License plate law tagged by critics as too confusing: Legality of frames questioned
I did not intend for an alumni frame around a license plate to be a ticketed offense. However, I wanted to make it easier for law enforcement and citizens to read a license plate.
- Sen. Jon Lindsay (R- Houston)
I myself have license plate frames. However, license frames are an accessory, not a necessity.
- Sen. Peggy Hamric (R- Houston)
On September 1st, a passle of new laws went into effect here in Texas. In the Legislature's continuing efforts to demonstrate their relevance, we are now subjected to all sorts of new strictures, most of them thoroughly forgettable and without meaning to the average Texan. Then there is this new law, sponsored by Hamric and Lindsay:
The new law, effective Sept. 1, prohibits the attachment of "reflective" matter to a license plate and any illuminated device or emblem that interferes with the readability of the letters, numbers or name of the state. It also prohibits the attachment of a coating, covering or protective material that alters or obscures the letters, numbers, color or original design features of the license plate.
Violation of Section 502.409 of the Transportation Code is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $200, unless it is shown at the trial that the owner knowingly altered or made illegible the letters, numbers and other identification marks on the license plate, in which case the offense is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine up to $2,000 and 180 days in jail.
While some local law enforcement agencies may already be issuing tickets, the Texas Department of Public Safety will be giving only warnings during the initial 90-day period.
"When we do start enforcing it, we're going to take a common-sense approach," said Tom Vinger, a DPS spokesman. "Is the state of Texas obscured to the point where it is not readable? It's still going to be a judgment call in some cases."
While I can understand the reasoning behind the law (apparently drivers will go to all manner of lengths to avoid paying tolls), the authors clearly have underestimated what a PR nightmare it would turn into. Now Texans are faced with the prospect of law enforcement officers pulling them over...because of their license plate frame??
Let's be serious here. Is this really a wise useful of limited law enforcement resources? Particularly when, at a conservative estimate, probably 75% of vehicles in Texas are now in violation of state law? Will the time and money spent on enforcing this law pay for itself in increased tolls? I would find that hard to imagine, although it is certainly possible. Nonetheless, this is a silly, petty law that allows law enforcement officers to harass otherwise law-abiding citizen whose only "crime" is having a "Texas-Ex" license plate frame that obscures the "TEXAS" at the top of the license plate. Given that there is a red representation of the state smack in the middle of the Texas license plate, it's not difficult to figure out in which state a vehicle is registered.
For this egregious demonstration that Big Brother is alive and well and living in Austin, Sen. Peggy Hamric and Sen. John Lindsay have truly proven themselves worthy of their DUMASS AWARD. Wear the mantle with pride, y'all; you're a DUMASS!! Many aspire, few attain....
