Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums  

I know my 86 cougar is red, but this is absolutely ridiculous.

When I first bought the car and threw a temp tag on it, I got pulled over 4 times in three days over Halloween weekend. first time I received a warning for a cracked windshield, every time after for having a "flagged stolen" license plate.

I did have a cracked windshield and no ler, so I can understand standing out a bit.

Fast forwards to today. I have been pulled over 3 times in four days. today was for having a "flagged insurance" on my plate. car is stock, no exhaust leaks, new windshield. I don't speed, drive erratically, hug the shoulder, doing absolutely nothing wrong.

Today was my sisters b-day, so I took her to a coffee shop and drove her to work. I got onto the freeway during rush hour never exceeding 30mph in a 55 zone. I got pulled over in less then two blocks. I know the highway patrol car couldn't see my plate, and seconds before he pulled me over he cut right in back of me and opened up his laptop and then started pulling up my plate at the same time he flipped his light on.

I quickly and calmly pulled over once I cleared the intersection, turned the ignition off, rolled down my passenger window, hit my emergency flashers and put the keys on the dash. he came up and asked me for my license, but not my insurance or registration. while he walked back to the car I started pulling my insurance up on my phone (we are not required to carry insurance information in Utah, I received proof as a pdf file in an email).

The officer came back and told me I had no insurance on my car i I laughed and said that was news to me. he asked me why I didn't have proof of insurance. I explained I didn't need to carry it, and that I was pulling up my email to show him proof of insurance. the non carry law is relatively new, started less then a year ago.

He then asked if I just bought the car and asked why my front plate wasn't mounted. I explained I bought the car in October and just registered it earlier this month (Feb 7th) and hadn't gotten around to mounting it yet, but that it was legally displayed in my front window.

He told me to signal him back when I found my insurance info. about 30 seconds later he came back and asked me who my insurance is through. I answered geico, and he said oh, good, we don't have to tow the car then.

He then informed me that I am insured, but my car isn't. the plates on my tbird expired end of January, and before I even drove my cougar, I traded insurance over and then registered the car (proof of insurance is required when licensing a car). which is a crock. if you get pulled over without insurance, its a maditory tow, and $400 fine first offense, $800 second offense with 90 days jail, $1200 and 180 days jail third offense. If you pull insurance off of your car, your plate is automatically suspended, as is your drivers license if you don't have insurance on another car.

Why have I been pulled over 7 out of the last 12 times i have driven my car? I have one ticket from 2009 for 29 in a 25, and nothing else on my record. I have gone years without being pulled over in my tbird, and I drove it without a ler for nearly two years.

from the day I brought it home, looks the same minus windshield is fixed and I have 235/60's up front and 275/60's out back on some 10 holes. tires are large, but fit the car well and don't stand out much in my opinion. ill get some new pictures in the morning.

David, I think your spot on. I don't personally know many police officers, but I respect them greatly and do everything I can to make things easy on them. in my younger days, I was always speeding and had a bad attitude. I've learned greatly since then. I am always honest when I get pulled over. my last ticket a speed limit sign was knocked over in a 30 down to 25 zone. I did however miss a second 25 mph sign that was still standing. I told the officer I though I was doing 30mph, which I believed to be the speed limit.

Honestly does go a long way. I was carpooling 50 miles away with 3 other people. one guy skipped his alarm and we turned around to pick him up, making us all about 20 minutes behind. I got pulled over speeding. he asked me how fast I was moving, and I said I don't know, my speedometer is off, but I had it maxxed at 85, and I figure I was doing at least 80 in a 65 zone (a few hundred yards before a 75mph sign). I told him I though the 75mph sign was already there and I mis judged it. I was let off with a warning, this was in 2008.

However, like you said, nobody complains about the good cop doing a good job, and the 10% or so that make them all look bad do pop up a lot more.

Law does say securely mounted. My front plate bracket is mounted upside down and the holes were drilled out to ridiculously large holes. I need to get new large bolts, but it requires a hardware store trip.

The front plate law wasn't until some time in the mid 90's. its actually quite rare for these cars to have a bracket or previously had holes up front before. everytime I bought a car and it didn't, I just through it in the front window and have never been bothered about it. I was asked once why it wasn't mounted, and I said it didn't have one to begin with, so I didn't, and that was that. I've never been bothered before when I renewed registration, and they check off the plates as ok, but shops are lazy a lot. I also didn't get pulled over for a front plate, and I doubt the cop could have seen it since I was infront of him before he could see me.

why do i keep getting pulled over?

Because they can and we (as a nation/culture) vote for it.

Just because the plate is displayed in the front window does not necessarily mean it's legally displayed.  Many states have minimum and maximum height requirements from the ground and that it must be physically mounted.  I'll look into it more tomorrow.

'Round here it has to be physically mounted in the plate holder, and it has to be lit up. Plate in the back window and/or burned out plate lights are grounds for a stop. So is an obscured plate (including tinted covers).