So I was driving my car down Westpark Tollway this afternoon. It has paper plates on a 2011 Jetta with tinted windows (rule 1 is on the dieselgate thread). As I pass a constable on the shoulder in heavy traffic he jumps out right behind be before the Beltway and pulls me over.

The reason stated is that he couldn't read my license plate because it was blowing in the wind and was obscured. I can't begin to count the number of people with paper plates that way. After showing him my drivers license and insurance he lets me go in a few minutes.

Is this really an issue? Has anybody else been pulled over for this or was he just bored looking for a reason to stretch his legs.

I taped my plate down to the car at the bottom to ensure I don't get pulled over by the same cop again before getting my plates.

Lots of fake paper plates in the Houston area.

got pulled over for this in round rock with a 05 f250 i had just bought. My paper tag was "flapping in the wind" and i needed to "tape it down or something". guy then jumped all over me when i didn't have it on insurance. i kindly reminded him of the actual law stating i had 30 days to put the vehicle on insurance. At this point realizing he has no clue of the actual rules he got back in his car and left. most cops are idiots who pick and choose what laws to uphold.

Sometimes people that do bad things fold over and tape their paper tags.

A while back a place I bought from put all 4 lic place screws down to hold it in.

I've heard of places putting a few pennies to help weigh them down too.

I'm not sure where you read that, but it's not true. There's no 30 day buffer for driving around without insurance. Perhaps you're thinking of vehicle registration?

601.051. REQUIREMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. A person may not operate a motor vehicle in this state unless financial responsibility is established for that vehicle through:
(1) a motor vehicle liability insurance policy that complies with Subchapter D;
(2) a surety bond filed under Section 601.121;
(3) a deposit under Section 601.122;
(4) a deposit under Section 601.123; or
(5) self-insurance under Section 601.124.


Sec. 502.040. REGISTRATION REQUIRED; GENERAL RULE. (a) Not more than 30 days after purchasing a vehicle or becoming a resident of this state, the owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer shall apply for the registration of the vehicle for:
(1) each registration year in which the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway; and
(2) if the vehicle is unregistered for a registration year that has begun and that applies to the vehicle and if the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway, the remaining portion of that registration year.

You either are black or were wearing white Oakleys.

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I'm not sure where you read that, but it's not true. There's no 30 day buffer for driving around without insurance. Perhaps you're thinking of vehicle registration?

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I think he was stating he had an active insurance policy, but had not added the new vehicle specifically.

You do have 30 days in TX to get it added and it is covered during that time.

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As I pass a constable on the shoulder in heavy traffic he jumps out right behind be before the Beltway and pulls me over.

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Did you pass him on the right shoulder or the left?

If it was te right hand shoulder I can see why he pulled you over. If it was the left he needs to understand that's wasted roadway and you should be able to use it as a passing lane when he's driving to damn slow in the far left lane.

I think the constable was on the shoulder, not the O P

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I'm not sure where you read that, but it's not true. There's no 30 day buffer for driving around without insurance. Perhaps you're thinking of vehicle registration?

601.051. REQUIREMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. A person may not operate a motor vehicle in this state unless financial responsibility is established for that vehicle through:
(1) a motor vehicle liability insurance policy that complies with Subchapter D;
(2) a surety bond filed under Section 601.121;
(3) a deposit under Section 601.122;
(4) a deposit under Section 601.123; or
(5) self-insurance under Section 601.124.


Sec. 502.040. REGISTRATION REQUIRED; GENERAL RULE. (a) Not more than 30 days after purchasing a vehicle or becoming a resident of this state, the owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer shall apply for the registration of the vehicle for:
(1) each registration year in which the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway; and
(2) if the vehicle is unregistered for a registration year that has begun and that applies to the vehicle and if the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway, the remaining portion of that registration year.

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I was always told through my insurance agent that any new vehicle purchase I made was covered under my original policy for the first 15 days. So I effectively have insurance on the vehicle even though its not stated on my current policy card.

Just remember, when you are replacing(i.e. trading one in) a vehicle you have the same coverage on the new vehicle as the one you are replacing.

If you are adding a vehicle, or planning to sell the old one later you only have the coverage equivalent to the highest coverage you have now.

So, if you only have liability and buy a new car, it does not have full coverage until you add it to your policy.

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Lots of fake paper plates in the Houston area.

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Cuz lots of driver have no "papers"

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quote:

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I'm not sure where you read that, but it's not true. There's no 30 day buffer for driving around without insurance. Perhaps you're thinking of vehicle registration?

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I think he was stating he had an active insurance policy, but had not added the new vehicle specifically.

You do have 30 days in TX to get it added and it is covered during that time.

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It depends on if it is a replacement of a currently inured vehicle or an additional vehicle.

Got pulled over on Eldridge right after exiting Westpark Tollway 10 years ago in my civic Si cause my license plate light "wasn't bright enough" at 2am.

Seems like everyone that breaks into houses in my hood has paper plates.

I got pulled over on the west side of Houston one Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving in the mid 1980s. i was driving a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.

After stopping me, the officer apologized for stopping me. He said that another officer up the road told him to stop the next motorcycle that came by because it had bogus homemade license plates. So he knew as soon as he pulled behind me that I wasn't the one. He had pulled me over by signaling me to pull over when we met on the highway.

Since he had me stopped he went ahead and checked my license and insurance. As we were finishing up, he motioned for another motorcycle to pull over to where we were.

That was the one with the bogus plates and they were from Michigan. It was funny listening to him tell the other motorcyclist in his best Southern drawl, "It might be okay to make your own plates in Michigan, but that's not the way we do it in Texas." While we were talking, I didn't detect a Southern drawl in his voice at all.