involving Illinois' law regarding truck mudflaps.)
I don't know whether any other states are that picky about tint, or how many or which ones. But it's a mistake to rely on blanket statements about how "they can't do that" or to assume things.
As for the tint in New England, just stay out of small towns and you generally won't encounter a good deal of problems. NYS Troopers may be picky on this subject as they are on the Taconic.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 12, 2011, 01:53:39 AM
Quote from: AZDude on June 11, 2011, 05:07:50 PM
So, another thing came accross my mind. In Arizona we only require a rear license plate, also the tint on my windows are at 35% which is Arizona legal. I understand that I will be driving through 13 states where my tint is considered illegal. The tint came with my car when I bought it in 2005 and I am not taking it off. Sure I could drive with my windows open, but I feel that I shouldn't have to. Plus I don't like having them open. So how is enforcement in New England?
I am paranoid because of an incident in Dubuque, IA last year. I was harrassed by a cop for my windows and no front plate. He did the false alert trick on me, searched my car and dispite the fact that he found nothing illegal in my car (there never was and never will be) he accused me of transporting drugs. WTF? I have NEVER done drugs in my life. I have a clean driving record and a clean background. Yet I was being treated like a common criminal. In the end he gave me a fix it ticket and told me that the reason why he was not going to arrest me was because he didn't want to ruin my trip.
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
Kentucky requires a sticker certifying the level of aftermarket tint (has since the late '80s). If your state also requires stickers, and they are properly affixed, that should be sufficient. Your car is legal in the state of registration and you are just passing through.
Same for the front license plate issue. Kentucky doesn't require them, and my pickup truck has a stylized "3" (Dale Earnhardt) plate on the front of it. I've never had any problems in states that require a front plate and I've driven through a bunch of them in that truck.
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
Not just "reciprocity statutes": the Full Faith and Credit Clause (and right to travel) of the Constitution ought to permit me to drive anywhere in the U.S. without a front license plate; it's never occurred to me it would be an issue. And I'd think anything...what's the word? - permanent, inherent, built-in...about your car that's legal in your home state would be legal (for you) in any state. What are you supposed to do: stop at the state line and replace your windows?
That doesn't mean that our police departments - with all due respect - don't include their share of idiots like any other segment of the population, but I can't imagine a "ban" - a ban in some cop's mind, let's be clear - on driving without a front license plate making it through the courts.
License plate shouldn't be an issue. Window tint might, though.
Quote from: mightyace on June 12, 2011, 04:58:59 AM
There usually are, but not always. After I got my license at 16, I remember reading New York wouldn't let anyone under 18 drive even if they have a valid license from another state. This may still be true today. I'm sure one of our NY residents could confirm or deny this.
You might be thinking of permits and limited licences; reciprocity statues don't always cover them (US/Ontario doesn't, for example) and the age for a full DL in NY is 18 if you don't have driver's ed through a public or private high school.
NYC is very restrictive as well.
Quote from: froggie on June 12, 2011, 11:49:05 AM
License plate shouldn't be an issue. Window tint might, though.
Even the money-grubbing D.C. cops seem to agree, at least on plates. They won't ticket you for no front plate if your home state doesn't require one. But if the home state requires a front plate that you don't have, expect a ticket.
Quote from: oscar on June 12, 2011, 12:41:37 PM
Even the money-grubbing D.C. cops seem to agree, at least on plates. They won't ticket you for no front plate if your home state doesn't require one. But if the home state requires a front plate that you don't have, expect a ticket.
do cops really memorize which states need front plates?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 12, 2011, 02:13:14 PM
Quote from: oscar on June 12, 2011, 12:41:37 PM
Even the money-grubbing D.C. cops seem to agree, at least on plates. They won't ticket you for no front plate if your home state doesn't require one. But if the home state requires a front plate that you don't have, expect a ticket.
do cops really memorize which states need front plates?
They're given a list.
It's all about the $$$ it seems.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 12, 2011, 02:18:34 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 12, 2011, 02:13:14 PM
Quote from: oscar on June 12, 2011, 12:41:37 PM
Even the money-grubbing D.C. cops seem to agree, at least on plates. They won't ticket you for no front plate if your home state doesn't require one. But if the home state requires a front plate that you don't have, expect a ticket.
do cops really memorize which states need front plates?
They're given a list.
Not that hard, basically [of course with exceptions] most Eastern states have front and most Western do not.
quote fixe
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 12, 2011, 02:13:14 PM
Quote from: oscar on June 12, 2011, 12:41:37 PM
Even the money-grubbing D.C. cops seem to agree, at least on plates. They won't ticket you for no front plate if your home state doesn't require one. But if the home state requires a front plate that you don't have, expect a ticket.
do cops really memorize which states need front plates?
I'd guess the majority of out-of-state drivers in DC are from either Maryland or Virginia, so if they see a Virginia car they would know that VA requires front plates. I can't remember if Maryland does or not.
QuoteNot that hard, basically [of course with exceptions] most Eastern states have front and most Western do not.
Not quite the case. According to this website (http://www.worldlicenceplates.com/usa/US_XLPR.html), verified by another (http://www.javasigns.com/info/category/162/article/570), only 19 states do not require a front plate, and over half of them are in the Southeast. Virginia, Maryland, and DC are the only jurisdictions south of the Mason-Dixon Line that do.
QuoteI can't remember if Maryland does or not.
Maryland does.
Quote from: AZDude on June 11, 2011, 05:07:50 PM
So, another thing came accross my mind. In Arizona we only require a rear license plate, also the tint on my windows are at 35% which is Arizona legal. I understand that I will be driving through 13 states where my tint is considered illegal. The tint came with my car when I bought it in 2005 and I am not taking it off. Sure I could drive with my windows open, but I feel that I shouldn't have to. Plus I don't like having them open. So how is enforcement in New England?
I am paranoid because of an incident in Dubuque, IA last year. I was harrassed by a cop for my windows and no front plate. He did the false alert trick on me, searched my car and dispite the fact that he found nothing illegal in my car (there never was and never will be) he accused me of transporting drugs. WTF? I have NEVER done drugs in my life. I have a clean driving record and a clean background. Yet I was being treated like a common criminal. In the end he gave me a fix it ticket and told me that the reason why he was not going to arrest me was because he didn't want to ruin my trip.
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
Ask to see the asshole's supervisor and refuse to do anything until he/she gets there. The moron in the car may not know the laws (how many cops actually do? - it's not more than an associates degree, if that!), but his/her supervisor sure as hell will do things right.
One thing I do see them doing in Illinois is standing half out of their cars for speed patrol. Very dangerous, IMHO. All it takes is one errant car to cut them in half.
Quote from: Michael in Philly on June 12, 2011, 11:38:34 AMAnd I'd think anything...what's the word? - permanent, inherent, built-in...about your car that's legal in your home state would be legal (for you) in any state.
The general rule of thumb is that if any OEM feature on a car is legal in the state of first registration, then that feature will not be a barrier to
re-registering the car in any other state--much less simply passing through that state. This is why California will allow you to bring a car in from out of state which meets federal but not California emissions standards.
These problems with equipment faults (tinted windows, too many windshield cracks, and the like) are always the result of aftermarket changes or normal wear and tear. No state has a minimum pass-through requirement which is higher than the smallest pass-through provided by the automobile industry, so a car with just its OEM window tinting is legal to drive everywhere in the US. AZDude's problem, which he has previously described in another thread, is clearly the result of aftermarket tint.
QuoteThat doesn't mean that our police departments - with all due respect - don't include their share of idiots like any other segment of the population, but I can't imagine a "ban" - a ban in some cop's mind, let's be clear - on driving without a front license plate making it through the courts.
I have never heard of the police hassling people for not having a front license plate when those vehicles are registered in states which do not require front license plates. I have had problems, however, with "concerned citizens" assuming that front license plates are required everywhere and treating me like a criminal because my Kansas-registered car does not have one.
Quote from: J N Winkler on June 12, 2011, 10:40:08 PM
I have never heard of the police hassling people for not having a front license plate when those vehicles are registered in states which do not require front license plates. I have had problems, however, with "concerned citizens" assuming that front license plates are required everywhere and treating me like a criminal because my Kansas-registered car does not have one.
I've had a similar issue with "concern citizens" here in Illinois regarding village/city stickers on cars. Most municipalities in Illinois issue a vehicle tax sticker for the windshield. Joliet does not, and has not for the last 17-18 years.
QuoteI've had a similar issue with "concern citizens" here in Illinois regarding village/city stickers on cars. Most municipalities in Illinois issue a vehicle tax sticker for the windshield. Joliet does not, and has not for the last 17-18 years.
Have not had that problem in Virginia, which has something similar except for those few jurisdictions (Virginia Beach and Fairfax County among them) who have been allowed to opt out of the sticker.
I travel regularly for work. I'll often end up renting a car with out-of-state plates. I've never, ever had a problem with not having a front license plate in a state that uses them. And as an added bonus, you'll be immune to many of the red light cameras that only photograph the front of the car.
As for window tint, I do know one person who got a ticket for FL-legal tinting while out of state. He was pulled over for speeding but the cop wrote him the tint ticket instead to cut him a break - no points and much cheaper. Other than that, my car with FL-legal aftermarket tint has been through a large number of states without issue.
Watch out for any aftermarket lighting modifications you've done. Police do enforce laws against things like ground effect lights even if you're from a state that allows them.
Quote from: froggie on June 13, 2011, 07:40:55 AM
QuoteI've had a similar issue with "concern citizens" here in Illinois regarding village/city stickers on cars. Most municipalities in Illinois issue a vehicle tax sticker for the windshield. Joliet does not, and has not for the last 17-18 years.
Have not had that problem in Virginia, which has something similar except for those few jurisdictions (Virginia Beach and Fairfax County among them) who have been allowed to opt out of the sticker.
I remember a news story in the Daily Progress some years ago about Charlottesville parking enforcement ticketing vehicles from Virginia Beach for not having decals. At the time the City of Virginia Beach was one of only three jurisdictions in Virginia not to use the decals (Abingdon and York Counties were the others), and the tickets were dropped when the car owners went to court to fight them, but the Charlottesville police were unapologetic and said that they'd continue to write the tickets because they didn't consider it their problem to determine where a car was registered. I'm pretty certain they've changed that policy now that several other jurisdictions have dropped the decals, as I've parked in Charlottesville quite a few times in recent years on football trips and have never been ticketed for not having the sticker. It was never all that clear how many of the cars were students' cars, how many were from football traffic, and how many were random visitors.
(I DID keep the Fairfax County stickers on both of my cars for a couple of years after we stopped having to get them, though, because I figured that the expired one would confirm to parking enforcement in Arlington or Alexandria that it was legitimate for me not to have a current one. Never had a problem, and I eventually removed the decals out of concern that DC would ticket me for having an expired/invalid decal on my windshield.)
Quote from: froggie on June 12, 2011, 11:49:05 AM
License plate shouldn't be an issue. Window tint might, though.
Another point on this is that license plates (single or double) are government issued while window tinting is an option applied at the request of the car owner.
Which brings up something else, over the years in here in Tennessee, I've noticed that many drivers who've moved in from other states who've kept their front plates from anther state. IMO, that should not be legal. If you want to put a plate on front here saying "I love my old state!" then fine otherwise, you should get a fine. Former Texans seems to be the worst offenders of this type in Tennessee.
Quote from: mightyace on June 13, 2011, 04:03:07 PMI've noticed that many drivers who've moved in from other states who've kept their front plates from anther state. IMO, that should not be legal.
I agree. that's mismatching identification. the only way you should be allowed to do so is if the front plate is blatantly different (I've seen German plates kept up front, with their clearly different form factor, readily distinguished at great distance) ... or if you're the 18 wheeler from Duel!
Quote from: mightyace on June 13, 2011, 04:03:07 PM
Which brings up something else, over the years in here in Tennessee, I've noticed that many drivers who've moved in from other states who've kept their front plates from anther state. IMO, that should not be legal. If you want to put a plate on front here saying "I love my old state!" then fine otherwise, you should get a fine. Former Texans seems to be the worst offenders of this type in Tennessee.
New Yorkers pull that crap all the time here in Florida.
As for foreign plates, i would have the same concern. European plates are perfectly valid in the US. They are just uncommon. I saw a Euro-style RV with full German plates (EU/D) only a few weeks ago driving down I95. And living near an air force base, it's not uncommon to see NATO/USA Euro-compliant plates driving around.
The reverse is also true. I saw a car with New York plates driving around in London a few months ago.
That doesn't bother me to have an old out of state plate in the front. Provided your new residence only requires a rear plate. I would probably do it too. Although, I would take it off when traveling.
My wife has an old personalized Kentucky plate on the front of her vehicle that is not the current design, nor does it match the plate currently on the back of her vehicle. The current version of the personalized plate is on another vehicle that we own. She has driven from Oklahoma and Texas to Massachusetts and New York, and from Georgia and Alabama to Illinois and Indiana, without any problems.
I've been a bit paranoid back when I started driving out of province. Not in Ontario (they're used to seeing Quebecers in their province), but in NY, VT, NH and MA. I did not know how tolerant they were on minor speeding so I would stick to the limit, no more... but what bothered me the most is that in QC, we have no front plates, no date stickers on our plates, no inspection stickers; almost nothing except one naked (no stickers) license plate on the rear. I thought that would be problematic in places where Quebecers are not common sight.
Quote from: realjd on June 13, 2011, 05:44:10 PM
Quote from: mightyace on June 13, 2011, 04:03:07 PM
Which brings up something else, over the years in here in Tennessee, I've noticed that many drivers who've moved in from other states who've kept their front plates from anther state. IMO, that should not be legal. If you want to put a plate on front here saying "I love my old state!" then fine otherwise, you should get a fine. Former Texans seems to be the worst offenders of this type in Tennessee.
New Yorkers pull that crap all the time here in Florida.
As for foreign plates, i would have the same concern. European plates are perfectly valid in the US. They are just uncommon. I saw a Euro-style RV with full German plates (EU/D) only a few weeks ago driving down I95. And living near an air force base, it's not uncommon to see NATO/USA Euro-compliant plates driving around.
The reverse is also true. I saw a car with New York plates driving around in London a few months ago.
European plates don't bother me: the number of people who are Americans trying to tell us (or create the impression) that they took delivery of their 325 in Bavaria so outnumbers the bona fide European sightings that I just assume a European plate on the front of a car is, well, let's call it decorative: it only counts (for my own license-plate spotting purposes, for example) if it's on the back of the car with no North American plate in sight.
Here's a crazy one;
My mom was driving from Angelo to Brownwood. One the other side of the road there was a state trooper on the shoulder, and a car passing him. The car went over the yellow line, so my mom got onto the shoulder, well apparently you can't do that in the Coleman district! She got pulled over and given a warning for "Driving on the Improved shoulder when restricted." So next time you see a car coming at you, make sure not to get on that 'improved shoulder'..
That day I also met Jordan Shipley at Lake Brownwood.. Ha unrelated but who cares?!
BigMatt
Quote from: Brandon on June 12, 2011, 10:30:25 PMOne thing I do see them doing in Illinois is standing half out of their cars for speed patrol. Very dangerous, IMHO. All it takes is one errant car to cut them in half.
The most dangerous thing I've seen a trooper do was coming home from a family trip to DC back in 1992. MSP caught my dad doing 72.4 on I-70, and upon coming around a bend and down a straight-away, there was a trooper standing in the passing lane motioning over into the median. I was sitting in the passenger seat and told him he should move over to the right because there must be something up in the left lane.
Quote from: BigMatt on June 14, 2011, 01:40:07 PMShe got pulled over and given a warning for "Driving on the Improved shoulder when restricted." So next time you see a car coming at you, make sure not to get on that 'improved shoulder'..
yeah I'll just get into a head-on collision instead. that has to be one of the most dickheaded traffic stops I've ever heard of.
I drove around in NC for almost a year after moving from Maryland, with the MD license plate still on my front bumper (NC doesn't require front license plates), and only removed it when I took a vacation on the Eastern Shore the next year.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 11, 2011, 08:56:24 PM
The single-plate thing SHOULDN'T be an issue, though of course nothing is guaranteed. Even DC, which requires both front and rear plates and enforces it as to non-residents, makes an exception for residents of jurisdictions that issue only one plate. If they don't ticket for it, surely nobody else would, as DC is DRACONIAN. I know a guy, Virginia resident, who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? The "month" and "year" stickers were reversed from how Virginia says they're supposed to go–that is, Virginia says the month sticker is to go on the left and the year on the right. This guy had them backwards, which for some reason isn't unusual in Virginia even though there's really no reason for not putting them on correctly. Either way, who cares as long as it's clear when the plate expires, right???? Not in the eyes of the DC ticket writers!!!
Missouri plates are the worst. On their new plates, apparently you are supposed to put the stickers in the middle of the plate. But on their older plates, the stickers were supposed to go in the corners, but people used to put them in the middle anyway. Rarely do I see people put stickers in the middle of other state's plates...must be a Missouri regionalism.
Everyone always gets a kick out of my DC licence plate, which says "see window sticker" where the expiration stickers would otherwise go. Personally, I don't see the need for expiration stickers on the plate itself, its not like you can really read them at speed, and nowadays the police have their license plate scanners hooked up to a computer which will instantly tell them the status of the plate in question. The window sticker method is in use in DC and NY State, and seems more user friendly, and can hold more information, than a tiny sticker on the plate.
Quote from: mightyace on June 12, 2011, 04:58:59 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on June 12, 2011, 01:53:39 AM
Aren't there reciprocity statutes that govern this type of thing? The same type of laws that permit you to drive in state A with a valid license from state B? And, are there any western states that still allow you to get a license at age 14? In my lifetime 16 has always been the required age in Kentucky but I remember that ages varied years ago. Is that still the case, or is the driver's license age pretty much standardized like the drinking age?
There usually are, but not always. After I got my license at 16, I remember reading New York wouldn't let anyone under 18 drive even if they have a valid license from another state. This may still be true today. I'm sure one of our NY residents could confirm or deny this.
The way I understood the rules from the 1990's, when I lived in NY, was that anyone from out of state who was under 18 years of age, their license, regardless of the privileges afforded to them by their home state, was considered to be a Junior License in New York. Thus, upstate, you could drive during the prescribed hours (presumably the work/school rules wouldn't apply since you were not a resident). But downstate, I think a Junior License was just like a learner's permit (needed a parent or other licensed driver in the car with you), and in New York City, a Junior License was a worthless piece of plastic.
At that time, I believe you had to be 18 to drive with a learner's permit in NYC (and then only in a driver's ed car with dual controls), so a lot of my friends from NYC got learner's permits at 16 and took driver's ed in the suburbs to get their license for use outside of NYC. But...a New York State resident could get a Senior License at age 17 if you took driver's ed. Senior licenses are valid everywhere in NY State. So if you took driver's ed in the suburbs or upstate, and got a Senior License, you could drive in NYC at age 17 (even as a NYC resident, assuming you took drivers ed outside NYC). I was pulled over in Queens by NYPD, a week before my 18th birthday with a NY Senior License. If it was not legal for me to be driving in NYC, I'm sure the officer would have said something.
So in otherwords, if you are 17 and have the equivalent of a "senior" license from your home state, it would be considered a junior license and not valid in NYC if you were not from NY, and it would be considered a senior license and valid in NYC if you were from NY.
I'm sure the rules are likely different now as a result of graduated licensing requirements.
While it might seem semi-unfair that this is what NY does (or used to do at least), consider this..., it really only impacts minors from out-of-state. Minors have fewer rights than people do once they reach the age of majority, including, apparently, the right to travel alone after dark across state lines.
I'm pretty sure you could get a ticket arising from that thrown out in court if you chose to make a fuss about it, due to the Full Faith & Credit clause of the Constitution and/or any sort of reciprocity agreement your state had with others. If you're under 18 and legally driving under a license from another state, it seems like it shouldn't be possible for NY to tell you your home state doesn't know what they're doing giving you a license.
Quote from: Scott5114 on June 25, 2011, 05:09:33 PM
I'm pretty sure you could get a ticket arising from that thrown out in court if you chose to make a fuss about it, due to the Full Faith & Credit clause of the Constitution and/or any sort of reciprocity agreement your state had with others. If you're under 18 and legally driving under a license from another state, it seems like it shouldn't be possible for NY to tell you your home state doesn't know what they're doing giving you a license.
I agree that a court would likely show leniency in such a case. However I'm not so sure full faith and credit would necessarily apply. It would depend on if the minimum age for unrestricted driving is part of NY's driver license laws, or if it is a separate law that applies to anyone. If New York State law sets 17 as the absolute minimum age for full driving privileges, I'm not so sure that just because you have a license from another state at age 16 that NY is obliged to recognize it as a license for full driving privileges.
Now if someone from New Jersey who is 17 and has a full license gets nailed for no license in NYC because they didn't realize that it was equivalent to a junior license in NY, which is not valid for driving in NYC, then I would say you have a good case for Full Faith and Credit. That's because people from NY are allowed to drive in NYC at age 17 with a senior license, and by automatically refusing to recognize ANY license from NJ as equivalent would be very blatant discrimination by state of residency.
But if NY doesn't let anyone below 17 have full driving privileges, then I would say that applies to people from out of state as well.
http://road-less-taken.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-trap.html
My own experience with getting pulled over
Paranoid pondering of the day: If you enter the Pennsylvania Turnpike at exit 201 at 8:50, and leave it at exit 326 at 10:43 - 125 miles in 113 minutes (with a stop at the bad Roy Rogers at the service area west of Carlisle), speed limit 65 - does the E-ZPass computer inform the state police?
I'm being silly, but they probably could....
Quote from: Michael in Philly on June 27, 2011, 01:17:04 AM
Paranoid pondering of the day: If you enter the Pennsylvania Turnpike at exit 201 at 8:50, and leave it at exit 326 at 10:43 - 125 miles in 113 minutes (with a stop at the bad Roy Rogers at the service area west of Carlisle), speed limit 65 - does the E-ZPass computer inform the state police?
I'm being silly, but they probably could....
No. In fact, the only documented case of a toll ticket (yes, ticket, not EZPass) being used for speed patrol was on the NYS Thruway. There is no other known instance of toll collection being used for speed patrol. In fact, here, the ISTHA has gone on record that they will not use IPass/EZPass data for speed patrol. They know what they have to lose if they ever did such a stunt.
I'm interested in hearing about that Thruway story. The only instance I know of a toll ticket being used for speed enforcement was a made up story my MA 131 professor used to teach the mean value theorem.
Quote from: Michael in Philly on June 27, 2011, 01:17:04 AMParanoid pondering of the day: If you enter the Pennsylvania Turnpike at exit 201 at 8:50, and leave it at exit 326 at 10:43 - 125 miles in 113 minutes (with a stop at the bad Roy Rogers at the service area west of Carlisle), speed limit 65 - does the E-ZPass computer inform the state police?
I'm being silly, but they probably could....
I used to hear the same conspiracy theory when tickets were primarily used since the machine prints the entry time on them. I do recall seeing somewhere the PTC expressly stating that tickets and/or E-ZPass were not used for speed enforcement.
The only way they could do it is if they can prove all toll plazas are operating on the exact same time. The technology at most existing plazas is decades old. So it will be awhile before that becomes a possibility. Still, some states require a law enforcement official observe you speeding, requiring that testimony. (That's why tickets have a field for the reporting officer, who then testifies against you at trial if it comes to that.)
I remember hearing the same thing about the Kansas Turnpike back in the 1990s.
The problem is that if you did that you would be ticketing pretty much everyone. And you'd motivate a lot of people to ditch their EZPass, which would tie up traffic like crazy with everyone paying cash, or not use the toll road, which would lose them revenue.
On the registration note, Connecticut has stopped requiring stickers entirely. My old registration just expired last week, and I have a new certificate, but no new sticker. So, my windshield still says "Jun 11"... I probably should try and scrape that off lest it cause confusion.
The way they get away with this, of course, is through the magic of computers. Rather than looking for a sticker, a cop can just type your license plate number into their little computer and pull up everything on record about the car.
NYPD apparently has at least one car (which my uncle who's a cop claims to have driven) that takes pictures of other cars' plates as it drives around and checks automatically for various typical things such as if there's a valid registration.
Quote from: Duke87 on June 29, 2011, 08:17:49 PMNYPD apparently has at least one car (which my uncle who's a cop claims to have driven) that takes pictures of other cars' plates as it drives around and checks automatically for various typical things such as if there's a valid registration.
A lot of cop cars are equipped with that system over here.
Quebec ditched the stickers in 1992.
I hope NY does this. Right now they use el-cheapo stickers that need to be taped on because otherwise they'll fall off after six months.
Quote from: deanej on June 30, 2011, 12:33:36 PM
I hope NY does this. Right now they use el-cheapo stickers that need to be taped on because otherwise they'll fall off after six months.
Really? I've never had a problem with any of the states I lived in with registration stickers falling off. In fact I tried this year to remove my old ones since the stack was getting so big but they are all firmly stuck onto my plate. You'd think that if nothing else it would be a theft issue with people stealing current stickers.
Quote from: mtantillo on June 25, 2011, 01:02:51 PM
....
Everyone always gets a kick out of my DC licence plate, which says "see window sticker" where the expiration stickers would otherwise go. Personally, I don't see the need for expiration stickers on the plate itself, its not like you can really read them at speed, and nowadays the police have their license plate scanners hooked up to a computer which will instantly tell them the status of the plate in question. The window sticker method is in use in DC and NY State, and seems more user friendly, and can hold more information, than a tiny sticker on the plate.
I seem to recall reading a story in the Washington Post back when DC first started using the "See Window Sticker" decals. It said that they had gone to the window sticker because of DC residents' complaints that the actual on-plate stickers were being stolen, presumably by people who didn't want to register their own cars, and the cops were then giving THEM tickets even though their cars were properly registered.
So DC switched to window stickers, which are a lot harder to steal, only to face a new round of complaints when DC's ticket-writers failed to look at the new window stickers and started ticketing people for expired on-plate decals (because no new such decals were being issued). DC then issued the "See Window Sticker" decals to cover up the problem. What a dysfunctional city government they have.....!
^^In Philadelphia, the city issues resident parking permits. For $20 a year, you're exempt from meters and time limits in your "parking district" - which in my case includes a sizeable chunk of the downtown area, so it's a good deal.
Anyhow, the permit comes in the form of a rear-window sticker, with your parking district number on it quite prominently and other information (such as expiration date) far smaller. You'll frequently see cars with half a dozen in their rear window - sometimes from different districts. (I have a co-worker who used to live in the same parking district the office is in and for years, until she had to get a new car, she was parking in the neighborhood on her old permit. Maybe once a month she'd get a ticket.) The stickers come off perfectly cleanly after a year in the window; I just display the current one and my understanding is that showing more than one is illegal.
Sorry, that post seemed more interesting when I started it....
If what I see on those reality TV parking shows is true, I feel sorry for people in Philly.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 05, 2011, 01:17:42 PM
If what I see on those reality TV parking shows is true, I feel sorry for people in Philly.
You mean
Parking Wars? My wife and I stumbled across that show when we were flipping channels a month or two ago and we became addicted, in part because so many of the people who get the tickets are such idiots. We were watching it the other night and I said I should get myself a job doing that.
Like the guy who called into Coast-to-Coast last week said "what am I being pulled over for?" "I haven't decided yet"
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 05, 2011, 02:58:43 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 05, 2011, 01:17:42 PM
If what I see on those reality TV parking shows is true, I feel sorry for people in Philly.
You mean Parking Wars? My wife and I stumbled across that show when we were flipping channels a month or two ago and we became addicted, in part because so many of the people who get the tickets are such idiots. We were watching it the other night and I said I should get myself a job doing that.
I have had three little disputes with the Parking Authority in the two years I've owned a car here, and won two-and-a-half of those disputes. My biggest gripe isn't them but the police: last week, I parked my car after work on Wednesday, then Thursday evening found that the car had been ticketed at about noon: there was a temporary no-parking zone that went into effect Thursday morning. (They - the police - put up cardboard signs saying there's no parking in this block on a given date and time....) I'd had that happen to me before, and on that occasion, when I went down to the Parking Authority to appeal the ticket, the hearing officer said that they're supposed to put up the signs 24 hours before the restriction goes into effect but that I'd need to find out from the police when the signs went up....
So I went into work Friday morning, called the precinct, spoke to the sergeant, said, basically: "look, this has happened to me before so I'm careful to look for those temporary signs, and I'm prepared to swear in court if necessary that the signs weren't there when I parked Wednesday evening, 18 hours before I was ticketed, but the last time this happened to me the Parking Authority said I needed to find out from you guys when you put up the signs." He put me on hold for two minutes, came back and said "he'd take care of it" and sent an officer over to my office to pick up the ticket.
"Hearing officer" sounds way more formal than it is, by the way; you just meet with someone one-on-one in their office and explain your issue. But it's the inconvenience of the thing - challenging a ticket involves making an appointment, going down to Parking Authority headquarters, and sitting there until about an hour after your appointment time. So I was spared that this time. The people are perfectly courteous, if overworked. When I renewed my permit a couple of months ago I went in before the last day of the month, for a change, and had no wait at all, even at lunch hour.
Quote from: realjd on July 04, 2011, 06:00:14 PM
Quote from: deanej on June 30, 2011, 12:33:36 PM
I hope NY does this. Right now they use el-cheapo stickers that need to be taped on because otherwise they'll fall off after six months.
Really? I've never had a problem with any of the states I lived in with registration stickers falling off. In fact I tried this year to remove my old ones since the stack was getting so big but they are all firmly stuck onto my plate. You'd think that if nothing else it would be a theft issue with people stealing current stickers.
NY uses window stickers, not plate stickers, so all we get is essentially a piece of paper with adhesive on the edges.
And, yes, stolen stickers do happen. My brother had one stolen off his car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. He had a royal pain getting it replaced.
Quote from: Michael in Philly on June 27, 2011, 01:17:04 AM
Paranoid pondering of the day: If you enter the Pennsylvania Turnpike at exit 201 at 8:50, and leave it at exit 326 at 10:43 - 125 miles in 113 minutes (with a stop at the bad Roy Rogers at the service area west of Carlisle), speed limit 65 - does the E-ZPass computer inform the state police?
I'm being silly, but they probably could....
I didn't hear the beginning of the story, but on Car Talk today, someone apparently got a couple of tickets in Maryland for going too fast through an E-ZPass booth. Maryland's one of my favorite states but they're out of hand with this sort of thing. Have been since the days of the infamous Maryland rolling roadblock.
Quote from: AZDude on June 11, 2011, 05:07:50 PM
So, another thing came accross my mind. In Arizona we only require a rear license plate, also the tint on my windows are at 35% which is Arizona legal. I understand that I will be driving through 13 states where my tint is considered illegal. The tint came with my car when I bought it in 2005 and I am not taking it off. Sure I could drive with my windows open, but I feel that I shouldn't have to. Plus I don't like having them open. So how is enforcement in New England?
I am paranoid because of an incident in Dubuque, IA last year. I was harrassed by a cop for my windows and no front plate. He did the false alert trick on me, searched my car and dispite the fact that he found nothing illegal in my car (there never was and never will be) he accused me of transporting drugs. WTF? I have NEVER done drugs in my life. I have a clean driving record and a clean background. Yet I was being treated like a common criminal. In the end he gave me a fix it ticket and told me that the reason why he was not going to arrest me was because he didn't want to ruin my trip.
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
I had a NJ state trooper whip around behind me on Route 70 when he passed me because I did not have a front tag( at least thats what i think). Once he got behind me and saw the FL tag I wasnt pulled over. But they see lots of PA people there so it shouldn't be odd.
My nephew was pulled over in Nebraska about 12 years ago on I-80 because he did not have a front tag and he was living in California. But this time he was doing something illegal. He had 60 lbs of marijuana for delivery to Lincoln, NE that he was gonna make $3-4K for services rendered. He is lucky to not be in prison... technicality. But lack of front license plate was the only reason for getting pulled over.
Moral of the story if you are running drugs make sure all your lights are working, and your car is legal and you go the speed limit LOL
Quote from: jwolfer on September 07, 2011, 11:06:28 AM
I don't understand why I was treated like that. And I don't want to go through that again.
the reasoning is lengthy and protracted. it begins with the word "ass" and ends with the word "hole".
I was pulled over for following a police car too closely. I could have gotten one for speeding but I was only going 50 in a 45.
Quote from: ftballfan on October 02, 2011, 10:52:57 PM
I was pulled over for following a police car too closely. I could have gotten one for speeding but I was only going 50 in a 45.
Surprising since they have a habit of following too closely. I tend to slow down for them as for any other tailgater. Pisses them off (as I look in the rearview mirror).