I Didn't Even Know This Was a Thing

[Jim Koepke]

There are people making and selling license plate covers to avoid traffic cameras and other detection.

Having grown up and starting driving in California to the best of my knowledge these were illegal. Of course all states do not have the same Vehicle Code.

Here is a news story from San Francisco > https://abc7news.com/license-plate-covers-san-francisco-sfpd-sideshows/13999499/

jtk

[Doug Garson]

I've seen lenses that distort the license plate making it unreadable from an angle, pretty sure they are illegal.

[Mark Wedel]

This has probably been going on 20 years now. I remember Mythbusters did an episode on it. I think these first really started when bridges started with automatic tolling systems.
They are certainly illegal (at least in California) - no idea how many tickets are every really handed out. For that matter, in California, legally required to have a front license plate, but the number of cars lacking them clearly says to me that is not enforced much.

[Pat Germain]

In California a lot of drivers simply remove their license plates. They have figured out there are so many cars everywhere, they can drive like a maniac and get away with it because there is no license number. Apparently it's pretty unlikely a police officer is going to notice and pull them over. Anyway, they're doing it and getting away with it.

I had to laugh at a situation I read about in New England several years ago. High School students were taking digital pictures of their teachers' license plates, printing them out and taping them over their own license plates. Then they would drive through toll gates and blow through red light cameras. Their teachers kept getting bills, tickets and fines in the mail. Wow, evil, but clever.

[Edward Weber]

In California a lot of drivers simply remove their license plates. They have figured out there are so many cars everywhere, they can drive like a maniac and get away with it because there is no license number. Apparently it's pretty unlikely a police officer is going to notice and pull them over. Anyway, they're doing it and getting away with it.


I'm not sure where you came up with that information but I find it highly suspect, especially as someone who lives in CA.

Here in CA, we can also use License plate Wraps
https://licenseplatewrap.com/
And Digital Plates
https://reviver.com/rplate/?utm_term=california%20license%20plate&utm_campaign=Non-Brand%20General%20[AZ]%20-%20Exact&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=2761442170&hsa_cam=19725913104&hsa_grp=149366515594&hsa_ad=649196188495&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-23675550&hsa_kw=california%20license%20plate&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad=1

Front plates ARE required but seldom enforced but it can be a fine up to $196

[Mark Wedel]

A few years ago, California cracked down on missing license plates. New cars would not have any plates, so systems that used them couldn't bill the owner for charges. The owner would eventually get the plates, but of course, not be in any real rush to puts the plates on. Steve Jobs bought a brand new car every few months just so he wouldn't have license plates and could park in handicapped spots with impunity.
Then they changed things, so even brand new cars have temporary paper plates, so at this point, every car should have plates. Given this, I think any car that does not have plates might actually be considered suspicious by the police and pulled over (the suspicion might not be traffic laws, but rather the vehicle being used for property thefts). It is rare I see cars without any plates at all.

[Pat Germain]

I am from SoCal and I have many relatives there. I saw multiple online articles about cars driving in SoCal without license plates. I didn't just make it up. :-)

[Edward Weber]

Steve Jobs bought a brand new car every few months just so he wouldn't have license plates and could park in handicapped spots with impunity.


Classy guy :rolleyes:
https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a1704461/heres-why-steve-jobs-got-same-new-car-every-six-months/

Pat, I didn't think you made it up, I was wondering where you heard/read it.
I'm in the Sacramento area and I can say I've seen a couple, but it's rare.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

evil, but clever.

I was in school during the oil crunch of the nineteen seventies. Our teacher car prank was to pick up a teachers economy car and carry it into a tiny little V shaped alley that was in between two buildings. We would leave it with both bumpers touching the brick walls.

I am still waiting for a bill from the NY Turnpike Authority for a trip to the North East in 2020. Our 2010 car was new to us. It had brand new plates. Due to a typo, the title did not get processed until after the trip. I am sure the bill will arrive eventually.

[Pat Germain]

I was in school during the oil crunch of the nineteen seventies. Our teacher car prank was to pick up a teachers economy car and carry it into a tiny little V shaped alley that was in between two buildings. We would leave it with both bumpers touching the brick walls.

I am still waiting for a bill from the NY Turnpike Authority for a trip to the North East in 2020. Our 2010 car was new to us. It had brand new plates. Due to a typo, the title did not get processed until after the trip. I am sure the bill will arrive eventually.

That is an evil teacher trick. When I was in high school, one of my classmates was dared to remove the rotor from the distributor in the principal's car. Apparently, my classmate really didn't know what a rotor was and proudly displayed the entire distributor he had removed from the principal's car.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

That is an evil teacher trick.... proudly displayed the entire distributor he had removed from the principal's car.

Our car jacking victims always got help inching their cars out from the shop teacher and his floor jack.

My favorite scene in the movie The Sound Of Music is when the Nun's display the distributor and condenser from the natzi's car to their Sister, along with their confession.

[Bill Dufour]

California license plates are clear coated over the paint. This clear coat peels in the sun and the paint fades to unreadable.
Bill D.

[Mel Fulks]

No wonder the governor wants to move up. Then it’s all “ fix it “ and slam down the phone !

[glenn bradley]

In California a lot of drivers simply remove their license plates.


I'm not sure where you came up with that information but I find it highly suspect, especially as someone who lives in CA.

That was my immediate reaction as well. Being one who has been ticketed for a missing front plate twice in his life (both times on different used cars bought privately that I didn't bother to notice had no front plate . . . you'd think I'd have learned to check :D) I was scratching my head. I have not seen this behavior or more likely just not noticed. One has to remember that California is a large, long state and we have a wide variety of communities and localized behaviors. Glendale is vastly different from Stockton for example :).

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Will we eventually have a roadside devise will be able to recognize a drivers face as well as the VIN of the car?

[Lee DeRaud]

For that matter, in California, legally required to have a front license plate, but the number of cars lacking them clearly says to me that is not enforced much.
Unless they're really bored, few cops will pull a car over just for a missing front plate, but it'll get added on to to any "real" ticket you happen to get. Or so claimed the CHP guy I parked next to at the gun range. I had four front-plate-free years with the Boxster and the Corvette, no issue. (Still have both those plates on the wall of my garage, come to think of it.)

It's just a 'fix-it ticket' in any case.

[Lee DeRaud]

Will we eventually have a roadside devise will be able to recognize a drivers face as well as the VIN of the car?
I'm vaguely surprised that the VIN-reader isn't already a thing. The toll-road "transponder" on my car is a sticker about the same size as the VIN plate. I assume it has an RFID or some such embedded, but the widget that reads it is 20' up when I drive through...wasn't sure RFID worked at that distance. Having manufacturers add an RFID tag to the dash would be trivially simple: I suspect some of them do it already to track cars on the assembly line and in transit.

Red-light and speed camera images have always been good enough to recognize the driver, just not in real time.

[Rollie Meyers]

Unless they're really bored, few cops will pull a car over just for a missing front plate, but it'll get added on to to any "real" ticket you happen to get. Or so claimed the CHP guy I parked next to at the gun range. I had four front-plate-free years with the Boxster and the Corvette, no issue. (Still have both those plates on the wall of my garage, come to think of it.)

It's just a 'fix-it ticket' in any case.

Yeah, but the days of a "fix-it" ticket being free are long gone, in the past all you had to do was correct the problem & get a cop to sign off on it & send it in, now you get to pay too. BTW, if the month sticker on the lic plate is missing or faded/unreadable can result in a ticket too.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Maryland has a toll collecting system that relies on camera read tags. One bridge just 40 miles south of me on Rt 40 near Havr De Grace is a whopping $12 toll for a stinking 60 year old third of a mile long bridge. My next door neighbor crossed it many times in his travels and would smear some mud or grease on his tag before leaving home. Claimed that it saved him a couple hundred dollars a year in Maryland tolls.

The Maryland system operates on EZ pass, but Maryland residents can get a pass for free and just load a deposit on it., But if you are licensed in PA you need to pay a flat fee for the pass ($50 I think) and then load a deposit on it. I crossed the bridge once with out realizing how stupid expensive it is, so now I cross at the next crossing 10 miles up stream which is free (Rt 1, Conowingo Dam).

Maryland has started a new thing where non-pass holders can permit an auto draw to their credit card or bank accounts which saves about 50% off the tolls. We cross the Bay Bridge a couple times a year, so Mrs signed up for the credit card charge.

Maryland has also recently started computer camera speeding tickets. Drove through Maryland in early October and so far no tickets in the mail, or I might start smearing mud when I travel south.

[Brian Elfert]

Yeah, but the days of a "fix-it" ticket being free are long gone, in the past all you had to do was correct the problem & get a cop to sign off on it & send it in, now you get to pay too. BTW, if the month sticker on the lic plate is missing or faded/unreadable can result in a ticket too.

I went for almost a year during COVID with incorrect registration stickers. I was not pulled over or ticketed during that year. I renewed my registration online and the state never sent me the stickers. I called the state and they sent out new stickers. I went to put them on the car and they were identical to what was on the car! I thought I made a mistake and didn't put them on. They had sent me expired stickers, instead of the ones for the new year. Someone pointed out the problem to me about a month before I had to renew again. I just renewed a little early and put the new stickers on.

[Mark Wedel]

I think expired stickers is enforced to about the same level as missing front plates - if you are doing something else suspicious, it is reason enough for a police officer to pull you over, but it is unlikely you would get pulled over just because of that.
The bigger danger of expired tags is that it is not legal to park on public streets without up to date registration. Conceivably, a car could be towed in such a circumstance (as writing a ticket that puts a hold on registration until paid may not do much if the person isn't paying for registration in the first place)

[Doug Garson]

It's a little different here in BC, your sticker is tied to your mandatory liability insurance. No sticker, no insurance. However, I know from experience that it isn't well inforced. A few years ago I was in the lineup for the ferry and a truck driver walked by and asked me if I knew my sticker was expired and I had no insurance. I received my renewal notice weeks before my tag expired and kept putting off renewing until I finally forgot altogether. Adding to the drama, it was a holiday weekend and most ICBC (the government insurance company) agents were closed. We searched online and found one that was open and renewed so no harm done, in fact I saved 3 months worth of insurance premiums. :cool: Not sure I'd recommend saving money that way.

[Jim Koepke]

I think expired stickers is enforced to about the same level as missing front plates - if you are doing something else suspicious, it is reason enough for a police officer to pull you over, but it is unlikely you would get pulled over just because of that.

When an officer of the law is having a bad day, they may have a desire to spread the misery.

I've gone months forgetting to put my new sticker in place without being stopped. In some states not having a front plate is enough to get pulled over. Often plates are stolen by someone who intends to commit a crime.

jtk

[Lee DeRaud]

In some states not having a front plate is enough to get pulled over. Often plates are stolen by someone who intends to commit a crime.

I can see someone stealing both plates to put on a 'getaway car', but here the front one alone won't help them much: the stickers are back-plate only.

[Derek Meyer]

Months ago, I needed a renewal on my car but kept forgetting to go in. The tabs expired on May 31st, which was a Friday. The next day, Saturday, June 1st, we decided to clean the garage, and so I moved my car out of the driveway and parked it on the street across from my house. Note that we live at the end of a dead-end street. While we were cleaning, a police car comes by, parks behind my car for about 10 minutes, then gets out, slaps a ticket on my windshield, gets back in and drives off. All while 3 of us are just standing there staring at him. I was a little miffed that he wouldn't at least say something to me about it.

[Doug Garson]

I can see someone stealing both plates to put on a 'getaway car', but here the front one alone won't help them much: the stickers are back-plate only.
Maybe the logic is,
Steal a front plate since it is less likely to be noticed as gone and reported as stolen and stick it on the back with a little dirt so it's not obvious that the sticker is missing. A car with no rear plate is more likely to be noticed by the police than one with a dirty rear plate that is missing a sticker and a plate that is stolen is less likely to be linked to you if spotted by a witness than one that is registered to you. That's what I would do if I was a crook but I am not a crook, mmm who else said that?:cool:

[Edward Weber]

Maybe the logic is,
Steal a front plate since it is less likely to be noticed as gone and reported as stolen and stick it on the back with a little dirt so it's not obvious that the sticker is missing. A car with no rear plate is more likely to be noticed by the police than one with a dirty rear plate that is missing a sticker and a plate that is stolen is less likely to be linked to you if spotted by a witness than one that is registered to you. That's what I would do if I was a crook but I am not a crook, mmm who else said that?:cool:

That's why it's illegal, you get issued two plates, you should have both, whether you think you'd get a ticket or not. It's also illegal to obscure the registration sticker.

[Jim Koepke]

All while 3 of us are just standing there staring at him. I was a little miffed that he wouldn't at least say something to me about it.

How was he to know it was your car?

A law enforcement officer's job is to enforce the law, not to engage socially with people staring at them. He may have spent the time in the car checking to make sure the car hadn't been reported stolen. In some jurisdictions he may have been waiting to see if a tow truck was able to come and get it.

jtk

[Doug Garson]

Months ago, I needed a renewal on my car but kept forgetting to go in. The tabs expired on May 31st, which was a Friday. The next day, Saturday, June 1st, we decided to clean the garage, and so I moved my car out of the driveway and parked it on the street across from my house. Note that we live at the end of a dead-end street. While we were cleaning, a police car comes by, parks behind my car for about 10 minutes, then gets out, slaps a ticket on my windshield, gets back in and drives off. All while 3 of us are just standing there staring at him. I was a little miffed that he wouldn't at least say something to me about it.
So why did you stand there staring at a police officer while he wrote you a ticket you didn't think you deserved? I would have walked over introduced myself as the owner of the car and explain why it was parked on the street with expired plates and offered to move it back into the driveway. If he refused to let me, then I would be miffed. Given the location on a dead end street, I suspect you have a neighbour with a grudge who reported the car.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

PA stopped using annual stickers on tags about 4 or 5 years ago. We have to show valid insurance cards and valid registration to pass safety inspection every year. And police do seem to take great delight in pulling over vehicles with expired inspection stickers. Depending on your attitude, they may add on all the other stuff, like expired tags, etc. Heck, I even got a ticket in Florida because my PA inspection sticker was expired. I had to go to Dade County Fla court and show the PA statute that extended the sticker for people who were stationed or schooling out of state.

Something like 20% of Pa drivers have no insurance for their vehicle. The fact that they need to get insurance for the safety inspection is the only time many of that 20% have insurance. Many would also not fix their brakes or replace bald tires except for the safety inspection rules.

[Doug Garson]

BC also stopped issuing annual stickers, I think earlier this year. I assume the police can scan your license plate and see if your mandatory liability insurance is current without the need for a sticker.

[mike stenson]

You guys get two plates?

Seriously, we only get a rear plate here.

[Derek Meyer]

Let me clarify:

He initially parked a couple hundred feet up the street. We didn't think much of it. Then, he pulls up behind my car, gets out, puts the ticket on the windshield, gets in and drives off. It happened pretty fast and we were just kind of dumbfounded.

I assume that he would notice that the car's registration was the same as the house it was parked in front of. He would have to run it if he were checking for a stolen vehicle.

It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I admit that I was at fault and deserved the ticket, and I did pay it with no complaint to the city or police.