I got a ticket today........

[savanna3313]

Ok.....I see people's cars all over the place that don't have a front license plate. I was pulled over today on the damn interstate, in a very precarious area (the trooper had to go to my passenger window for fear of being run over on my side) and (ok.....this part was my fault) I didn't have my seatbelt on, but he told me the reason he pulled me over was because of the license plate not being on the front. Now.....I got a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt, but didn't get one for the license plate.

Question: Is it a ticket-able (sp?) offense to not post a front license plate? :ne_nau:

[asdf]

Utah law (Title 41-1a-404 UCA) requires that every vehicle registered in Utah, other than a motorcycle, trailer, or semitrailer, must have a license plate securely attached to the front and rear of the vehicle. Federal standards require that every vehicle manufactured for sale in the United States must have the capability of mounting a license plate on the front and rear of the vehicle. If you contact the vehicle dealer, they can obtain the necessary kit for mounting a front license plate.

http://www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE41/htm/41_01057.htm

[accadacca]

Yeah that's lame. You heard Summit though...my motorcycles don't have to have a front plate... :blbl:

[asdf]

I dont think I have ever seen a bike with a front plate.

[shlingdawg]

I think that they use it as an excuse to pull you over and find other (seatbelt, intoxicated, wanted felon, etc. etc.) reasons to ticket you.

I got pulled over one quiet Sunday morning here in Syracuse and he told me that I needed the plate. He also asked me if I put my seatbelt on after I saw him turn around to pull me over. Putz.

[Sombeech]

It's really just an excuse, but yes, they can pull you over for that. If they tell you that was the reason though, they're full of it.

While you were pulled over, there were about 15 others passing you who didn't have them either.

They'll use that as the reason, but they'll try to find anything else that they can, like:
cracked windshield
no seatbelt
signals not working as you're pulling over
break lights not working either
damaged mirror

...anything they can find to raise revenue.

[savanna3313]

I think that they use it as an excuse to pull you over and find other (seatbelt, intoxicated, wanted felon, etc. etc.) reasons to ticket you.

I got pulled over one quiet Sunday morning here in Syracuse and he told me that I needed the plate. He also asked me if I put my seatbelt on after I saw him turn around to pull me over. Putz.


I was going to do just that (slip the seatbelt on after I know he saw me) but I figured that would just aggravate him plus give him the chance to give me an additional ticket for driving recklessly or something. :haha:

[savanna3313]

It's really just an excuse, but yes, they can pull you over for that. If they tell you that was the reason though, they're full of it.

While you were pulled over, there were about 15 others passing you who didn't have them either.

They'll use that as the reason, but they'll try to find anything else that they can, like:
cracked windshield
no seatbelt
signals not working as you're pulling over
break lights not working either
damaged mirror

...anything they can find to raise revenue.

I tried to explain that I was claustrophobic plus that I was originally from New Orleans where there are lots of open canals that run by the highways and I had a fear of going into the water and not being able to get my seatbelt off. :ne_nau:

He appreciated the story and all......but I still got a ticket. :haha:

[Sombeech]

I tried to explain that I was claustrophobic plus that I was originally from New Orleans where there are lots of open canals that run by the highways and I had a fear of going into the water and not being able to get my seatbelt off. :ne_nau:

:toofunny:

[Mtnman1830]

When I had my '68 mustang, I had a 'mustang' plate on the front. I was pulled over many times, and all I got was a fix-it ticket. After I got a cop would sign it off, I would take the plate off and put the mustang one back on.

[Mtnbiker]

On the other hand.....

I was pulled over in Wellsburg for 10 over.. didn't slow down fast enough from 55 to 45. Anyway, he only wrote the ticket for no front plate ($30) instead of the speeding ticket. Lucky me! :2thumbs: Worked out well in my case.

I of course used the "What? I have to have a front plate? I'm from Michigan, I don't know these things"... Which is garbage anyway b/c of course I took the Utah driver's test! :lol8:

[asdf]

Other cazy utah laws -

In Utah, daylight must be visible between dancing couples.

In Utah, birds have the right of way on any public highway.

In Utah, the husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.

[Glockguy]

Your mistake was making an excuse. That pretty much guarantees that you are getting a ticket. (Unless you have a good one like you are in labor on the way to the hospital.)

Be honest, say you were dumb and in a hurry and you are sorry. Also get your CCP. Since I have had mine I have been pulled over THREE TIMES, in a year and a half and have not been issued a citation.

[savanna3313]

Your mistake was making an excuse. That pretty much guarantees that you are getting a ticket. (Unless you have a good one like you are in labor on the way to the hospital.)

Be honest, say you were dumb and in a hurry and you are sorry. Also get your CCP. Since I have had mine I have been pulled over THREE TIMES, in a year and a half and have not been issued a citation.

Honestly, my first words were that I knew I was wrong in not having it on and that I was rushing from point A to point B. He just smiled. :ne_nau:

It was after he brought the ticket back to sign that I told him the other story. It was an honest story too......I truly did have a fear of running into a canal and being trapped underwater, panicking and not able to get the seatbelt off.

[Scott Card]

Lest we forget the big "click it or ticket" campaign going on. UHP will always cite for no seat belt particularly with all the advertising. One thing I have noticed in my dealings with clients and in reading police reports is that if they want to pull you over, they will find a reason. Perfectly legal for them to fish if they can articulate a reason, like no front license plate. My favorite is the "no license plate light" reason or mud flaps that are too small reason. You know they are fishing when they use that reason. Well, southern belle, they wanted to give you a ticket for the seat belt violation and used the no front license plate to justify the stop. One other thing, your odds of getting trapped in a car in a canal in the desert are kinda slim. :haha:

[wojo342]

Here's a novel idea...maybe the officer pulls you over...not to get revenue, but for safety's sake! SEAT BELTS DO SAVE LIVES!

[DaveOU812]

Ok so I have a little bit of help here. Your all gonna hate me now but I'm actualy a cop now. I'm a military policemen for the base. (Only for about a week now) I can understand the cop asking if you put your seatbelt on. We ask people about cell phones all day. (You can't talk on them while driving on base.) I've get into some peoples asses and they dont even own a cell phone. The other thing is that cops have to give out so many tickets or their command starts to get suspicious.

[price1869]

Here's a novel idea...maybe the officer pulls you over...not to get revenue, but for safety's sake! SEAT BELTS DO SAVE LIVES!

I'm going to have to go with wojo on this one. You may argue that if you want to participate in self-destructive behavior, that your choice, but that's retarded. I'm not sure that the officer's pay is affected by the number of tickets he gives out.

Now I will agree that there are ass hole cops, and then there are alright cops. If you really hate having people enforce the law, I guess you better run for office and change the law.

We can't all just sit around and bitch because we were doing something wrong . . . and then we got caught.

[Udink]

We can't all just sit around and bitch because we were doing something wrong . . . and then we got caught.
Sure, we can bitch all we want, if the law is of questionable reasoning. What's next, a law requiring everyone to brush their teeth at prescribed times during the day, with a particular brand of toothbrush and toothpaste? I'm sure you'd be all for that one too, as long as it's helping to curb all this "self-destructive behavior" of bad oral hygiene. :haha:

[price1869]

Sounds like a good idea, and we should sue the big germ companies too. Then we can have anti-germ campaigns.

If people want to drive, on public roads, they can obey the laws that the govmint imposes.

It's totally a choice. You don't have to wear your seat belt. You just can't drive if you don't.

[savanna3313]

It's interesting reading the various opinions from people. :popcorn:

I don't think of the cop as being a jerk or anything......just doing his job - I know. But quite honestly, considering where he pulled me over on the interstate, he put me (and himself) even more in danger of being hit by passing vehicles (ie) giant speeding trucks that he missed many opportunities to ticket. :nod:

This thread started with me asking a question about not having the front license plate on, which is the reason the trooper gave me for pulling me over. In La. (where I am originally from) we don't use front license plates. I wasn't bitching about the seat belt issue - I know it's the law and the State trooper got me. I remember friends of mine who are motorcycle riders who really fought about the helmet law years ago. I feel the same way......if I want to wear my seat belt, as a grown adult, I should be able to make the choice. I usually do - especially on the Interstate, but that day I just didn't have it on for whatever reason. Now, if a child is in my car unprotected, that's a different story and there should be laws that protect such issues.

I think talking on cell phones while driving is more dangerous than driving without my seat belt on - again, just my personal opinion. But I know that I have avoided many accidents while someone is chit-chatting away, oblivous to what's going on in traffic, OH! but they had their seat belt on!!
:haha:

[price1869]

I'll continue this one.

you're completely right. Talking on cell phones while driving should be "hands free" only. No texting while driving either.

Price

[stefan]

they've done many studies and found that talking on the cellphone in many ways is similar to drunk driving.

what concerns me the most is not the hand on the cell phone aspect ... it's more the focused attention that the caller is giving to the person on the other end, as opposed to his/her driving. severe lack of attention is hazardous to other drivers.

one thing, mildly annoying, i do see regularly is someone in the left lane going way too slow engaged in a conversation on the cell phone ... an example of lack of awareness of one's surroundings. [but i know some folks do this anyway without the cellphone.]

[PunchKing]

they've done many studies and found that talking on the cellphone in many ways is similar to drunk driving.


So if I can talk on my cellphone and drive without issue, would I also be able to get wasted and drive home without incident? I may have to start drinking to test this one out.

[asdf]

they've done many studies and found that talking on the cellphone in many ways is similar to drunk driving.


So if I can talk on my cellphone and drive without issue, would I also be able to get wasted and drive home without incident? I may have to start drinking to test this one out.

I hope you are kidding.

[stefan]

might be a good reason to start drinking

[moabfool]

I know we all hate it when we hear about cops giving people the business for pissant crap that doesn't seem to matter. Just remember, a cop being a "jerk" is the reason Warren Jeffs is behind bars right now. The reason: improperly displayed license plate. Just be glad you weren't on the FBI's most wanted list :haha:

[savanna3313]

I know we all hate it when we hear about cops giving people the business for pissant crap that doesn't seem to matter. Just remember, a cop being a "jerk" is the reason Warren Jeffs is behind bars right now. The reason: improperly displayed license plate. Just be glad you weren't on the FBI's most wanted list :haha:

Like I initially stated......I know the trooper was just doing his job. I just wanted to know about the front license plate issue that he cited for pulling me over. Didn't get a ticket for that - just the seat belt violation. The reason I ask is because I see SO many cars/trucks out here without the front plate on and I didn't realize it was any kind of violation.

btw........I am very happy I am no longer on the FBIs most wanted list. :lol8:

[lonepeakgeek]

This is going to be long- but I guarantee it

[Scott Card]

You are right. That was worth the read. :lol8: Great story. Glad you didn't get caught. The wrong cop would have thought about witness tampering charges - a felony. Unlikely it would stick but would have scared the crap out of you. :doh:

[Scott Card]

witness tampering charges - a felony. :

make that evidence tampering - sorry. I need to proof read.

[savanna3313]

[quote=lonepeakgeek]This is going to be long- but I guarantee it

[Sombeech]

There he was- ticket book in hand, staring at my perfectly legit front plate- with a very confused look on his face. He shook his head and drove away.
True story.

That is an awesome story! :hail2thechief:

Now, what about the fact that you were on private property? Doesn't he have to wait until you are out on the state maintained roads to give you a ticket? If you are on private property, I would think you could do anything you wanted to your vehicle.

[lonepeakgeek]

You are right. That was worth the read. :lol8: Great story. Glad you didn't get caught. The wrong cop would have thought about witness tampering charges - a felony. Unlikely it would stick but would have scared the crap out of you. :doh:

How's that witness tampering?

[wojo342]

That's a great story! :hail2thechief:

[Scott Card]

You are right. That was worth the read. :lol8: Great story. Glad you didn't get caught. The wrong cop would have thought about witness tampering charges - a felony. Unlikely it would stick but would have scared the crap out of you. :doh:

How's that witness tampering?

Look above in this same thread, I corrected the error. It may be evidence tampering or could be under Utah Code Annotated 76-8-510.5

[Sombeech]

But still..... This is on private property. Just like a ticket won't be written for a traffic accident on private property.

[Scott Card]

You haven't dealt with many cops south of Santaquin have you. :lol8: :lol8: Just kidding, sort of. There are good and bad cops in every jurisdiction, just like any other profession. A little detail like whether you are in a parking lot or not means nothing to the wrong cop. Also, I haven't done the research but I don't think it is a defense in a "public" parking lot to claim private property rights unless it is YOUR private property at least as it relates to this type of offense - evidence tampering, you may be right as to the license plate issue. I'm not saying there would be a conviction for witness tampering but believe me I have seen goofier arrests that required a full on defense before the case went away. Oh the stories....

[Sombeech]

The reason I ask, is because yesterday a lady ran a stop sign and hit my truck, in a parking lot. It was one of those large parking lots, with an intersection having a stopsign in a certain lane. She failed to stop, and hit me.

So, it's private property, and the officer could not issue a ticket. I would think this is the same issue. Also, does a vehicle even need to be in driving condition while sitting in the parking lot?

[Scott Card]

The reason I ask, is because yesterday a lady ran a stop sign and hit my truck, in a parking lot. It was one of those large parking lots, with an intersection having a stopsign in a certain lane. She failed to stop, and hit me.

So, it's private property, and the officer could not issue a ticket. I would think this is the same issue. Also, does a vehicle even need to be in driving condition while sitting in the parking lot?

I had a sneekin' suspicion there was more to the original question. :haha: Just because the police did not issue a citation does not mean you are out of luck. You can still collect against her personally or her insurance. This is not unusual to have the police leave you dangling and even if a citation was issued does not guarantee recovery on the car. In fact, there is a fairly new statute that says that us trial lawyers can't even bring up the fact that someone was cited in an accident to prove fault/liability at trial. A citation is a criminal penalty. Collecting for your damaged vehicle is a civil action -- apples and oranges.

As to the inoperable vehicle on private property issue, this seems to be a city by city, county by county zoning/nuisance issue. Some cities are trying to eliminate the redneck yard I guess. So the answer is --depends.

[rock_ski_cowboy]

The reason I ask, is because yesterday a lady ran a stop sign and hit my truck, in a parking lot. It was one of those large parking lots, with an intersection having a stopsign in a certain lane. She failed to stop, and hit me.

So, it's private property, and the officer could not issue a ticket. I would think this is the same issue. Also, does a vehicle even need to be in driving condition while sitting in the parking lot?

According to P-Town Traffic School (done it twice, actually a pretty good deal for keeping a clean record), the only two citations that you can get in a (private) parking lot are for parking in a handicap spot (MUST be marked with a sign, not just parking lot paint, or you can technically disregard it) or reckless driving. Thats it.

I thought traffic school was interesting in that they showed some good and funny video clips and told you a bunch of stuff that WASN'T against the law that a lot of people believe is (such as, changing lanes in an intersection, backing up, 90% of U-turns, etc.)

[price1869]

The google ads are funny for this thread.

[Sombeech]

According to P-Town Traffic School (done it twice, actually a pretty good deal for keeping a clean record),

3 times :cool2: