Are tinted license plate covers legal in Massachusetts?
BOSTON - Take ride down a highway in Massachusetts and you will likely notice cars with tinted out license plates. Some of the covers are so dark, it's hard to see the numbers.
Richard, a WBZ-TV viewer, sent this question:
"I thought the laws on license plates were strict in Massachusetts. Now I see all these tinted plastic protectors covering up plates and making them hard to read. What's up with that?"
It's like your license plate is wearing shades. In traffic and incognito. Drivers making you squint to see through the tint. But why?
Craig Fitzgerald is the automotive editor at DCI Marketing. He researches and writes about all things cars.
"People buy them for a couple different reasons. One of them is aesthetics. They think they look cool with a tinted plate cover. Then there's some other people that are trying to get away with something," he told WBZ.
Avoiding tolls with tinted plates
What could they be trying to get away with? Well, if you use the "pay by plate" option on the Massachusetts Turnpike, overhead cameras take a picture of your license plate and send you a bill. Some tinted license plate covers can make it hard to get a clear picture. So, it's possible to get a free ride.
In New York, state officials said they were losing so much toll revenue, they banned tinted covers and recently asked Amazon to stop shipping the plates to certain zip codes.
So, if some people are using these to avoid paying tolls or to trick red light cameras, they must be illegal, right?
Tinted license plates are not Illegal
"They are not illegal," Massachusetts State Police Trooper James DeAngelis told WBZ.
Trooper DeAngelis says Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90, Section 6 allows tinted covers but there's a wrinkle.
"There are certain restrictions that they have to meet. Mainly being visible from a distance of 60 feet," DeAngelis said.
Years ago, the state's highest court ruled just driving around with a tinted plate cover didn't automatically mean troopers could say the plate wasn't "clearly visible."
DeAngelis says this goes back to a Supreme Judicial Court ruling of a 2014 case, "Commonwealth vs Michael Bernard." Bernard argued his plate was still visible even with the tint. The court agreed.
Most states actually have this sort of "yeah but..." kind of rule. Can you have a plate cover? Yes... but.... there are exceptions.
During the headline-grabbing traffic stop last week involving New England Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore in Providence, Barmore was cited with having an "obscured" license plate. It wasn't about tint. Police said the frame of the cover blocked too much of the plate.
Rhode Island law is stricter than Massachusetts. The number needs to be clearly visible from 100 feet away, at any time of day.
So, just remember, with the tint comes a little gray area.
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