vman4639

I often travel from Richmond VA to Charlotte, NC - I normally take the BMW but this morning I thought I would treat myself and take the 997.

Early in the drive (and morning, ~ 5:00am) - I am doing about 20 over the limit on a divided highway with the safe assurance of my illegal (in VA) radar detector.

I look out and it's all cop lights in my rear view - I'm thinking, "damn - he must have been pacing me...." - my detector was silent.

He has the bright light on me as I casually lean to the glove box for the registration while trying to remove the detector and stuff it under the seat without notice.

Turms out - he only pulled me for an out of date plate sticker, and missed the:
- 20 over
- illegal detector
- lack of front license plate

If I update the stickers before the court date they'll drop the fine.

I left with a smile and feeling a bit lucky.....

Tcc1999

It's funny, you wouldn't think that they'd notice the registration sticker - or at least look for it. Ten plus years ago (living in Vienna, VA) I renewed my registration and put the sticker in the glove box w/ the registration b/c I wanted to see if the police would notice. It took about six months until I got pulled over. Pulled out the registration with the sticker and just said - Ooops. The cop simply asked me to to affix it to the plate right there. The next year I tried again and it only took two months to get pulled over. (I'm a scientist, I just considered it an experiement.) Both times the cops were quite pleasant and polite. Take home lesson, it is something that they definitely notice. Flash forward to 2011 and I legitimately forgot to put my registration sticker on (it was raining when I got it, didn't want to put it on a wet plate and it just slipped my mind). Two weeks later in Berkeley a parking enforcement official wrote me a ticket while my car was parked for $25. They would have knocked of $10 if I showed proof of remediation but taking care of that was not even close to $10 worth of my time.

PTParks

Tust me, as a former NC County Deputy Sheriff, the vehicle registration is one of the first and easiest ways to establish a valid reason to pull a driver over for further investigation (reasonable suspicion). Once you have the driver's paperwork in hand then you have access to almost anything on record to establish probable cause for further and more invasive investigation (or arrest)...license offenses, outstanding warrants, insurance, etc, etc. You just got lucky that the Cop didn't notice the rest of your indescritions. Local law enforcement or State Police?

Rolf Stumberger

Hi, if you want to install a front plate without drilling any holes into the bumper, I make aplate mount which threads into the front tow hook inlet .
If you're interested in getting one, you can contact me at: stumberger_r@msn.com

Spiffyjiff

yup!

i love watching episodes of cops where a simple stop for a tail light out will lead to narcotics, parole violators, guns, etc.

vman4639

Local. He seemed like a nice guy. In VA they never seem to look for a detector. I guess a combination of them not being legal and other items confusing the issue (GPS, note pads, EZ-Pass).

I've had the car since 2009 and have only been pulled once for the front plate issue. I consider it a luxury tax. If the frequency increases, I'll invest in a front plate mount (like the one on this thread - looks nice). But I think the plate ruins the lines.....

jhbrennan

If the see the radar detector is it a ticket or do they confiscate and ticket?

vman4639

In the past they would confiscate and ticket. There were even stories of State Troopers smashing them in front of you - probably urban legend, but everyone's heard the same stories.

Today they cannot confiscate them. They do ask to see them and record the serial number to track repeat offenders, but if it's professionally mounted / hidden and you cannot remove it they don't seem to push it.

I have also heard rumors that if you keep appealing it the State will drop it. It's really only a radio receiver and should not be illegal - I think the State wants to avoid a State Supreme Court hearing. But it's only like a $70 fine, no points, no moving violation so people just pay and move on.

VA does have radar detector detectors, but an officer cannot run radar at the same time. So again, you are better off not getting the moving violation and just paying the fine.

Why all the fuss for this and the front license plate? Just send me a $300 bill every year and I'll pay it.

jakes dad

+1

I don't give them (the police) any reason to pull me or my wife or kids over. I check all lights,brake lights, license plate lights and plates and anything else that they could get stopped for. And clean underwear in case of an accident..
If they had just the hint of alcohol from a lunch or dinner it can cause a lot of trouble. Better to not give them a reason to get involved. They're busy enough anyway.

MagnusB

No 99+ then huh?

aaks38

Your actually lucky you didnt get the reckless infraction for going 20+. As you know in VA this charge is worse than being busted with drugs as its a misdemeanor punishible up to 6 months in jail. Its such a headache as you invariably end up hiring a lawyer to try get a lesser plea. VA is very draconian when it comes to speeding over 20, so do be careful.

Also dont count your luck with the detector as most VA cops are using laser given how well funded they are. Just about every laser detector detects the signal right afterthe cop has already transmitted the laser signal.

vman4639

Yeah I hear you on the 20 over - I keep that as a mental limit.

Agree on laser - had a friend pulled over by laser. They seem to use laser on the busier highways, but you never know..... In NC they use a lot more instant on with radar - which can be tough as well. When commuting like this, I typically keep the speed to about 10-15 over, unless I am more isolated from other drivers, then I'm a bit more careful.

911Jetta

Not to hijack the tread, but I got pulled over for this yesterday also.

Normal driving in town, on the way to work. First I was behind the cop, then side-by-side at the next light. I accelerated normally as the light changed to green; he waited and pulled in behind me. Obviously he ran my tags...blue lights after the next stoplight. As he came up to my window I looked at him and laughed and said with my hands up, "what happened"? Of course all of this caused a huge traffic jam downtown...

$25 ticket, $179 court fees... Why no 24 hr warning?

It was a simple mistake and I updated the registration online within the hour. After 20+ years (in this county) of paying my registration on time, I refuse to send in a "check" to settle this fine. The court house is close to my office, so I am looking forward to talking to the magistrate in two weeks.

Mark Harris

Because you were driving a Porsche. Ford F150-24 hour warning.

krysFly

In Canada they would confiscate it and issue a $300 ticket