ORLANDO, Fla. – What if I told you that the majority of drivers are getting in their cars, driving around, not doing anything aggressive yet still are in violation of a traffic law and they don’t even know it?
When we become lawful drivers in the state of Florida there are two things that will never really belong to us. Your physical license and your license plate are basically on loan from the state so that you’re able to legally drive on our roadways.
DeLana from Orlando asked, “What’s the deal with this tag frames and tag covers?”
DeLana is referring to the border frames you see often surrounding license plates. These can be anything from car dealership logos to individually personalized frames with sports teams or schools, or even the clear or tinted covers you see over the plate.
Legally speaking, anything that touches or obstructs the original display of your license plate is considered illegal.
The tag is required by law to be seen clearly and when drivers place these decorative frames that serve no other purpose on the license plate, it can contribute to a law enforcement officer either not seeing the tag fully or not knowing what state the tag is from.
Often there are tinted or magnified covers drivers place over their tag. This is also a big issue because drivers are intentionally blocking the view of their tag from traffic cameras or law enforcement.
In Orange County, this could cost you $114. Now some people may be asking: Why even bother? Although you as the driver may not think this is a big deal, minor traffic violations can lead to much bigger finds for law enforcement officers that include anything from suspended driver's licenses to people with felony warrants.
My recommendation? Leave your tag alone and simply don’t have anything around it.