Notices
Car Chat General discussion about Lexus, other auto manufacturers and automotive news.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Innova

help contesting front plate ticket

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 07:39 AM
  #31  
toneman's Avatar
toneman
Lead Lap
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 621
Likes: 0
From: California
Default

Originally Posted by Technique
If you don't go to UCLA then don't pay the ticket... They can't do anything to you if you are not a student/faculty/etc...
Now I can't speak for every single university police dept., but reading the above quote at face value--so you're saying that if I'm observed speeding thru campus and a campus police sees me...said campus police can't and/or won't ticket me for speeding if I'm not a student of the university that the campus police serves? Somehow I find this really hard to believe...
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 02:51 PM
  #32  
STIG's Avatar
STIG
Lexus Test Driver
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,471
Likes: 0
From: SF
Default

pay for it and move on. I've learned this in a hard way. Trust me. Not worth your time fighting for 60 dollars.

Plus, usually, they are fix it ticket unless the cop was an a$$. Slap the plate with double tape and go get a signature from an officer. And pay 10 bucks. That's it!
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 05:39 PM
  #33  
O. L. T.'s Avatar
O. L. T.
Keeper of the light
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,121
Likes: 480
From: My little world
Default

Inoperable vehicles are not able to be ticketed for no front plate. If you are replacing the front bumper and go in for a bite of food - would you expect to come back out to a ticket for not having a front bumper?

Hell no. This car could be disabled and the plate could have been removed to avoid theft. Fact is, these bored losers are just walking around looking to mess with you since their mommy didn't love them as a child.

Either way, they can't ticket you for no front plate when the car is unmanned and immobile. What if you were replacing the L-plate bulbs and had removed the rear plate, I guess they'd ticket you for operating a vehicle with no plate, even though it was unmanned and completely abandoned? Can you ticket a car with a blown motor sitting in the driveway with having expired tags even though it hasn't moved in 2 yrs?

Please, stick this one back up this guy's azz real good. Same kind of guy that looks at you and calls you "son" when he is commanding you like a slave. I'd fight until he was fired IF it was not a fix it ticket and was actually a fine.

Sometimes I think people in CA are so used to being told how to live and where to stand when they scratch their *** that they don't even try and fight some of these ludicrous laws, fines, and bullies.
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 07:02 PM
  #34  
Fleainat's Avatar
Fleainat
Pole Position
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 287
Likes: 0
From: CA
Default

Originally Posted by toneman
Now I can't speak for every single university police dept., but reading the above quote at face value--so you're saying that if I'm observed speeding thru campus and a campus police sees me...said campus police can't and/or won't ticket me for speeding if I'm not a student of the university that the campus police serves? Somehow I find this really hard to believe...
exactly, and unfortunately, at UCLA, it's UCPD, which is its own police department and has all of the same authority as LAPD, so I would not even try to contest it
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 07:20 PM
  #35  
STIG's Avatar
STIG
Lexus Test Driver
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,471
Likes: 0
From: SF
Default

Originally Posted by O. L. T.
Inoperable vehicles are not able to be ticketed for no front plate. If you are replacing the front bumper and go in for a bite of food - would you expect to come back out to a ticket for not having a front bumper?

Hell no. This car could be disabled and the plate could have been removed to avoid theft. Fact is, these bored losers are just walking around looking to mess with you since their mommy didn't love them as a child.

Either way, they can't ticket you for no front plate when the car is unmanned and immobile. What if you were replacing the L-plate bulbs and had removed the rear plate, I guess they'd ticket you for operating a vehicle with no plate, even though it was unmanned and completely abandoned? Can you ticket a car with a blown motor sitting in the driveway with having expired tags even though it hasn't moved in 2 yrs?

Please, stick this one back up this guy's azz real good. Same kind of guy that looks at you and calls you "son" when he is commanding you like a slave. I'd fight until he was fired IF it was not a fix it ticket and was actually a fine.

Sometimes I think people in CA are so used to being told how to live and where to stand when they scratch their *** that they don't even try and fight some of these ludicrous laws, fines, and bullies.


ummm what??

I think front plate is req' by law.
Reply
Old Nov 11, 2006 | 11:10 PM
  #36  
lobuxracer's Avatar
lobuxracer
Tech Resource
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 23,057
Likes: 4,712
From: Georgia
Default

First, let's squash a couple of popular myths.

From here.

CALIFORNIA CODES
VEHICLE CODE
SECTION 5200-5206

5200. (a) When two license plates are issued by the department for use upon a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and the other in the rear.
The law does not say forward facing. It says front and rear.

Also from here.

11713.17. (a) Following the retail sale or lease of a motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, a dealer may not deliver the motor vehicle unless either of the following occurs:
(1) The motor vehicle is equipped with a bracket or other means of securing a front license plate.
(2) The dealer obtains a signed written acknowledgment from the person taking delivery of the motor vehicle acknowledging both of the following:
(A) The person expressly refused installation of a bracket or other means of securing the front license plate.
(B) The person understands that California law requires a license plate to be displayed from and securely fastened to the front of the motor vehicle and that the hardware necessary to securely fasten the front plate is available from the dealer.
(b) A manufacturer or distributor may not sell or distribute in this state a new motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, unless that motor vehicle is equipped or provided with a bracket or other means of securing the license plates.
So, any suggestion that the car was delivered this way could result in the dealer either being fined, or the dealer producing a document indicating your refusal to have a bracket installed. While we all complain about Corvettes not having plates, they must have provisions for mounting them by state law. Again, choosing to run them or not is up to the owner.

Finally, from here.

(c) A vehicle displaying a copy of the report of sale may be operated without license plates or registration card until either of
the following, whichever occurs first:
(1) The license plates and registration card are received by the purchaser.
(2) A six-month period, commencing with the date of sale of the vehicle, has expired.
It amazes me that people would pay fines to support a fashion statement, but that is one of the things that makes us all different.

Pay up. You got busted.

Last edited by lobuxracer; Nov 11, 2006 at 11:15 PM.
Reply
Old Nov 13, 2006 | 12:58 PM
  #37  
toneman's Avatar
toneman
Lead Lap
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 621
Likes: 0
From: California
Default

Originally Posted by O. L. T.
Inoperable vehicles are not able to be ticketed for no front plate. If you are replacing the front bumper and go in for a bite of food - would you expect to come back out to a ticket for not having a front bumper?

<snip>

Either way, they can't ticket you for no front plate when the car is unmanned and immobile. What if you were replacing the L-plate bulbs and had removed the rear plate, I guess they'd ticket you for operating a vehicle with no plate, even though it was unmanned and completely abandoned? Can you ticket a car with a blown motor sitting in the driveway with having expired tags even though it hasn't moved in 2 yrs?
Your statement would not necessarily apply for every state; in addition, you mentioned one little but important scenario that would preclude a cop from issuing a no-front-plate ticket for an "unmanned and immobile" vehicle--the fact that said car is possibly parked in a driveway--i.e., private property. Again--I can't speak for every state but I would venture to say that in more than a few states--if a no front-plate vehicle is parked on a public street, it is fair game for a no-front-plate ticket, regardless of whether or not it is unmanned and/or immobile. Whether the vehicle owner can legally have the citation removed is another matter, but to insinuate/generalize that no car missing a front license plate can't get ticketed just because it is unoccupied and unoperational is not completely valid.

Regarding your front bumper analogy--if you're "getting a bite to eat", how would it be possible that your "missing the front bumper" vehicle is necessarily "inoperable"--did you walk or secure other means of transportation to the food joint and your "inoperable" car w/ the missing front bumper just happened to be there?
Reply
Old Nov 13, 2006 | 09:54 PM
  #38  
Kepeli's Avatar
Kepeli
Pole Position
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
From: New Jersey
Default

Originally Posted by O. L. T.
Can you ticket a car with a blown motor sitting in the driveway with having expired tags even though it hasn't moved in 2 yrs?
Heck yeah you can, what happens in your town may differ from other towns. As far as your question...I lived in a town and if your tags were expired even w/out a blown engine and sat there for 2 years w/out a car cover it was considered abandoned and towed away.
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 08:58 AM
  #39  
mmarshall's Avatar
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
Community Builder
Community Influencer
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,202
Likes: 218
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Default

Originally Posted by JJG430
I have had 4 no lisence plate tickets. In different citys by luck. I go into court and tell the judge the car was just painted in the front end and the body shop has to wait 6 weeks to put the clear 3m tape and the plate on. This always works. I have actually got out of more of them by just telling the officer who pulled me over that excuse.

Well, if the Judge or prosecutor doesn't order a copy of the body shop's records to verify your story, then that is THEIR stupidity ....and under those circumstances, law or no law, you probably DESERVE to beat the damn ticket.
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 09:46 AM
  #40  
Technique's Avatar
Technique
Racer
CL Folding 500,000
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 5
From: DC
Default

lol, I like how we go from a college rent-a-cop front plate ticket to Judges and towing away abandoned cars with blown engines and auto-body shop records...

Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 10:11 AM
  #41  
Magellan's Avatar
Magellan
Lead Lap
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 737
Likes: 1
From: CA
Default

Originally Posted by mmarshall
Well, if the Judge or prosecutor doesn't order a copy of the body shop's records to verify your story, then that is THEIR stupidity ....and under those circumstances, law or no law, you probably DESERVE to beat the damn ticket.
So you’re saying the judge or prosecutor must assume the defendant is committing perjury, and should therefore take the extra time at taxpayers’ expense to make sure; all for a routine front plate ticket. Besides this sort of thing being a destroyer of our judicial system, why isn’t anyone here saying that committing perjury is wrong? Or have we all adopted the Clintonesque position that lying under oath is OK under certain circumstances?
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 10:18 AM
  #42  
mmarshall's Avatar
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
Community Builder
Community Influencer
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,202
Likes: 218
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Default

Originally Posted by Magellan
So you’re saying the judge or prosecutor must assume the defendant is committing perjury, and should therefore take the extra time at taxpayers’ expense to make sure; all for a routine front plate ticket. Besides this sort of thing being a destroyer of our judicial system, why isn’t anyone here saying that committing perjury is wrong? Or have we all adopted the Clintonesque position that lying under oath is OK under certain circumstances?
No, I'm not saying that. But if you, as a cop or prosecutor, are going to accuse someone of breaking a DMV law, and charge him or her with a fine, you need some evidence to support your position.

If a person claims he or she had a car painted, and the outcome of a court case depends on who is telling the truth, then BOTH sides need documentation for their cases....in this case, a bill and records from the shop.

I know she can be loud and arrogant sometimes, but have you ever seen the look on Judge Judy's face ( and hear the tone of her voice ) when someone tries to pull one past her without proper documentation? I can't describe it...you have to see it for yourself.
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 10:57 AM
  #43  
Lexmex's Avatar
Lexmex
CL Community Team
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 17,318
Likes: 203
From: Miami, Florida
Default

I have a notorious issue with the Mexico City and Mexico State (adjoins the Federal District). My home state Florida does not have front plates, so by habit we don't put anything on the front. Most of my foreign friends also ditch the front plate, so it does not give the police an easy target (you have may have a termporary paper plate), but both states have front and rear plates. I can't begin to count how many times the police tell me also sorts of tales of how I must have a front plate due to the driving day restriction laws (I am now able to get an emissions sticker to drive every day).

Several of my friends who don't want to go through the hassle use false plates with different letters and numbers (the key on the driving day). I always love it when a Gringo pops up with a false plate with profanity or something else in bad taste. I have considered a Lexmex plate (nobody cares down here) unless you are locally plated.
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2006 | 11:11 AM
  #44  
Magellan's Avatar
Magellan
Lead Lap
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 737
Likes: 1
From: CA
Default

Originally Posted by mmarshall
No, I'm not saying that. But if you, as a cop or prosecutor, are going to accuse someone of breaking a DMV law, and charge him or her with a fine, you need some evidence to support your position.

If a person claims he or she had a car painted, and the outcome of a court case depends on who is telling the truth, then BOTH sides need documentation for their cases....in this case, a bill and records from the shop.

I know she can be loud and arrogant sometimes, but have you ever seen the look on Judge Judy's face ( and hear the tone of her voice ) when someone tries to pull one past her without proper documentation? I can't describe it...you have to see it for yourself.
Yes, I watch Judge Judy all the time. She would ask the defendant for proof that the car had been painted. (“You didn’t bring your documentation? Where did you think you were going today, to a tea party?”) She would then rule the fine must be paid. At no time would she go back and start calling body shops herself.

This is not a jury trail. Both sides in this case consist of the ticketing cop and the defendant. The judge has to prove nothing, nor offer any evidence, other than hearing what the cop has to say. The cop does not have to call any body shops. All the judge has to do is give her official opinion based on the evidence presented to her.

And Judge Judy is very intolerant to those lying in court. That’s what surprised me about your post. You never considered that as important to the discussion.
Reply
Old Nov 15, 2006 | 11:26 AM
  #45  
toy4two's Avatar
toy4two
Lexus Champion
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 0
From: ca
Default

you are wasting your time fighting this ticket. It used to cost me $10 a ticket in Cali, just need to get it signed off. I think its up to $25 now (thanks Gray Davis!).

Just not worth your time to fight it.
Reply



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:25 PM.