Quote:
Originally Posted by NHman
To be honest, it was a simply question. My thinking was some states would strictly enforce this law wile others would only apply it if you were pulled over for a primary offense (i.e. speeding, red light, etc).
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I understand that inflection and tone cannot be expressed through written posts. My previous post was by no means meant to be mean or insulting and I am not suggesting anyone interpreted it that way. Just wanted to clarify.
With respect to receiving a ticket for not having a front tag mounted; there is no reliable answer for this question. The explanation I will give here is from my personal experience.
Police officers are given a great deal of discretion with respect to enforcing motor vehicle violations. Every violator does not need to be stopped and every violation does not need to be cited. In addition, police officers have different personalities. Some will enforce motor vehicle laws more aggressively than others. Some will tend to issue more tickets than warnings. Others will use minor violations to make motor vehicle stops looking to uncover more significant violations.
Also, there is no universal thing you can do or say that will get you out of a ticket. Remember we are real people. We do not live in a 'cop vacuum'. Every officer I worked with was familiar with the "my bracket broke" story, and all the other stories ans schemes out there.
I tell another little story since I have some time. A group of us (cops) would go see all the gangsta' movies. We would treat them as training films. We would learn the jargon, mannerisms,, schemes, and ploys. We know that those watching the movie as entertainment would mimic the movie in real life. It would make me giggle a little on the inside when those we arrested were baffled that the cops knew exactly where they were hiding drugs and guns. How many times I wanted to say, "Dude, we watched the same movie as you"
Anyway the short answer on the tag thing is: it depends. It depends upon the particular cop, his energy level on a given day, the time of day, day of the week, his supervisors demeanor and instructions, etc.
My belief is that if getting a ticket is going to be a constant concern, put the tag on the car and eliminate the worry. Ultimately it is a risk/reward situation and you have to decide on which side offers the greatest benefit.