So it must be OK!
This doesn’t sound like a typical ‘Drive The Future’ post. I’m going to try to make it relevant to the purpose of this site, but mostly I just need to put this out there. So here goes…
I was following a car yesterday that was the same color as mine and they had a smoke bubble license plate cover and I thought how great that would look on my car. And as you know, ‘everybody is doing this’ so it MUST BE OK – right? Answer – NO, IT’S NOT!
Here in Pennsylvania there is a law, Title 75, section 1332 of the Pennsylvania Code, and it says:
It is unlawful to display on any vehicle a registration plate which:
(1) is so dirty as to prevent the reading of the number or letters thereon at a reasonable distance;
(2) is illegible, obscured, covered or otherwise obstructed in any manner which inhibits the proper operation of an automated red light enforcement system in place pursuant to section 3116 (relating to automated red light enforcement systems in first class cities) or 3117 (relating to automated red light enforcement systems in certain municipalities) or any other automated enforcement system authorized by this title or an electronic toll collection system as authorized under 74 Pa.C.S. § 8117 (relating to electronic toll collection);
(3) is illegible, obscured, covered or otherwise obstructed in any manner at a reasonable distance;
(4) is illegible, obscured, covered or otherwise obstructed in any manner which inhibits the visibility of the issuing jurisdiction at a reasonable distance; or
(5) has a tinted plate cover
Bottomline: If you have a tinted cover over your plate or a license plate frame that covers any letters or numbers where they can not be seen at a reasonable distance, you are breaking the law. And section 1332 states that any person who violates this law commits a summary offense and can be sentenced to pay a fine of $100 if they are convicted.
So, where does this leave us? Should I buy that cool smoked license plate cover from Amazon or not. It’s only $15 and I might not get caught. Besides, everybody does it and I don’t see them getting stopped…
Here’s why I’m not going to do it, as cool as it might be. First, “because everybody else does it” has never been a good reason for doing anything. Second, because it’s illegal! And third, because this practice of obscuring license plates is running rampant and needs to STOP! Consider it as a form of ‘theft’. If your license plate can’t be seen, then red light enforcement, toll collection systems, etc. simply can’t work, and they must! And when these safety and payment systems don’t work others pay more or are endangered by those who think our laws simply don’t apply to them. And I don’t want to be one of those people!
There’s lots of interesting coverage online about this topic. This article talks about the issue in NYC: New York City loses $100 million yearly to drivers with obscured license plates, speed camera audit finds
And this video provides a deeper dive: New York City resident on a mission to expose fraudulent license plates which implies that ‘city officials’ might also be part of the problem. I encourage you to watch this video since it does a good job of highlighting the challenge for NYC, but also ends with the real reason this is so important, and that’s ‘safety‘.
So, I’m encouraging you to become familiar with the laws in your state regarding license plate covers and play by the same rules as everyone else on the road. Pay your fair share. Drive safely. And as cool as that license plate cover might seem, don’t do it. Just don’t!