Could your tdi club license plate frame land you in jail?

[LongWayHome]

If you're in Texas it can. Actually I haven't ordered mine yet, or seen one on a Texas car, so I can't say for certain.

Yesterday the highest criminal court in the lone star state upheld a law that "prohibits drivers from encasing their license plate in a frame that obscures the state name, state nickname or even portions of the artwork."

Which basically means any license plate frame on a vehicle in Texas gives the police probable cause to pull the vehicle over.

Here is a link to the article in today's Austin-American Statesman:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/15/15license.html

I find it hilarious (and a bit sad) that the term "doo-dad" is actually used in a revision of the law from 2003.

 

[Jetter_Sprinta]

Massachusetts has a similar law (shocking, I know). Fortunatley, we have 2 styles of plate frmes to choose from! If it weren't -20 out, I'd take a picture. The narrower of the two fits the bill very nicely, shows your class, and keeps you legal!

 

[catmandoo]

here in iowa it is illegal to cover-up the name of the county on the bottom of the plate

 

[bam_bam_dip]

Get the type #3 and your golden.............

 

[MOGolf]

A member in OH got ticketed for the frame covering the county and registration stickers (bottom corners). There are lots of people driving around with Ohio State University frames that do the same thing.

The member contested and the judge dismissed the ticket.

 

[b1gmoose]

NH lets you cover up "Live Free or Die" if it "offends you".

 

[Jetta SS]

had one on my car for 6 months, then one night on my way to work I was pulled over 3 times. on the 3rd stop i pulled out the screwdriver and took it off so I wouldn't be late to work. no tickets, just a warning to take it off at my destination.

 

[wny_pat]

NH lets you cover up "Live Free or Die" if it "offends you".

Why would that offend anyone? No, don't go there. Forget I asked.

 

[03_01_TDI]

Two issues

1- Cops need "probable cause" too pull you over and this would just be another reason.

2- Cops need X number of traffic stops per shift/week/month.

 

[Birdman]

Around here it has always been the law. Do not cover markings on the plate. And in MD some decide not to mess up their front ends and leave the front plate off. Thats another 55$ fine back 10 years ago not sure what it is now. Ofcourse if they are really slow they can pick on your window tint. Taxes just are not high enough.

 

[strictlysmoke]

the fine in md for having a tag cover is $280 or $60

 

[cowboyjack]

Well... be especially careful if the license frame happens to break. (NOT a tdiclub frame.)

I got pulled over by a rookie from the highway patrol because my license frame had cracked and "was obscuring the year" of my license tab. "This normally happens on stolen cars," the young man said. He seemed genuinely shocked when I calmly broke off the frame in front of him, un-obscuring the tab.

Yeah, like a middle aged guy in a cowboy hat is gonna be driving the speed limit in a STOLEN dirty, beaten, 95 Toyota T100 truck with 170,000 miles on it and a bed full of ladders, tools, and horse feed on I-10 at 9 am???

 

[BKmetz]

I took a Dremel Tool and cut out a space on my plate frame so the plate sticker has better visibility. This took about 1 minute to do.

.

 

[VFchicago88]

Ron Paul would NOT approve of this.

 

[03_01_TDI]

Ron Paul would leave it up to the state courts to make that choice. Hopefull he will become the next president but he will attempt to allow for the return of States rights. So while he wouldn't approve of it, it wouldn't matter.

 

[J double R]

CT abolished the use of stickers on their plates, (and moved them to the windshield), and I couldn't really care less about the fact that it's the "constitution state" (which is blocked by my frame).

 

[tdisky]

CT abolished the use of stickers on their plates, (and moved them to the windshield), and I couldn't really care less about the fact that it's the "constitution state" (which is blocked by my frame).

JRR, are you sure that's not "Constipation State"? Oops, sorry, neighbor!

 

[Antsrcool]

#2 is false quotas are illegal and no longer used.

Two issues

1- Cops need "probable cause" too pull you over and this would just be another reason.

2- Cops need X number of traffic stops per shift/week/month.