Is it legal to have a cover over your rear license plate?
QTheresa Matthews of Winchester emailed a photo to On the Road, taken from her vehicle, that shows a gray car in front of her driving on Railroad Canyon Road in Lake
Elsinore recently. Matthews said the rear license plate was not visible, even though she was right behind the car. Her photo depicts some kind of dark grayish cover over the license plate. Matthews wondered if this is legal.
ASimply put, it’s illegal to cover your license plates and this car’s driver, if seen by a law enforcement officer, could get cited.
The California Vehicle Code includes a section addressing this issue, specifically sections 5201(c) (1), 5201(c)(2) and 5201(d). The Vehicle Code says such a covering “shall not be used” on license plates with a few exceptions, such as over a lawfully parked vehicle to protect it from the weather and the elements (police can remove the cover to inspect the plates or registration if needed.) It’s ok to have a cover over the top tabs as long as it doesn’t obstruct the ability to see the plate’s information, “including, but not limited to, the issuing state, license plate number, and registration tabs, and the cover is limited to the area directly over the top of the registration tabs. No portion of a license plate security cover shall rest over the license plate number,” the Vehicle Code says. It’s also illegal to use a casing, shield, frame, border, or product of any kind that obstructs the reading of a license plate by an electronic device used by a toll road or toll facility.
Impaired driving
Here’s an interesting bit of news about substance-impaired driving, from the Auto Club that we found worth sharing to help raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving, especially as marijuana use moves more and more into the mainstream. This finding might not surprise you: People who use both alcohol and marijuana are significantly more likely to speed, text, intentionally run red lights, and drive aggressively than drivers who don’t use either, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
“From choosing to drive while impaired, and speeding, to driving distracted or running red lights, using these two drugs leads to poor decision-making with potentially fatal consequences,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research, in an article reported by AAA.
Alcohol and marijuana use together make a more dangerous driving combination, according to Auto Club research. Compared to drivers who use alcohol but not marijuana, AAA reported, drivers who said they used both were much more likely to report that they would speed on residential streets, drive aggressively, run red lights on purpose, and text while driving. And, as you would also guess, AAA research found that drivers who don’t drink or use marijuana don’t engage as much in these risky driving behaviors.
Why does this research matter?
AAA noted that more states are legalizing recreational and/or medical marijuana, and this could lead to more dangerous drivers on the roads. AAA says 18 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and this year, 13 more states are considering bills that would legalize marijuana use. Many people forget that illegal driving under the influence doesn’t just mean alcohol, but it includes marijuana, too.
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