New DUMB law revision in the State of Texas

[Shilar]

You thought Texas was bad, now a new law revision makes it a dumb law. Here is the text (click on the link:

Liscense Plate Revision (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/78R/billtext/SB00439F.HTM)

Basically, Senate Bill 439 states is: You cannot cover any of the plate's numbers NOR the state it originates from. It also bans use of lights (including neon from the looks of it) that make the plate hard-to-read. This in fact eliminates most plate covers (even most from universities, and others supporting the state/nation), and most lighted fixtures. How dumb is this law?

[RosieWolf]

if you think about it from a police point of view.. its not very dumb at all. In recent traffic stops captured on video by cars so equipped, many times the tag is obstructed and the criminal gets away.. cops in Texas have been shot and killed by such people driving cars with their tags obscured. Even after running in mud, responsible drivers still clean off their tags ..

if you have nothing to hide, then why hide your tag?

this law is a good thing, it promotes safety for our officers out there trying to protect us.. if a criminal escapes in a vehicle and the tag is obscured, then how is a witness supposed to 'get the tag number' , or even know what state the tag is from? If someone hits your car and takes off.. wouldn't you want to be able to see the tag so that you can find the perp and make them pay damages?.. or would you rather just tell the police that a tag covered by a university cover hit you?..

[Serendipity]

What's a university cover? I Googled and wondered and lost. Some kind of university emblem, I take it, but one that obscures the license plate? Try that over here and you'd be pulled off the road faster'n you can say knife. So please enlighten me. Pictures, please :)

[RosieWolf]

here's a link for ya dip.. actually they call em plate 'frames'.. u can customize one for yourself here at this site, or most schools and such have them made up and sell them for the bands and such like they used to do candy and bake sales :)

our sheriff here even had some made couple years ago during his re-election campaign.. i put one on warden-su's jeep.. it doesnt cover the state or pertinent information however :).. jes says vote for.. blah blah ..

Hugggggglez

customized license frames (http://www.autoplates.com/prod039.htm)

[Shilar]

Originally posted by RosieWolf
if you think about it from a police point of view.. its not very dumb at all. In recent traffic stops captured on video by cars so equipped, many times the tag is obstructed and the criminal gets away.. cops in Texas have been shot and killed by such people driving cars with their tags obscured. Even after running in mud, responsible drivers still clean off their tags ..

if you have nothing to hide, then why hide your tag?

this law is a good thing, it promotes safety for our officers out there trying to protect us.. if a criminal escapes in a vehicle and the tag is obscured, then how is a witness supposed to 'get the tag number' , or even know what state the tag is from? If someone hits your car and takes off.. wouldn't you want to be able to see the tag so that you can find the perp and make them pay damages?.. or would you rather just tell the police that a tag covered by a university cover hit you?..

We're not talking the tag/numbers, we're talking pretty much the WHOLE plate. The tags are not even on the plate anymore. If an officer can't tell the difference between a Texas plate and New Mexico plate without seeing the state's name, something's very wrong.

[Shilar]

Originally posted by RosieWolf
here's a link for ya dip.. actually they call em plate 'frames'.. u can customize one for yourself here at this site, or most schools and such have them made up and sell them for the bands and such like they used to do candy and bake sales :)

our sheriff here even had some made couple years ago during his re-election campaign.. i put one on warden-su's jeep.. it doesnt cover the state or pertinent information however :).. jes says vote for.. blah blah ..

Hugggggglez

customized license frames (http://www.autoplates.com/prod039.htm)

And in Texas, all of those are illegal now. Smoked glass obstructs the view of the numbers, and the cover obstructs the view of the state. Even barely there borders cover up truck plates.

[RosieWolf]

State & Canada License Plates (http://bzygo.home.att.net/gallery.html)

another link for yas.. interesting site, shows plates from every state as well as all the provinces of Canada. Texas and New Mexico have too many different tags to post here.

huggggglez
:clap
:smash

[Shilar]

And if you look on that page, All the current Texas plates (The star plate is no longer valid) have a little Texas on it, and with average computers, can easily tell it's a Texas plate without even needing the name spelled out for you. New Mexico's plates (all the ones I've seen, including the one valid link on that page) are yellow. I mean, is it that hard?

[Serendipity]

Thanks, Rosie :) I thought it may be something like that.

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by RosieWolf
State & Canada License Plates (http://bzygo.home.att.net/gallery.html)

What a colourful licence plates you have over there. A lot better than ours (http://www.rdw.nl/ned/02_diensten/01_kenteken/ned0201_0005.htm).

Explanation of terms:

Kentekenplaat voor personenauto’s, bedrijfswagens, aanhangwagens (bijvoorbeeld een paardentrailer), caravans en opleggers met een maximale massa beladen voertuig van meer dan 750 kg
Regular cars, trucks, vans and trailers (the licence plate for trailers starts with W, for trucks and vans with B or V, for the royal house with A and for the army with K)
Motorkentekenplaat
Motorcycles
Witte kentekenplaat voor caravans, aanhangwagens en opleggers met een maximale massa beladen voertuig van minder dan 751 kg en fietsendragers.
The old licence plate for trailers. The new licence plate is still white, but the combination now starts with W.
Tijdelijke kentekenplaat
Temporary licence plate (after loss or theft of the original licence plate), the licence expires in the month on the left (the licence plate shown expires in January).
Exportkentekenplaat
Export
Handelaarkentekenplaat
Car dealers, mainly used for test rides.
Donkerblauwe kentekenplaat
Dark blue licence plate, used for oldtimers built before January 1st, 1978, whose licence plate consists of two groups of 2 numbers and 1 group of 2 letters.
Kleine kentekenplaat
Small licence plate, mainly used for American cars.

We were the first country in the world to issue licence plates, back in 1898. Up to 1951, every province had its own licence plate system. In 1951, the licence plates were standardized for the entire country. The first code to be used was 1 group of 2 letters followed by 2 groups of 2 numbers (AB-12-34). It was used up to 1968. In 1968, we got a combination of 2 groups of 2 numbers, followed by 1 group of 2 letters (12-34-AB). In 1973, we got a combination of 1 group of 2 letters surrounded by two groups of 2 numbers (12-AB-34). In 1978, we got combination 4, 1 group of two numbers surrounded by 2 groups of 2 letters (DB-01-BB). In 1991, we got combination 5, which lasted untill 1999. It featured 2 groups of 2 letters followed by 1 group of 2 numbers (DB-BB-01). The latest combination started in 1999. It featured 1 group of 2 numbers, followed by 2 groups of 2 letters (01-DB-BB). Now we're looking for a new code, because every possible combination in the current system has been used.

[RosieWolf]

Originally posted by Shilar
And if you look on that page, All the current Texas plates (The star plate is no longer valid) have a little Texas on it, and with average computers, can easily tell it's a Texas plate without even needing the name spelled out for you. New Mexico's plates (all the ones I've seen, including the one valid link on that page) are yellow. I mean, is it that hard?

Shi, did you go to the same school as phreak?.. :lol you've totally missed the point of the law.. its not that cops cant tell whut state the tag is from.. its the COVERING OF ANY PART OF IT that is against the law.. obscuring the details of the tag. And as I stated before, its not just cops who cant read the tag, ordinary citizens don't know what their own tags look like most of the time.. and most certainly I didn't know that arizona tags were yellow.. I cant tell one state from another unless the name is on it.. as bad as my eyesight is, it takes several long looks to see what state a tag is from, and here in florida, there are certainly plenty to look at from everywhere.. them itty-bitty pictures on em aren't so easy to see when ur going 70 mph down the interstate. And should one of these people smash into me, I'd certainly like to be able to see more of their tag that what university they support or their girlfriends/boyfriends name etc, which I have seen a lot of around here.

[Shilar]

Originally posted by RosieWolf


Shi, did you go to the same school as phreak?.. :lol you've totally missed the point of the law.. its not that cops cant tell whut state the tag is from.. its the COVERING OF ANY PART OF IT that is against the law.. obscuring the details of the tag. And as I stated before, its not just cops who cant read the tag, ordinary citizens don't know what their own tags look like most of the time.. and most certainly I didn't know that arizona tags were yellow.. I cant tell one state from another unless the name is on it.. as bad as my eyesight is, it takes several long looks to see what state a tag is from, and here in florida, there are certainly plenty to look at from everywhere.. them itty-bitty pictures on em aren't so easy to see when ur going 70 mph down the interstate. And should one of these people smash into me, I'd certainly like to be able to see more of their tag that what university they support or their girlfriends/boyfriends name etc, which I have seen a lot of around here.

If you can't tell a plate one one state or another, that's expected, but up close you can tell/read enough to tell where it's from. A cop learns quickly which plate is which, and if they can't tell, they do need remedial learning. If you can't tell truly up close what plate is from what state, you best look it on the net (the link provided in this forum is a perfect place to start). This is just, as a friend of mine who is a supervisor at my workplace, put it, "It's another way to spend $150,000 to make $15,000." Everyone I've talked to here in Texas thinks it's a very stupid law.

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by RosieWolf
Shi, did you go to the same school as phreak?.. :lol

What did I do? :confused

[weldordave]

Originally posted by Phreakmeister


What did I do? :confused
You're just you, Phreak.
BTW Why do SOME Casino Americans get their own plates?
The more some minorities want to be treated the same, the more they want to be different! I guess we give Casino Americans their own plates so it'll be easier to spot the drunks.:rolleyes:

[Phreakmeister]

Originally posted by weldordave
You're just you, Phreak.

Oh, if that's it, I will quit worrying. Thanks for the consolation, dave.