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Got My First Ticket in 21 years

3K views 40 replies 24 participants last post by  korizzle 
#1 ·
I was driving through Mount Airy, MD and I saw two Maryland State Police cars, one on each side of the road. I checked my speed, was doing 25 mph. The speed limit was 30. The cop pointed at the V and motioned for me to pull over. He then told me that I was pulled over for not having a front license plate. He asked for my license and registration and asked if it was my car. I thought to myself, is this a trick question? I just gave you my license and registration and guess what, the names match - - Dufus.

He returned to the car with a ticket for $55. What a piece of crap, no warning. He told me that they were checking for seat belt violations. Stinking revenue cops - - - I then asked him what the speed limit was - he told me that he had no idea.

I asked if I had to take the car to an inspection station to verify that the tag was installed. He said, nope, just pay the ticket. He also mentioned that I could get pulled over on the way home for not having the front tag. I said, Do you mean that your bud on the other side of the road could pull me over again - He respond - yep, but most likely wouldn't.

The funny thing is I have no idea how to mount a front tag on the V, not to mention that it detracts from the look.

I left with a nice roar of the Maggie and Magnflows. Man - Thanks to officers like him, the road is a much safer place. :banghead:
 
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#3 ·
Not sure how to mount a front tag without screwing up the front bumper, but mine had a place for a front tag when I bought it. IMHO, it's not worth not putting a front tag in MD--don't give them any reason for pulling you over...and don't even think of driving anywhere here on the Eastern Shore if your car doesn't have a front tag..unless you want to see what traffic court over here is like. Just go to the Cadillac dealer and buy the plate holder--I'm sure it just screws right into the bumper cover directly, but I can check if you want.

BTW, LOTS of police around today, in every kind of vehicle you could imagine--never seen anything like it...:bonkers:
 
#4 ·
keeksv said:
Not sure how to mount a front tag without screwing up the front bumper, but mine had a place for a front tag when I bought it. IMHO, it's not worth not putting a front tag in MD--don't give them any reason for pulling you over...and don't even think of driving anywhere here on the Eastern Shore if your car doesn't have a front tag..unless you want to see what traffic court over here is like. Just go to the Cadillac dealer and buy the plate holder--I'm sure it just screws right into the bumper cover directly, but I can check if you want.

BTW, LOTS of police around today, in every kind of vehicle you could imagine--never seen anything like it...:bonkers:
There are lots of threads about front plates on this forum, including discussions about the stock mounting and alternate (no holes) mountings, and the risks and rewards of driving without a front plate in a "front plate" state.

I live in a front plate state, my front plate is in the trunk....I don't drink and drive and haven't had so much as a pot seed in one of my cars in over 20 years (to my knowledge) ....so I'll risk it.
 
#5 ·
Just pay it and move on. I got one in the V and one every other year for the Vette. If you're willing to pay good money for mods, you're willing to pay $50 not to ruin your bumper.

FYI, Texas finally gave up this year and went down to one license plate. Someone decided they could save money that way. :bouncy:
 
#37 ·
Pretend that ticket was for the 50 other times you (and I) were speeding. Your number came up. You did not have a front tag. So, what do you do??? Take it out verbally (here) on the cop. Man up. Admit your mistake. Cops have a job to do. Some cops (like me and you) are good and bad.

If this is the worst thing that happens to you in life, consider yourself very lucky.
 
#6 ·
joshdctsv said:
Just pay it and move on. I got one in the V and one every other year for the Vette. If you're willing to pay good money for mods, you're willing to pay $50 not to ruin your bumper.

FYI, Texas finally gave up this year and went down to one license plate. Someone decided they could save money that way. :bouncy:

Agree - My feelings exactly.

GT
 
#7 ·
The federal government makes the states show that they are enforcing certain safety laws (seat belts, DWI etc.) as a condition of getting federal highway money, hence the periodic enforcement spikes from time to time. Labor day weekend is a traditional time for major traffic enforcement operations.

If points are not involved and the fine is $55, I would pay it immediately and forget about it. If you drill holes in your bumper, you will be annoyed for as long as you own the car. Consider it the cost of keeping your car looking good, like periodic detailing.

CR
 
#8 ·
Yeah, about once every year I get the trifecta: No front plate, tinted windows, no seatbelt. It's $225 but worth it to express my own sense of personal freedom.

Just consider it a "cool guy" tax. For being a cool guy, you have to pay $250 or so in tax. Or in your case, maybe $50 a year -- a real bargain.
 
#17 ·
It's a nice flat, conveniently located, reflective surface. It's where they aim the laser. In fact, some States have increased the reflective coating specifically for that reason.

(Oh, you meant that you couldn't think of a "legitimate" reason for a front plate?) :cool:
 
#10 ·
Get that new retractable front plate holder.. leave off.. if ya get pulled over flip the switch.. when they walk too the front it will go like this... my mistake sir, thought you didnt have one.. have a good day.. lol

I seen em on ebay too... they look pretty cool. if i had to have a front plate, thats the one i would use... looks like you dont have one, until you need it.

latr blitzer
 
#12 ·
Cops never seem to pull you over when you have extra time so why give them a reason to pull you over in the first place. First they pull you over for no plate, then they tell you were five over, check your registration and license, check your car for anything remotely illegal (you be surprised what they can use in this catagory). I got pulled over before my perm plate came in because I didn't have a front plate mount. The cop wasted 1/2 hour of my time but was clearly looking for DWI or other infractions.

Don't give them a reason to waste your time.
 
#18 ·
yeah you most likely will...when i was living in arizona, while registered in arizona, with an arizona driver's license, i drove back to my parent's home in california one weekend and got pulled over and ticketed for window tint that is legal in az but illegal in ca...i dont remember the exact percentage...i think 35% tint - it was like 8 years ago. the cop said that it doesn't matter that i live in az...my car was illegal according to the state i was driving in, therefore, i can be (and was) cited.

btw...way to bring a thread back from the dead - you must have been reeeeeaaaally bored today :D
 
#14 ·
Let me see if i can find it.. i just seen it like 2 weeks ago, there was several... Also how i found out about it, someone on this forum made a post about it.. might ought to post who knows info about retractable plate platform.
i will keep looking though, i will find it.

later blitzer
 
#20 ·
I was caught behind some 80 year old in a Q45 in the fast lane the other day when I see a truck ahead hit his brakes. Its a well known spot just past a rise that Troopers sit, so I always check my speed through there anyway. Grandpa slows to 66 in a 70 when he sees the cop and coasts by on a 3 lane Interstate. I on the other hand push in the clutch and throw some Corsa notes at him since he was nice enough to get out of the car and hold his radar like a bazooka, at a whopping 65 MPH. His head was on a swivel trying to figure out where it came from, since it couldnt have been that Cadillac.

Dicks.
 
#23 ·
Additionally, your post of that google search and the guy from Texas has more to do with a question as to residence since he had spent a few months in California. It doesn't say that if he was just a Texas resident vacationing or driving through the area that he would still be responsible...
 
#24 ·
On my old cts i got a "fix-a-ticket" basically you just had to bring it down to the station and show them that you mounted it....I got some weather stripping and two bolts and washers and bolted it on for an hour. Went to show them i fixed it. But the funny thing was the cop didnt even look at it he just asked me if i did. I said yes and he singed the ticket and it was over LOL.
 
#27 ·
haha, same thing happened to me a couple years ago with my exhaust! ticketed for it being too loud so i went to a muffler shop had it changed (bought the car with the loud exhaust) to something quiet...took it to be verified and no one even looked at it. pissed me off actually.
 
#25 ·
ehhh.. at least u didn't get pulled for going 114, then get a 'not displaying front plate' AND tint ticket on top of that... VA is the worst:banghead:
 
#28 ·
Holy Thread resurection Batman.

Gary sold his V like 2 years ago. Hell Blitzer posted in this thread :D (ahh the good old days).

-Chris

Kudos for using search though.
 
#33 ·
hey jim, you'll be glad to know...

i just got off the phone with my cousin (he's a chp in central ca - fresno) and he told me that you technically can't be cited for not having a front plate if you're from another state that doesn't require it. if an ignorant officer does give you a ticket for it, it will be thrown out after the fact. but, if your state does require a front plate, then your citation will be enforced.

he suggested that people who do a lot of interstate driving print out a copy of the vehicle code section from your state and keep it with your registration...that way if the cop that stops you isn't familiar with the laws of your state he can use your reference as a guide to make a better decision.

he did also mention that he couldn't care less about front plates (ca or otherwise), but he says that he knows of officers use it as a tool to check for other bigger infractions...haha much like i mentioned before.

sooooo...if you're gonna be in california, probably should just put a plate on and avoid and potential trouble. to each his own though - i will always have dark tinted windows...until they make it an arrestable offense! :thumbsup:

looks like the cop that pulled me over was only correct about the tint and used too general of a statment!:want:
 
#36 ·
That's cool that you went through the trouble of finding out. I guess I was going lawyer speak earlier. I know cops who bust balls to find ANYTHING during a stop that they can nail you on. And not having a front plate in a state that requires such is eye catching.

But ultimately, it's unenforceable...
 
#35 ·
:hide: haha, you noticed that, eh!

stupid cop all those years ago made me go out of my way to try and prove a point that was incorrect. i feel so violated.
 
#38 ·
Nothing bad can come out of being quiet and obedient to a cop. The best thing for your ultimate outcome is to shut up and do whatever the cop says. I give him nothing to remember me by or reason to come to court to face me. If he gives an obvious open to talk my way out, I may try. Otherwise, it's all in the courts for me.

Whenever I get pulled over, I fight the ticket. But I don't fight the cop. That comes back to bite your arse. I go through what the law makes available to me. If and when I get the cop on the stand, I pepper him(or her) with questions that may twist his words or show his procedures were not to protocol. When they're on the stand is when you get your aggression out.

That is, if it ever goes that far. Which happens in Massachusetts maybe 1 out of 8 times. A couple times, the cop never bothered to file the paperwork.


Funny story about being nice to a cop:

I was in my hometown and myself and some friends were at a Chinese restaurant. Afterward, we were outside shooting the breeze. It was not long after July 4th and someone had a couple bottle rockets. So we waited for traffic to clear and launched one along the ground out of the parking lot. Well, as we were lighting the fuse, a local cop had turned down the street. I freaked. The rocket was aimed right in his path! I stomped my foot to trap it, but just as I was stomping down, it went off! It exploded right underneath the officer's car...OMG!!! It was the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life.

Well, two of my buddies were from Vermont. The officer comes flying in flies right up to us. He comes out screaming and demanding ID. One didn't have his license on him. The other was asking why he needed to show ID when he didn't do anything. I just shyly give him my ID. Well, since he didn't like my friends attitudes, he went off on them. And they gave it back. The cop got so worked up he spent his energy threatening to take them to jail and how he didn't appreciate the attitude. Finally, my friends realized they were pushing it and everyone calmed down.

Once everyone calmed down, the officer just up and left. All he ever did was ask for my ID and give it back. The rest of the time I just watched the argument. I could have, and should have, been busted or cited for something, but I didn't. I always just shut up with cops...
 
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