Damn talk about taking something out of context!Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
Are you saying you like backing into things?
You must work for FOX!
FNG = Fox News Guy!
You should know by know that the liberal stinking media will take everything out of context!Damn talk about taking something out of context!Are you saying you like backing into things?
You must work for FOX!
FNG = Fox News Guy!
Must... resist... saying... anything... about... sheep... and... cliffs...
I have 2 dents under my front plate, so I like it there.
I know that there are red-light cameras in Texas, specifically in Garland. I did sign the petition and hope we win, but just don't think it'll happen. Hope I'm wrong...Ever looked at said tollbooths? They take your picture from the rear, not the front. DFW airport? They installed rear plate cameras around 1998. Red light cameras? Not legal here. If you don't want front plates, let your state representatives know. It's not wasting your breath, and it saves real money. Google the topic, and you'll find a fiscal impact study from 1998.This is referenced on the pointy board (Southwest region). Someone made a good point about why this won't work: All the stupid cameras at toll booths and intersections that snap pics of violators use the front license plate to identify cars and people.... I think we're gonna be stuck with front plates forever. I hope that's not just a board to collect valid email addresses for spamming purposes.
#6837 7:56Pm 4/29/04
Is this law really enforced in Texas? We have the same law in California, but I have never had a problem in over 3 years going without a plate. I would really hate to ugly up the front of my Miata with a plate when I move to Texas!
I got a ticket for no front plate. The cop was real cool (did a sweet burnout in his cruiser) and basically wrote me a fix-it ticket. Even told me verbatim what the code was on the no-front plate issue. It just has to be visible from 50 ft, he said that it could be on the car or in the dash w/ the way that it is worded. Of course, some cops interpret it differently, but that is the way that it is worded in the books.
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How long had you been running without a plate? I can live with the chance of a fix-it ticket if I can most likely get away with it for a year or two!
I have not had a plate on either of my cars, I have been driving for 6 years now, an only mentioned once, no tickets. Knock on wood.
Well that makes me feel better. I will just have to play dumb.
I did get pulled over in West Texas last summer by a good ole' boy trooper for no front plate. I was in a Jeep Grand Cherokee with my step-dad and it just gave that guy a reason to pull us over and mess with us. We were on our way to Colorado where there was a Corvette gathering, and I heard stories from some of those guys about getting pulled over in Texas for no front plates....
He actually pulled you over for nothing but the missing plate? My understanding was that no front plate was one of those "secondary offenses" - in other owrds, they can't pull you over for that (and that alone), but they can write you a ticket for it if they pull you over for something else and then decide to give you both tickets.
I've been running without a front plate for 6 or 7 years now. I did once get a ticket for it... but I got pulled over by a fresh-out-of-the-acadamey rookie cop for 104 in a 60. He was looking around my car for anything additional he could write me up for. :P
On a side note Titus, another great thing about Texas is that you can pretty much speed with impunity, without it ever affecting your insurance. As long as you get deferred adjudication for the offense, it never shows up on your record, and the insurance arseholes never find out about it. How do you get deferred adjudication? By taking defensive driving, or by arguing it yourself, or - my favorite - take it to a lawyer, pay $30-40, and let them worry about it. All you'll get is a notice in the mail 2-6 months later asking you to mail certified funds in the amount of the ticket to whatever city it was, and that's it. Never shows up on your "permanent record", so to speak.
I ought to know - I've had over three dozen speeding tickets in Texas in the last 15 years, and only one of them ever went on my record. :afro:
In some other state they'd probably have yanked my license for good as a "habitual offender". Glad I live in Texas!
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Actually Iain, I think they can pull you over for it. I have heard that before, but I dont have any thing concrete. I have heard that it is a bad idea to go plateless if you are smugling drugs for example, as it gives them a reason to pull you over.
Another great thing about Texas and the defensive driving thing. You can only do DD once a year, but that is per city. Also, you can do defered adjudication once a year. So you can get two tickets a year in each city and get out of it with just court costs.
Very good to know. In California, we can go to "traffic school" once every 2 years per county. it is an 8 hour traffic law class where they show you movies like Red Asphalt. The problem with it is it is only good for standard violations. If you are going 20 mph over the speed limit, it is considered reckless driving which is not eligible for traffic school.
Todd
They can get you for just a no front plate under the probable cause rule; basically in Texas if they don't like the way you look they can pull you and claim they had probable cause for the stop.
Unless something has changed recently, you can have deferred adjudication as amny times a year as you want in a city.
Theoretically, deferred adjudication means you go on probation in that city for a period of time (typically 90-180 days), and if you receive another ticket in that jurisdiction during that period, the deferred adjudication is waived for the first ticket (i.e., it goes on your record) and you are not eligible for deferred adjudication on the second ticket.
Here's how it really works (at least, in my personal experience): The city courts are so backed up with revenue generating traffic fines as it is, and the databases aren't set up in a way to cross-check for current probationary periods, that there is no one to actually monitor these so-called probationary periods and check for repeat offenses. In addition, taking a ticket through a lawyer usually means that your ticket won't come up for review in a municipality until anywhere from 3 months to over a year after the actual date of the ticket. I've gotten tickets in cities where I was currently under probation (more than once), and I have never had it flagged or my deferred adjudication revoked on any ticket I've already paid, nor have I ever been denied deferred adjudication on any ticket I've ever taken through a lawyer.
Plain and simple, speeding in Texas generates a lot of revenue. If you pay up and play by the unpublished rules, they really don't care about anything beyond that.
As for "reckless driving", that's at the discretion of the officer, and not set at any arbitrary limit above and beyond the posted speed limit. And taking it to a lawyer and paying the small fee can certainly be worth it (besides saving you the hassle of sitting through three hours of traffic court) - Jon W. has at least three triple digit tickets that I know of (including 117mph in a 55mph zone in his old 3000GT, where I was riding shotgun at the time of the citation) And I believe not a single one of them shows up on his record. :P
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Back in the day when I was teaching Defensive Driving in Texas, the rule was 27 mph over and you could not take DD to get out of the ticket. Lots of my students admitted to being more than 27 over, but were given a break by the officer so they could pay me and get out of the ticket.My opinion then and now is if you are going that fast, you need a ticket and an edumacation
Friend of mine was a dispatcher for a while. They had him ride with officers as part of the orientation. Probable cause is anything that looks hinkey - according to the officer. Tom said 75% of the time, there were outstanding tickets, wants, warrants, dope, booze or something else illegal when they stopped someone for looking hinkey.
Hinkey = expired registration or inspection, seat belt, erratic driving, broken bulbs, obscured or missing plate, etc.
Over ten warnings in three years, knock on wood. A guard plate helps also though.
Chris
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I got pulled over in Melissa, TX (Small town north of McKinney and got a fix-it ticket for no front plate. That was the ONLY reason he pulled me over. Jerk cop too.
I went down to the Texas Hill Country and got pulled over by a Texas State Trooper for nothing other than no front plate and got a warning. Nice trooper.
They are cracking down on the highways and small towns. In the big cities, most cops ignore it.
As for the deferred adjudication, I agree it's easy to get UNLESS you get yanked in a small town. Many small town judges will not offer it and if you already used your DD, they will make you plead guilty. This happened to a friend of mine recently.
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