I wouldn't go so far as to take my brackets off my plates. Most of us have some type of license plate bracket. I have one on the front and rear of my P/U that say U.S. Army retired. It doesn't cover the letters Texas though. I don't think anyone will be stopped unless the state can't be read and it is in the middle of the night.

Another new amendment is you are allowed 25% reflective lightng on window tint now. The old one stated 35%. For Texas thats quite a bit of light. Now at least we can have darker window tint.Mr. Gibson spoke of probable cause for traffic stops. The window tint provides more PC stops in daylight in our city than a license plate bracket. We all carry light meters.

Ro-Bear: I'm PD. We only play with traffic during our down time. A lot of the Larger Departments have traffic divisions that do nothing but traffic.

Like MR. Sutton says, this issue will die like the other laws. Right now we are just on the 2 year span that the Legislature releases their amendments.You guys should read some of the other stuff that got through. Some pretty interesting. For instance I'll just throw this one out: When passing a Police Officer with his emergency over heads on, with a vehicle pulled over. You must move to the opposite lane, and slow to 20 miles less than the posted speed limit. I won't bring up all the questions that has come up from the law enforcement community. It would make for a long reply.

Mike

[This message has been edited by Expressman (edited 09-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Expressman (edited 09-16-2003).]

Ok, I just have to dive in here. Let's talk reflectiveness.

Why aren't the chrome rear bumpers that come on some Ford Pick-ups (I'm talking 1-foot wide all the way across) illegal? You ever come up on one from the rear in traffic at night and the headlight reflection from it will absolutely blow you away! And staying back away from it makes it worse.

The brackets aren't illegal to have on your vehicle. I personally verified this though my old department's training academy (Travis Co. S.O.) by phone early this morning. It is the colored plastic sheeting that covers the face of the plate that comes with some of the brackets that is illegal.

I think they need to send some kind of notice out with your plate renewal. If I get pulled over just because of the frame around my plate, that doesn't block the word "texas" or my plate number, my lawyer will be having a nice long talk with a bunch of folks.

I guess I can kind of understand the point of the law.....but one thing you said expressman kinds of makes me wonder....you say they make laws to help you pull people over to check them out... I don't know if that is right... I think the government is trying to create avenues to justify probable cause to search and or arrest people...let me give you a few examples..... I used to have an 87 ford f150. it was a well maintained vehichle, fresh paint job, nice looking vehicle although it was an older model... well I had an ongoing problem with the license plate light burning out...I'd replace it and it burn out a few weeks later. I got pulled over once a month for that. I never got a ticket, but I always got a good look over from the cop and I'd be on my way again. I bet this happened about 10 times while I owned the vehicle. I finally bought a 97 ford f150 in 1999. It obviously was in good condition and well maintained also. I purposely went out and took the license plate light out to see if I'd ever get pulled over...that was 4yrs ago. I never have. I think I got pulled over cuz I had an older truck....and that put me into another category..so he was using an existing law to see if i had warrants or gave him any reason to search the vehicle. Another instance i have noticed is on 75 in plano. I always see the cops with african american people or hispanics pulled over. they always have them out of the vehicle, while they are searching it and the drivers are usually sitting in the back of the squad car or handcuffed. Now i sat and watched them once from a distance as they did this and after about 45 minutes and them pulling in 3 police units, they let the guy go... there is no doubt in my mind that he probably broke one of these ignorant laws that was created just so police could check you out. It seems to me that it is minorities or people with less than ideal vehicles that bear the brunt of laws like this, and I don't know that that is right. I am not blaming you, expressman, but one thing you said confirmed what I have been thinking for a long time... I hope you don't take offense at this but I just wanted to speak my mind..sorry to be so long winded

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  Shawn
  www.[censored]

They are giving tons of warnings around here regarding the decrease of speed by 20MPH when passing a law enforcement officer with their light on. They said they will stop the warinings and issue tickets come the first of october.

JT

If you didn't tail gate then it would not blow you away. and don't say your not because ya are or you have your high beams on I have one of them bumpers



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Greg
Bug-A-Bass Guide Service
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They are worried about license plate rings yet, when my truck was stolen, I asked if they would call me if they need anymore info. The officer said, "We won't need anymore info. We don't try and find stolen stuff unless it finds us. If it gets abandoned or set on fire, we'll let you know. I hope you had insurance."

I have a question about the 20MPH thing. Assuming that the officer is out of his car working an accident, or giving a ticket, or whatever...how is he to know that someone is going over 20MPH when he is not in his car to watch the radar?

Of course, the officer could just "estimate" that someone was going over 20MPH when they passed him. But, I can't foresee an "estimate" winning in court if it were to ever come to that.

I think it's a good law and could help control officers being struck by passing cars, I just wonder about the stickability of it in court.

Also, Redfin, they could never outlaw those nice, shiny, chrome bumpers. Also, along with those, they could never outlaw someone talking on a cell phone and driving, eating while driving, eating from a plate with utensils (seen this one personally) while driving, applying make up while driving, beating the snot out of their kids in the backseat while driving, and other such things as reading while driving.
If they outlawed all of these things, then there would be much fewer accidents. With fewer accidents, insurance companies wouldn't have to pay more out in claims. Without paying more out in claims, how could they possibly justify increasing our premiums? All this means that they wouldn't make as much money. Now, we couldn't have that now could we?!?! Of course, there are those others that make plenty off of traffic accidents...like lawyers.

-Jeff

JBROWN - Having had to jump out of the way on more than one occasion while working collisions as a result of speeders or rubberneckers coming through the collision scene any reduction in speed will be appreciated by the officer. As with most collisions I worked there was usually at least one other unit on the scene for security, and this is probably who will be operating the radar unit. A well trained officer can usually verify visually the speed of an oncoming within just a couple of miles of the actual speed. During our doppler radar certification this was one our tests; the testing officer would be operating the radar and we were required to guesstimate the target vehicles speed within 3 miles of what the radar unit showed. The radar only verifies what the eye is seeing. If there was any doubt on my part, the violator got the benefit. Since I was assigned to the traffic unit of a large Sheriff's Dept., we were priviledged to more intense and specialized training than the average patrol officer. People just have to remember it isn't the P.O. who comes up with the assinine laws, it is our illustrious senators and representatives. The officers are stuck with having to enforce these laws no matter how ludicrous they are or seem.

Like I said, I think it's a good law. If one officer doesn't lose their lives to some idiot who can't slow down for a patrol car with their lights on because of it...then, that's great.
I was just wonderin' out loud how the enforceability works. Thanks for answering.

As far as the other stuff, I realize that the P.O.'s don't make the rules, they just enforce them.

-Jeff

Most people slow down when they see the lights anyway. I will let hell freeze over before I pay a ticket that some fine officer gives me for his accurately guessed speed of my vehicle.

Slowing down when passing a police car pulled over on the shoulder is all well and good as long as the rubber-necker behind me does the same thing. Otherwise, slowing down will create the accident it was meant to prevent and it will probably be a multi-vehicle accident.

On interstates, I get over into the LH lane when this occurs and maintain my speed. Too many times people see the police lights flashing and panic by hitting the brakes when they weren't going over the speed limit in the first place. Yep, the policeman is going to single you out in all that traffic and drop what he's doing with the car he has pulled over and come after you.

Common sense and common courtesy should be in effect under this condition.

What if an officer has someone pulled over in a School zone that is 20 mph. How do you slow down below 0? Does that mean you stop until the officer is finished writing his ticket or whatever? Can just hear my boss understanding why I was late.

BLACKSHEEP- What the radar is doing is verifying what the eyes are seeing. Most people can visually tell when a vehicle is approaching them at a high or low rate of speed the radar just confirms this. Also you have to realize radar will get coming and a going, because radar spelled backwards is also radar.