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View Full Version : I put this up in the general forum as well


atrium
02-13-2008, 11:19 PM
Hello everyone,

I came across this forum during a search on the internet. From what I have seen so far, it look like a great community and has a wealth of information.

Now that we are done with all the pleasentry, here is my question and first post:

Background:

I live in Somerville, MA and attend school at UMass Boston which is located in Dorchester, MA. I was on my way to school the other day and came to a stop at a red light. A cruiser pulled up on the side and gestured me to roll down my window which i did. The Officer asked me "Are you a police officer" which I responded "No." (He actually turned around and pulled up on the side) He told me to pull over passed the light at the intersection. I was thinking how bizaar. Anyway, I pulled over and he came over to the window. He said "I pulled you over because I thought you had a blue light on your dash [and] your license plate cover is not clear." I have a GPS unit and suction cup on it is blue, so i guess he thought i had a police light -- which is possible but strange because from the outside it looks nothing like a light. Anyway, I handed over my license and registration. He questioned me a little about what I did for work (graduate student), etc. to assess my character i suppose. He asked me "is your license good" which I told him yes. He then said "I am just going to run these and be back, are you a good guy?" and I responded "Yes, sir" after which he just handed me back my documents without running anything and told me to have a nice day. I wished him the same and that was that. The Officer was actually quite nice and professional which I am sure my attitude helped. There is not much I can do about the GPS suction cup. Unless I locate a replacement arm with a clear suction cup i suppose.

My Question: I bought my license plate cover from AutoZone and at the time they told me it was legal in Mass. The plate cover is not dark at all but slightly tinted and the plate is clearly visible. I would have gone with clear but there was a 9 dollar price difference. I haven't had any issues with the police before or since. Is the type of cover I have LEGAL in Massachusetts?

Any comments are appreciated especially from Massachusetts and Boston Officers. Thanks in advance.

VSP_Troop
02-14-2008, 01:06 PM
You can be fined for having tinted license plate covers in MA. I think you can even be fined for having clear ones but i'm not 100% on that.

Deuce
02-15-2008, 12:26 PM
No, covering a registration plate is not legal. MGL ch90s6 states a plate must not be covered and be clearly visible from 60' away. Even clear covers obscure the plates legibility. Those plate borders (i.e dealership, vanity) are illegal also especially if they obscure the registration sticker affixed to the top right of the plate.