So say if you have a car registered in one state but you spend most of your time in another state and there is a modification done to your car that is illegal in the state you are registered in, can the cops pull you over in the state you spend most of your time in for that mod?
I don't think so. When I was living in NJ and spending 9/10s of my time in PA (I was home every other weekend) I took my front plate off.. nobody bothered me
Edit
Legally they can.. but chances are they won't. Chances are they would not even know the mod is illegal in your home state
I don't think so either. The week after I got my GA tag I was pulled over for illegal window tint. The cop told me if I still had my Florida tag on they couldn't ticket me for it. He said that GA couldn't enforce certain laws (like tint, ride height, etc) on a vehicle registered in another state.
Tell that to the pricks in VA. They constantly pull over out of staters for stupid VA law BS and then claim that it doesn't matter because you are illegal for your own state.
Generally, law enforcement in one state, whether state, county or city, can't cite you for violating the laws of another.
It doesn't mean it won't attract unwanted attention, though, especially if you live near a state border.
Ranger50 wrote: Tell that to the pricks in VA. They constantly pull over out of staters for stupid VA law BS and then claim that it doesn't matter because you are illegal for your own state.
probs because everything is illegal in va now sadly lol
VA is possible the worst state there is for traffic enforcment. After Hurricane Katrina we sent a a large convoy of Police, Fire trucks and Buses full of people to help out. Almost everyone left VA with some kind of ticket.
IMHO, if one does nothing to attract attention from the men in blue, he can get away with quite a lot...license plates are really minor..
In reply to Ranger50: Cops often don't know the law. They know some things, but often they don't know the details and sometimes have been to known to enforce what they think is the law rather than the actual law. They're not really an authority on the law; for that, you should probably talk to someone in the district attorney's office.
Just because a cop says it's the law, doesn't make it the law. That said, such distinctions usually get sorted out until after a ticket and/or an arrest and you go to court where lawyers who are knowledgeable on the law get involved.
mpolans hit the nail right on the head. Out here in Kalifornia the Vehicle Code is so large and complex it's virtually impossible for the police to know all the in's and out's and even the lawyers fight over it.
With the exception of speeding I've made my way out of just about every kind of ticket through trial by declaration or actually in court while listening to the officer state "in my experience", "because I've always cited this CVC for this infraction", etc. etc. without having actually read the entire CVC section or followed all their references to the various other sections necessary to completely understand the requirements of the law.
They generally get away with it because most people give them too much credit about their individual knowledge and are too busy or too afraid to fight them so they pay it and move on, the city/state makes some revenue and the officer goes about his way inappropriately citing citizens for infractions they haven't committed.
If everyone would contest their citations it would completely overload the traffic court system and force the municipalities to re-examine how they enforce the traffic laws.
Wait a minute. The car is not legal in the state that it is registered in. To me that means -"legally"- it shouldn't be driven at all. Right?
Your question was - can you get pulled over? You bet your ass you can. You can get pulled over for just about anything. Can you be given a traffic citation that will stand up in court? Probably. Some generic equipment violation will probably work, given the above.
Wally - a bunch of New Yawkers haulin' ass south? All you got was tickets?
In my case, the modification is tinting. It is dark as E36 M3. But when I bought the car from out of state the sheriff had to inspect it and they didn't say anything.
lizard wrote:Ranger50 wrote: Tell that to the pricks in VA. They constantly pull over out of staters for stupid VA law BS and then claim that it doesn't matter because you are illegal for your own state.May be a "loophole"
No, it's basically that cops in VA will ticket out-of-staters for any damn thing they feel like, legal or not.
That idiot who can't spell wrote: In my case, the modification is tinting. It is dark as E36 M3. But when I bought the car from out of state the sheriff had to inspect it and they didn't say anything.
It is a fix it ticket. If you get pulled over for it, peel the tint off and take it to get signed off. On the way home, get it re-tinted. That is what we do out here in California.
as far as tint is concerned ... if I were to be ticketed in Va for the tint on my car (a fix-it-ticket) I'd say thank you officer drive on .... when I left the state at the end of the week end I'd wad it up and dunk it in the trash.... and hope they didn't stop me the next time I went to VIR ...
That idiot who can't spell wrote: In my case, the modification is tinting. It is dark as E36 M3. But when I bought the car from out of state the sheriff had to inspect it and they didn't say anything.
Of course they didnt say anything.
If they did the wouldnt be able to pull you over later and actually write you a ticket.
i can only comment on Illinois laws. Illinois has a mandatory insurance law on the books, Wisconsin did not until june of 2010. My cars are plated in WI in my companies name. My DL is from IL and I drive in IL most of the time. EVERY time I am pulled over they ask for proof of insurance. Insurance is on the vehicle not the driver, so up until june I did not have to have insurance. I always told the cop that I don't have to show proof because of WI law is different. after a couple min of discussion they give up and do NOT write me a ticket. Only 1 cop ever has and he also wrote me a ticket for going in reverse and not wearing a seatbelt (I was). I do have insurance, I just don't like being told to prove it.
Up here in the north east you get busted for multipule things with this senario.
If a car in in MA, or NH longer then 60 days it must be registerd in that state. It's up to you to prove that is is garaged in the ref state. Many of us in the boarder towns get harased about this. I live in MA but work in NH and get stopped at least once a year and asked where i garage my cars.
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