Ticket for Plates not entirely visible (dirty plates)
 

I got a ticket for having a dirty liscence plate (2 days after it snowed). I took a few pics of my plates with my iphone about 5 mins later after i was off the road and the plates can be fully read on the pics.
Anybody here experience this?
What are my options?
Is the something that can be resolved at a first attendence if I take the pics with me?
Thanks,

You can take it to court and explain. It will be reduced for sure. Its just a pain in the butt. Cops got nothing better to do theses days than to ticket someone for dirty plates after 2 days of snow :mad:.

I know i cant put everyone in the same bag but man !!!

Depending on where you are , the good news is a trial date coult take at least 2-3 months or sometimes even a year. I been waiting for a court date in toronto for 7 months and still nothing.

Mississauga it takes 3 months

I believe that in toronto if the court date surpasses a year the ticket is void.

^^false^^

it makes it easier to get it dropped but it will still go to court

You misread. The OP said "two days after it snowed", not "after two days of snow".

Plates are supposed to be kept clean so they can be easily read by law enforcement, red light and toll cameras, and other agencies. Why else do you think we are given license plates for our vehicles?

It takes scant seconds to wipe the dirt off your rear plate. One swipe with a windshield washer brush or even a handy snowball will easily do it.

No cop will nail you for a dirty plate in the middle of a snow storm, but by two days after the storm there is no excuse for not having taken a few seconds to do the deed. Or you can risk the cost of a ticket and/or the time it takes to pursue it through the courts.

Too many people spend too much time whining over situations they can easily avoid by accepting just a little bit of responsibility.

you missed the part where the op said he took a picture and the plates were fulluy visible. Read better next time and i know you are a cop but a lot of them are pricks , if you dont want to believe it then you must be blind

I didn't miss that. His exact words were "the plates can be fully read on the pics". Maybe they can be read "on the pics", but that does not necessarily mean they can be clearly read from the vantage point of a following vehicle. What the eye sees in an instant and what a camera can be manipulated into seeing under controlled conditions are far different things.

You don't know that I am a cop. You have no idea what I do for a living. It's none of your business but I will tell you that I do not work for any law enforcement agency.

Some cops can be pricks but in most cases the level of "prickiness" of a cop is directly tied to the attitude displayed by the person they are dealing with. Even so, that doesn't mean that the charges they lay are invalid or undeserved. It just means that they don't see you as a person deserving of a break.

you are given too much credit to the cops. I m sorry to break it down to you but a lot of us have not have the same wonderful experience as yourself. I have encounter some pricks that give you attitude from the start and they take advantage of havin a badge on their chest.

Last time i got a ticket , i was polite to the officer and from the start he was treating like a gargabe bag.I seen it a few times with friends too and my friends are all mature people .

I can not put everyone in the same bag , however most cops do take advantage of their position. I ve come across some nice cops but its becoming rare lately.

Now back to topic , you are already implying that the op was not polite and that the op is lying about the plates not been dirty . If the plates are somewhat visible why would he been given a ticket for a minor offense? , why not give him a warning.

I can understand if you are speeding in a school zone or beating a red light but in the winter plates tend to be dirty .

A lot of people tend to vent on cops as some sort of revenge for having received a ticket, or because they pose a threat to what some of you see as "having fun" on the roads in your cars.


It's sure looks like that is exactly what you're doing. You're still pissed that a cop gave you a ticket for too much tint. By the way, I saw some more pics of your car, including ones that show just how much that tint interferes with the view inside the car. It's funny how the pics you chose in your tint ticket thread are the ones that show the tint in the best possible light, and how some of your other pics are so much different. Gee, do you think that the pics the OP took of his dirty plate are similarly manipulated?


I'm not suggesting that the OP lying. I will suggest that the OP is not the best person to ask if the ticket was deserved. The OP has plenty of personal incentive to plead his case so it puts him in the best light. Even if he's not lying, even if he truly believes his plate was "visible enough" to avoid a ticket, he is the least likely of anyone to be truly objective. He is sort of like you when it comes to your window tinting ticket.


Again, define "somewhat visible". A plate's lettering may be plenty visible if you're standing five feet away, but at three cars back it could be a completely different story. A dirty plate somewhat visible under shaded light conditions may be totally illegible in direct bright light. The flip-side can also be true depending on the degree of the dirt on the plate and whether or not the "dirt" is dry or wet.


The difference in severity is already accounted for in the fine structure. A dirty plate ticket costs peanuts when compared to school zone speeding or red light tickets. You're already getting a break in the $ amount of the fine.

Plates do tend to be dirty in winter. I learned that a long time ago. Snow and dirt build-up in winter can also coat your headlights and taillights to the point where they are no longer properly visible. Responsible drivers take the minimal time required to inspect and clean as required.

It all comes back to taking personal responsibility for the condition of your vehicle. Ultimately, it's easier and more satisfying to do that than it is to perpetually whine about the supposedly unjust tickets that pile up because you wouldn't take the few seconds it takes for a quick walk-around inspection of your vehicle. Who knows, You might even spot a burned out light and save yourself another ticket as well.

so that you know my tint ticket got dropped. Prosecutor laugh and said it looks fine.

Prosecutor did not see this picture.

Attachment 29937

she actually did. But she told me that 4 out of 5 pictures the inside can be seen clearly so she dropped it. I brought 5 pictures from different angles , only one of them the car can not be seen clearly.

Same applies for a lot of tints were some angles may be misleading. Bottom line is she dropped the ticket , and the dumb cop made me waste my time for nothing.

Why not go stop some real criminals or the people that dont signal when they make turns. I seen it enough times when even cops dont signal and speed for no reason.

Thats what I'm saying... if where gonna talk about motor vehicle tickets...then cops should be ticketing the people that should be ticketed...i.e. people tailgating, excessively speeding, not signalling etc. At the end of the day...is the world a better place for giving the op a ticket for having non-visible plates?....I think not. So, why then cops continue to issue these pointless tickets...i donno...your guess is as good as mine...but I say budget $$$.

As for the op & his ticket. I have had similar experience. Bring your photo's and ticket into the specificied court location, speak with a prosecutor and present the photo's. 9/10 times the ticket will be dismissed on the spot, your chances are very good and you have nothing to lose.

I actually got another nonsense ticket. I was at a red light i can see the cop stop at the intersection. I m not even speeding or doing anything but I get pulled over. He says that he pulled me over to check my tires. Luckily I have new tires , then he asked me for my driver license, registration and insurance , which I give him. Then he comes back with a ticket!!!

I ask the cop what is this ticket for , and he says that I forgot to put the renewal sticker in my ownership!! .. I then tell him that the sticker is on the plate and that I didnt know i had to put it on the ownership but that I should have the sticker in the glovebox ( where the renewal paper was) but he tells me the sticker should be on the ownership. 110 $ for nothing !!!!!


I swear some cops are useless.

Whats worst is , I take the ticket and drive away , he still behind me . A bmw in front of us is changing lanes without signaling but the stupid cop does not even pull him over ...

I m sure that this ticket will get thrown out in court but it is still a hassle to go there and get a court date

Its ALWAYS a hassle. Last time I went to fight a useless ticket:

Day 1: Waited 3 hours, Filled out paperwork...'Sorry prosecutor went home'
Day 2: Waited 2 hours, "Sorry, but there are no prosecutors in on tuesday"
Day 3: Waited 3 hours, "Can I see your ticket...hmm, ok its gone, your dismissed"