Went to see a client in Shoreline and got a no front plate ticket! $194.00 is ridiculous!!! Oh well off to the lawyer for the fight. Don't they have better things to do? IMO that is like writing jaywalking tickets in a low traffic volume area. > end rant
I think Roy summed it up very nicely at the annual NWFCA meeting "Washington is the worst state in the country to an exotic car, PEROID!!!!".....
Most WA counties actually budget with their citation revenue calculated into the budget. "We do this for safety" my a$$. Wonder if these idiots are beginning to figure out that it is starting to cost the state big money in lost tourist revenue. Another thing, is the cop going to belly up when it's time to sell your car and the value has dropped because of the front plate? Of course not, he'll be to busy throwing his wait around to make up for his short comings. Do I sound upset? You bet. My stepdad is a retired State Trooper and he is sickened by what they have done to his "once great" profession. You should hear him light up about the new fascist WSP.
My buddy and I just got pulled over today in Milwaukie because he didn't have a front plate...but since his car has SP plates a front one isn't required! Snicker snicker No ticket for us However, in Oregon it does have its restrictions (classic vehicles & limited use): http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/vehicle/plateregular.shtml#special See if WA has anthing similar.
I was stopped by a King County cop in Shoreline for expired tags. It seems that DMV just forgot to send a renewal notice. I asked the cop if was now our job as car owners to lick the stamp and mail out the renewal notices. He said it was our job as car owners to wash the car once in an while and look at your license plates. Nice guy! I guess it is our jobs as tax payers to send our tax forms out to ourselves too. Oregon DMV has been much better. Ed
YES - Collector car plate with a restored plate. Only $38.00 AND you get a permanent registration, so no yearly payments, plate stickers or smog tests. Pay once and you're good for life. No front plate required.
Awhile back folsk were talking about applying for a new specila plate <http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/spcreatenew.html> Did that every move forward? gene
See http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78779 for information on WA collector vehicle/restored plates. I just put a restored plate on my '72 240Z now that it's no longer a daily driver. And only one more year to wait on the 308!
I was pulled over for no front plate a while back in my 430 spider. It turns out that because a waiver exists (you need to apply for it with the wsp) if it is not possible to put a front plate on your car, you CANNOT be stopped for no plate. The ruling was determined based on a Washington supreme court hearing. The basis is that the office cannot assume that you do not have the waiver and pull you over. It was determined to be an illegal stop. The only way you can technically be cited is if you are already being pulled over for something else, and then they ask for your waiver permit, and you dont have one. Most cops don't even know the waiver exists, and will pull you over anyhow, but it can easily be beaten. Ken
Well that sucks. I actually saw a lady get a ticket for jay-walking just the other day. So they are keeping up on that.
The "waiver" exists in the Revised Code of Washington wherein if the body design and/or construction of the vehicle is such that you cannot attach a front plate (not less than 1 foot nor more than 4 feet off the ground) you MAY (not mandatory) get an exemption from the State Patrol. I am checking into it for my 512 TR and have not gotten an answer yet. I'll post the exact RCW when I'm back from Joy Ride Rally - www.joyriderally.com.
Yes, but it's so restrictive that there's really no point. The link you pointed to says that "Vehicles may only be used for exhibitions, parades, club activities and similar uses." So if you're just driving around on a nice day, I'd say you're just as illegal as not having a front plate. But what do I know-- maybe the cops don't know that. I know that I see *lots* of cars without front plates around here (and no, they're not all mine!).
I would be curious what their response is John. I contacted the WSP in Bellevue (Eastgate office) several years ago, inquiring about such an exemption for my 78 308GTS and the woman I spoke to said to forget it, that it was very rare for a waiver to be granted, and it required a great deal of documentation. The impression I got was the car had to be a "one off" or very specialized to receive the waiver.
It seems like WA has at least 3 representatives (Strow, Ericks, O'Brien) that were constituent-focused enough to sponsor a bill to remove the front license plate requirement in exchange for $75/yr (to be used for fighting vehicle theft crime explicitly) http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=3189&year=2005 I've email Rep. Strows for more information about the history of the bill and who killed it.
What ever happened to Initiative 908 ? "Sec. 1. Eliminating the front license plate halves costs because the number of plates produced declines. Funds can alternatively be directed towards road maintenance. Many vehicle manufacturers do not include front plate bracketry; eliminating this plate will reduce damage caused to attach these plates. Damage from bumper to bumper collisions, due to plate fasteners, will be eliminated. States that do not require front plates show no evidence of a decline in public safety due to plate removal."
For one, cops don't know that. Otherwise the meatheads wouldn't have pulled us over or any of my other friends who run them The letters "SP" are on the plate, not hidden in any way. "Club activities and similar uses" is the key. We were getting parts for a car at the shop which is also our club. But we also could've been testing a new part put on the car...how are they gonna know and do they really want to look stupid in front of a judge for such a lame ticket? It's a no-win situation for a cop so the smart ones just let it go. Hey, they can't always be right (just don't let them know we know that). Really, it does work and isn't that restrictive, especially if you don't use your car as a daily driver
