Text 14922, 159 rader
Skriven 2005-10-18 09:48:42 av Roy Witt (1:1/22)
  Kommentar till text 14909 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: looters in NO
=====================
18 Oct 05 12:51, Michiel van der Vlist wrote to Roy Witt:


 MvdV>>> So either the cars were not registered in California when the
 MvdV>>> pictures for the web side were taken or you took the front plates
 MvdV>>> off for the occasion of the picture. I suppose that is legal if
 MvdV>>> it happens on private property.
 >> I didn't count those in the 3rd gen gallery, but of the 20 Camaros in
 >> the 4th gen gallery, 12 of them don't have a front plate, including
 >> mine.
 MvdV> I too noticed that many front plates were missing, so hence my
 MvdV> enquiry about the requirement.

Ahh.

 >> The rest I either couldn't tell or they had a plate. Not only are
 >> the plates missing, but those who don't have them, drive them on
 >> public roads without any hassle from the police.

 MvdV> Oh?
 MvdV> I don not know of any country in Europe where front plates are not
 MvdV> required. Two approved plates are the norm. The only exceptions are
 MvdV> Italy and Switserland that still allow "mini' plates in front.
 MvdV> (Only for older vehicles AFAIK)  But something must be there.

I know there are several here, but none pop to mind at the moment.

 MvdV> One does not get away with no front plates. Well, you may get away
 MvdV> with a "it was there this morning, must have just lost it", but of
 MvdV> course that won't fly if there are no marks to show there ever was
 MvdV> a plate.  I am not even sure you could drive your Texas registered
 MvdV> Camaro here without a front plate. I have never seen a US vehicle
 MvdV> without front plates hesre. Then again vehicles with US plates are
 MvdV> rare anywy here.

It's surprising how much each state's LEOs know about the other states
laws. Then again, they sometimes don't. Back in the 60s, I was driving
through Texas on my way to a visit with my parents in Illinois for Xmas.
It was winter, so I was taking the southern route, trying to miss snow and
ice while I could.

A Texas state trooper pulled me over because he thought my car's
registration tag was expired. I had renewed the registration before I left
and had installed the tag, even though the due date was a month off. Once
he saw the registration, he let me go.

 MvdV> How about nationality plates? Do you need the white oval with the
 MvdV> letters USA in black when you cross into Mexico or Canada?

No, nothing of that order is required to cross into Mexico or Canada and
vice versa. Each country and each state has a readily identifiable plate.
Canada does like Mexico and registers by province or estado.

 MvdV> Over here the white oval was compulsory when leaving one's own
 MvdV> country. With the new plates with the blue rectangle on the left
 MvdV> with the EU circle of stars and the nationality on the bottom it is
 MvdV> no longer required within the EU.

There's nothing like that here. However, if you're going into Mexico, they
require a Mexican insurance policy. US insurance isn't any good in Mexico
unless it has a Mexican rider. I don't know about Canada.

While entered in a Baja 500 race one year, I also had to have a Mexican
work permit, which could only be gotten at the Mexican Consulate in San
Diego. I couldn't cross the border to get it and I thought that was
strange at the time, but not as strange as having to aquire a work permit
for something I was doing voluntarily as a recreation.

 >> Of course, if a LEO wishes to include that violation when he's wri-
 >> ting a ticket for something worthwhile to write up, he'll do that.

 MvdV> I wonder why you choose to give him such an easy excuse. Isn't it
 MvdV> so that a cop needs "cause" to pull you over and challenge you?

Yes. But I'm pretty secure in knowing that there are far worse cases out
there that actually need pulling over and they'll overlook my cars. The
local rag is full of the arrest reports made. Most are for no insurance
and no registration. Not having a current registration is sure to get you
pulled over, so I don't understand why people drive without insurance AND
no registration. But they do.

 MvdV>  Is a missing front plate not the perfect excuse?

Not really. It would be if the car looked like it had more violations, but
they don't usually bother. Sometimes they might have a campaign to ticket
every car with no front plate, but that happens hardly ever.

 >> Those who've been written are those who squeal tires on the
 >> pavement, drive faster than the speed limit, drive
 >> recklessly, etc. Oh, and when I got stopped for 105 in a 65,
 >> the pig, errrr, officer never even bothered to look at the front
 >> of the car.

 MvdV> Odd. I thought this "policy of tolerance" was typically Dutch...

That was California and the 'tolerance' you might think they're practicing
was policy, but the truth is, they're undermaned. There are 34million
people in California and probably as many cars registered. The Highway
Patrol isn't allowed to use radar/laser on passenger vehicles, so they
have to rely on pacing to catch a speeder. In all of my years driving on
California roads, I learned that the only way they can pace you is if you
don't see them. You don't see them because they take advantage of your
blind spot to the right rear. I learned to drive in the right hand lanes
and to watch for them while maintaining a faster pace than those in the
left hand lanes. But, there is always someone who will drive in the left
hand lanes and go faster than I'm going. I like those kind of drivers
because they draw attention to themselves, which allows me to go my merry
way. That one time above, I was in the left lane and hadn't been paying
attention.

 >>>>>> Texas did. It has a Texas plate on the rear
 MvdV>>>>> Not visible unfortunately.
 >> It is in the other photos. Texas plate, 705 FKN -
 MvdV> Saw. it.
 MvdV> BTW, zflag12.jpg shows a much better picture of the person you
 MvdV> claim is you....

Well, there's another, but it's not very flattering. It's a close up and
my friend caught me with droopy eyes and my mouth open.

 >> Texas just passed a new law that eliminates the front plate as
 >> of November 1st...
 MvdV> It isn't Nov 1st yet. So technically you are still inviolation...

That's true, but I can see an officer explaining to a judge why he
ticketed me for no front plate, when the front plate law expired in less
than two weeks. And all I need to do is show the court that the car now
has a front plate to get out of the ticket.

 >> that means when you go to register your car from out of state
 >> or a new car, you'll only be issued on plate.

 MvdV> Over here, the state does not issue the plates. After you have the
 MvdV> registration, you can go to an approved plate manufaturer and you
 MvdV> can buy two plates for a car and one for a motor cycle.

The states manufacture they're plates in their own prisons. This gives the
inmates something to do besides lift weights and watch TV. Thus, I get
something in return for my taxes that support those prisoners.

 MvdV> If you lose a plate or if it is stolen, you can not just buy a new
 MvdV> one. You have to rerigister and you get plates with a marker
 MvdV> showing they are replacements. That costs money and it is hassle.

This is why Texas will only be issuing one plate after 11-1...They've
removed the registration from the plate itself and have moved them to the
windshield. Lose the plate, no big deal, they'll give you another. You
can't lose the registration, unless you lose the windshield.

 MvdV> As a result plates are usually not just screwed on any more. Pop
 MvdV> nails, or whatever you call them is the popular way of fastening.

Pop rivets. Yes, those make things more permanent and less prone to theft
than screws.


Roy
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