California residents--ticketed for having Euro front plates!

[frosty]

First off, not seeking sympathy or pity. Today I was cited for having a Euro plate. In all the years I've been driving with it, I've never been stopped or bothered by the police. I understand some cities don't allow it, and I mentioned to the cop that I wasn't aware that having no DMV front plate is illegal in all of CA (that's what she told me, illegal throughout the state). Anyhow, she cited me for that (code 5200) and having overdue insurance (I have the current one but it was not in my car--DOH!). Both are fix-up offences. Man, it just ruined my day! She was mean, too. Didn't even give me a warning and didn't tell me that she was gonna write me up until I was TOLD (not asked--not that I had a choice anyway) to sign the ticket, to which I asked if I'm being ticketed! I was being polite. When she asked me for the car's model--which was stated in the old insurance form and registration--I told her the year followed by the model. She interrupted me by saying "I don't need the year...the model...is it a 300, 500?" I was just saying what I thought was required. Man, I'm no criminal, but I felt so utterly powerless. I would have accepted the ticket more easily had she been a bit more courteous. I have passed so many cops who have seen my Euro plate and nothing happened until today.

[Kuan]

You weren't reading this thread World's Worst Things to Say to a Policeman... just before she pulled you over were you?

[Jim B.]

Where did this happen? Maybe in or near a city where they like to see front plates on the car so that people wouldn't be able to avoid re light running camera tickets.

Did she write you for anything else at the same time (that's called "stacking", they do it when they get mad). So at least it wasn't worse. I wonder how they handle Corvettes, hardly any of them have front plates on them, and the cars don't look to me like they are assembled to accept them

Yes, it's a valid ticket, and it looks like you are stuck with it.

I once had a front decorative license plate on a car in San Francisco I owned, it showed a lightning bolt, and the words "Here Comes Trouble".
I never got a ticket for it though, because someone stole it off the car within a week after I installed it

You might want to poke around in www.officer.com and www.chpforums.com to read up on THEIR perspective, it might be interesting.

[ozawa]

frosty,

bummer...i have an older landcruiser with no front plate and knock on wood i have yet to be stopped. i think it all depends of what kind of day that particular officer is having. same thing with window tinting; in CA it's illegal to have tint on the front windshield and the driver's and passenger's windows yet i see cars all the time driving around with all of their windows tinted.

it gets worse; you can now get a letter in the mail from, it's either the CARB or EPA, if somebody thinks that your car smokes too much. all it takes is for somebody to write your plate number down and call the state. a customer at the shop where i work, (she's got a gray market '84 300TD,) got this same letter in the mail. the ironic part is that her car doesn't smoke; you can floor the gas and no clouds of smoke.

IMO Big Brother is getting a bit out of hand...

[Hatterasguy]

I am supposed to have a front plate on the SDL, but I have a euro insted. Havn't gotten in trouble for it yet, been pulled over twice with it.

I'm just waiting to catch a cop on a bad day, I know I will get a ticket for it some day.

[truckinik]

AHH, That's not too bad. I mean leave the thing on the front. You'll likely never have a problem again about it anyways. I mean, Just because she said so, doesn't mean all the cops are going to break them on you about it. She was probably having her period or who knows what.
I got a ticket, in California, by the Highway Patrol, a few months back. I was driving my tractor trailer, and minding my own business. The cop was up ahead with a car pulled over. He looked at me, and waved me over. I pulled over, wondering what I had done wrong. When he came up to me, he was already almost done writing me the ticket. He took my I.D. and finished up. I asked what the problem was, and he said in a mean, matter of fact tone to me " Do you mean you don't know?.. That's it right there, your still doing it." I looked around for anything out of the ordinary, and found nothing wrong. He said " Son, Don't you know it's against the law, in the state of California, to smoke cigarettes, in the work place?!!" I was in shock. First off, I'm in MY tractor trailer, second off, it's registered to North Carolina, and third off.. I was the only one in the truck anyways.. $177.00 Ticket, for "Smoking in the work place" was my final result. I don't get how he even saw me, from the distance he waved me over from. He was like a foot ball field away when he began waving me over. I thought for sure I'd done something wrong. I mean, something that's ACTUALLY wrong, and it had been obvious. So I'm putting a Euro plate, on the front of each truck in my fleet as they come into my H.Q. Anyone know where I can get some ? A lot actually?

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by frosty

I have passed so many cops who have seen my Euro plate and nothing happened until today.

It really sounds like a $hitbox driver.

"I just don't understand it...........I always drive 80 mph in a 55 mph zone.........I wonder why I got a ticket today???"


If you violate the law.........you eventually get a violation.........what's so difficult to understand about that?

[waybomb]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

It really sounds like a $hitbox driver.

"I just don't understand it...........I always drive 80 mph in a 55 mph zone.........I wonder why I got a ticket today???"


If you violate the law.........you eventually get a violation.........what's so difficult to understand about that?

The cop doesn't have to be an ass. Some are, some aren't.

Pay the ticket, find out who the supervisor is, and have a sit down with him/her. Make sure your car is legal before you do so.

[t walgamuth]

in indiana a front plate is not used.

so i bought this really clean 74 240d which had an immaculate california plate on the front. i thought "cool". so i left it there.

one day my dad said "what you doing with that california plate on front?" i said i liked it and thought it looked cool (or words to that effect...i was maybe 45 at the time). he said.."i wouldn't do that".

i thought "stick in the mud". and kept it on there.

a month or so later i was in chicago parking the car in a garage and the guy started writing the plate number off the front plate on my receipt before parking the car. i said whoooooaaaah there pardner. that is not the actual plate. look on the back.

i figured i might have trouble getting my car back if they parked it with the front in.

so i went home and took the cali plate off the front.

if you want something cool on the front....get one with a big tristar or a lightning bolt....but not in a state where front plates are required.

why ask for trouble?

tom w

[truckinik]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

in indiana a front plate is not used.

so i bought this really clean 74 240d which had an immaculate california plate on the front. i thought "cool". so i left it there.

one day my dad said "what you doing with that california plate on front?" i said i liked it and thought it looked cool (or words to that effect...i was maybe 45 at the time). he said.."i wouldn't do that".

i thought "stick in the mud". and kept it on there.

a month or so later i was in chicago parking the car in a garage and the guy started writing the plate number off the front plate on my receipt before parking the car. i said whoooooaaaah there pardner. that is not the actual plate. look on the back.

i figured i might have trouble getting my car back if they parked it with the front in.

so i went home and took the cali plate off the front.

if you want something cool on the front....get one with a big tristar or a lightning bolt....but not in a state where front plates are required.

why ask for trouble?

tom w

Yes, I wouldn't put an regular, official us state plate on a car either, except of course the one that belongs on the car.
A Euro plate however, is no more meaningful, or applicable in the states than a bumper sticker. I mean, it is purely decorative, anywhere except for Europe.
I've seen American state plates on the fronts of cars, in Amsterdam, Hungary, Africa, and of course Budapest, and Yemen, and Russia as well. I frequent all of these areas, and more, and even see them in these tight ass countries, so why not the U.S. I mean, if you can do it in Russia,( and those people can't usually $hit with-out government permission )
than why can't you put a Euro plate on the front of a US car? I mean, are people really stupid enough, to believe that it's an official plate? Guess so.

[frosty]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

It really sounds like a $hitbox driver.

"I just don't understand it...........I always drive 80 mph in a 55 mph zone.........I wonder why I got a ticket today???"


If you violate the law.........you eventually get a violation.........what's so difficult to understand about that?

Well, thanks for clearing that up for me, Mr. Carlton. For a moderator, you sure know how to set an example for other posters who are wont to resort to name-calling and such. 'Tis a pity that I, a simple poster, would have to point this out to a moderator. Anyhow, had you read my post more carefully, you would have understood that I wasn't asking anyone what the law is here in CA or whining about why I got the ticket. (That was clarified by the cop.) I felt a need to voice my grief here and perhaps get some insight from others. Thanks for responding, nonetheless.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by frosty

Well, thanks for clearing that up for me, Mr. Carlton. For a moderator, you sure know how to set an example for other posters who are wont to resort to name-calling and such. 'Tis a pity that I, a simple poster, would have to point this out to a moderator. Anyhow, had you read my post more carefully, you would have understood that I wasn't asking anyone what the law is here in CA or whining about why I got the ticket. (That was clarified by the cop.) I felt a need to voice my grief here and perhaps get some insight from others. Thanks for responding, nonetheless.

Damn........it's that "moderator" title again........forced upon me from my days over at DD.

Ignore that moniker when I'm over here............I'd like to get rid of it completely.........but I need it..........."over there".

If you are voicing your grief due to the behaviour of the officer.........then.........OK............I understand your plight.

However, if you are voicing your grief due to violation of the law and finally getting caught at the transgression..........well.........see my aforementioned comments.

[t walgamuth]

this is a tough crowd sometimes.

consider it a lesson learned the hard way.

for a little while when you are stopped by a police officer, they are judge and jury all rolled into one. they can let you go or write up a ticket, so it is prudent when pulled over to not aggrevate them in any way. they are rightfully a little touchy when pulling cars over since they never know when some nutjob is goint to whip out a gun and take a shot at them.

the police are out there doing a tough job and usually they are polite courteous and generous.

but if they are not generous you shouldn't take it personally. they may have had their butt chewed by the seargent just before they left the station about letting too many folks off the hook.

so i try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

tom w

[truckinik]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

Damn........it's that "moderator" title again........forced upon me from my days over at DD.

Ignore that moniker when I'm over here............I'd like to get rid of it completely.........but I need it..........."over there".

If you are voicing your grief due to the behaviour of the officer.........then.........OK............I understand your plight.

However, if you are voicing your grief due to violation of the law and finally getting caught at the transgression..........well.........see my aforementioned comments.

Are you a cop ? Some sorta lawmaker from California, or something? WHAT MORONS make those kinds of laws to begin with? I mean, as I said, The Euro plate is not more meaningful, than a bumper sticker, unless in Europe. As for my smoking in the moving truck, all alone,...What's the support behind the vote to pass that law? Not like I'm working in some office building, and smoking where people will be bothered by it or something. I can't even believe she wasted his time, to stop him and write the ticket at all.

[t walgamuth]

i agree.

the ticketing for smoking in the truck story is unbelievable!

tom w