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SUNNY Temp: 53 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 16, 2002 Since you asked Obscuring license plates is illegal I have noticed a great number of cars having their license plates covered with plastic that makes it very difficult to read. I tried to read the plates, and it was impossible even at a distance of six feet! Is it possible people are using the clear plastic lens to beat the "photocops?" Is such usage considered a traffic violation? — L.R. Thompson, Talent Putting those little plastic covers on license plates is, indeed, against the law. Plates are considered to have illegal alterations if there is any change in color, configuration, numbers, letters or material of the plate. Any material or covering, other than a frame or plate holder, placed on or over the plate that alters its appearance is illegal. Any frame or plate holder that obscures the numbers, letter or registration stickers or makes that information unreadable is illegal and subject to a $175 fine. Some plate covers are so smoky that the plates can’t be read or photographed. OSP writes "fix-it tickets" and citations for this all the time, said OSP Lt. Dan Durbin. Usually, people say they bought the vehicle that way or they purchased the covers in a local store and ask why they are able to purchase them if they are illegal, Durbin said. And for those hoping to sneak past Medford Police Department’s photo-radar van and red-light cameras, don’t bother wasting your money on illegal license plate covers, said Jack Weaver, who manages the city’s photo enforcement project for Australia-based Poltech International Limited. Poltech has never documented technology that obscures laser beams or keeps license plates from being photographed, he said. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S