Shamrock

Heard of some guys receiving tickets for their bike carrier blocking their rear plate.They had the hitch style rack.They just pay the fine and hope it doesn't happen again.Just thought I'd pass it along.

dennismont

So how would this be any different than pulling a trailer that blocks your plate? I think that could be beat in court very easily. I've carried bikes on my hitch carrier throughout many States and have never been pulled over for something like that.

B. Carfree

I once got pulled over for having my plate obscured by the bumper, even though everything was stock. After a pleasant chat, the trooper admitted that his real reason for pulling me over was because I was driving an old, beat-up pick-up in a high methamphetamine use/production area and such a vehicle fit the profile for such an "entrepreneur". I appreciated his honesty and courtesy. Besides, I had occasion to drive trucks and ride bikes on that stretch of roadway quite often and any trooper effort to get the drug-addled off the road before they run into me is a good thing in my book.

I don't put bikes on cars, it makes my bikes sad to travel that way. They barely tolerate the occasional train ride.

Bikey Mikey

...or someone transporting a powerchair or some other vehicle for the handicapped on a rear hitched platform. How about someone hauling a boat?

Old Sarge

That was my first thought so I looked at Texas law. Found 502.409 (Transportation Code) on some law sites but then went to the Transportation Code itself and 502.409 had disappeared. After much research I found that its provisions had been moved to 502.475 but it didn't mention obstructions so I dug a little deeper and found that 502.409 had actually been renumbered, effective January 1, 2012, with a couple of additional words added, as 504.945 and gives a specific exemption for power chair lifts, a couple of other items and "a bicycle or motorcycle rack that is attached to a vehicle in a normal or customary manner."

So bicyclists in Texas can continue using hitch mounted racks without fear of citations (and I'm glad since I have been wanting to get one).

GeorgeBMac

Does that mean we all have to move to TEXAS???
... I HATE it when that happens!

lphilpot

That's good to know, since I have a three-bike hitch rack that I use sometimes when we take all three of 'em to Fort Davis. However, I have a cover -- with brake lights! -- that fits over the bikes (barely), so when that's on I use a temporary "mount" I made for the license plate on the rear of the cover since it's completely obscured by the cover.

Old Sarge

I think that is a great idea, although probably a bit of a pain at times. I don't think that there would be a problem even using the cover but it certainly can't be a problem when you are that proactive.

Shamrock

In NJ the trailer has to have a plate.Also here it is possible to get a third plate and mount it on the hitch.I received a ticket for the plate frame holder covering too much of the plate.I had this car for 11 years, frame holder was from the dealer.

lphilpot

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately, since I really like going to SW Texas), it's not often I have to do that. The cover is pretty all-covering, but unavoidably a bit of a pain to put on and take off. I got it from Skinz Protective Gear a couple of years ago. It didn't come with the 'mount' - I made that myself out of a piece of 1/8" thick Sintra (PVC) board. It hangs from a couple of cable management Velcro strips sewn onto the cover and the plate attaches to it with wingnuts.

Artmo 

I've always thought it pretty stupid that a trailer has a different license number than the tow vehicle.
In any case, most US license plates are pretty illegible from more that about 20ft even when not obscured. Why don't we have plates which are legible from 25 yards at least, like the rest of the developed world. We might then have fewer unidentifiable hit and run drivers, for example. But I suppose getting money from decorating license plates with all kinds of rubbish is more important than safety.

Looigi

I've known many rednecks over the years (including me) who obscure their plates with hitch mount carriers, equipment or other contrivances. Though it is possible to get a ticket for doing so, I don't recall anybody I knew ever getting a ticket. It's one of those things, like everybody driving 10mph (or more) over the limit. Yeah, you can get a ticket, but it happens so rarely nobody worries about it.

Old Sarge

Seven is safer than ten. I've been stopped, and stopped people, at ten over but never seven over.

Dan Burkhart 

I made a light bar to mount behind the bikes on my hitch mounted rack because some of my bikes, particularly the long ones, pretty much obscure the tail lights. I don't worry much about whether the license plate is clearly visible and never had a problem.

Dan Burkhart 

Here in good ol' Ontario, speed limits are more like suggested limits. Not sure how fast you would actually have to be going on a multi lane divided highway to get a ticket, but traffic routinely rolls at least 20km over the limit without being bothered.

Old Sarge

Here in Texas there are many small towns which depended on traffic fines for much of their budget. This was true for years and is still true to some extent, though the state has limited how much of the budget can come from fines. I know of one "town" which has eight full time officers for a population of 120 people. They have one four lane state highway running through town. Anybody with one eye and half sense can figure out what is happening there (speed limit also drops for no good reason). Most city officers, in larger cities, won't bother you for less than 10 over (I might stop a person at 10 over but wouldn't write them a citation unless they were 15 over....just a courtesy stop to remind them of the limit). DPS is pretty strict on the major highways but are stretched pretty thin. I find my seven mile over rule works pretty well.

Of course, it always depends on the speed zone. In a 20 mile School Zone I always had a lot less tolerance than on a 70 mph expressway.

Doohickie

They changed that. They didn't used to have that exception last time I checked. Good to know.

Biker395 

Trailers are supposed to have a license.

Pretty crappy to hand out a ticket for something like that.

Wogster

I've been passed like I was standing still at 20 over on the 401. Then again it's to make up for all the time that the 401 is moving along at 95km/h under the limit....

Wogster

Trailers have different plates for two reasons, one is that all trailers are covered under the same law, and a tractor-trailer trailer doesn't need to have a plate adhered for the hauling truck. Second it allows the transportation department to charge you for a trailer plate.

NOS88

Perhaps I missed it, but the one thing missing in this discussion is the officer who gave the ticket. To me this is where the issue really lies. Why do it? What burr was under his saddle? On a person to person level, such an act is just mean spirited. I know, given my personality, I would most likely have asked, "So, you're having a bad day and I get to be the one that makes you feel better? This, of course, would not make the situation any better, but at least he or she would know that someone thinks their behavior is less that it should be.

overthehillmedi

Wait until they tell you that you're free to go and have a nice day before you make the comment, NOS88

Artmo 

I don't understand the first reason, but I suspect the second is the main on.

Dan Burkhart 

Requirements for small utility trailer license plates vary by state. I don't think Wisconsin requires plates on small trailers. (don't know what the threashold is for exemption). There may be others.

freedomrider1

They have alot of cameras in my area,so this could be a reason why they want the plates uncovered.