# License plate covers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133 "2019-05-17T23:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/1 "2019-05-17T23:23:53Z")
I am noticing an increase in the number and the tint of license plate covers on vehicles. These serve no purpose but to mask the plate to avoid tickets and fool police. Why are these devices allowed to be sold? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/2 "2019-05-17T23:35:14Z")
Hey, the things are perfectly legal and harmless unless you bolt them onto a car. The ones in the store aren’t bolted onto a car, so, legal. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/3 "2019-05-17T23:37:11Z")
Could someone post a link to the license plate covers being talked about? License plate holders don’t block the plate number and are perfectly legit. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/4 "2019-05-17T23:39:59Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Could someone post a link to the license plate covers being talked about? License plate holders don’t block the plate number and are perfectly legit. These sorts of things, I’m guessing. They aren’t “frames,” which I think is what you’re thinking of – they’re plastic covers which completely cover the plate; many of them are tinted or polarized, and they’re pretty clearly marketed as a way to evade having your plate photographed. [![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2275/4939/products/IMG_1411_-_Edited_1024x1024.jpg?v=1541494920) ](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2275/4939/products/IMG_1411_-_Edited_1024x1024.jpg?v=1541494920) [![](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/3ffd0e28-3be2-435a-8cee-be763e8a78c1_1.0a8034b21182b994da3e21ca9237b0e0.jpeg) ](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/3ffd0e28-3be2-435a-8cee-be763e8a78c1_1.0a8034b21182b994da3e21ca9237b0e0.jpeg) > **[This item is unavailable - Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/647070830/?gpla=1&gao=1&utm_campaign=shopping_us_MDDCPRINT_sfc_osa&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_custom1=0&utm_content=11659331&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o1mWkgpuUEeEc70Kbbjc3HJDe-XhiMgE7K3X7EZ6pZ22Sul2ccmPbAaApbYEALw_wcB)** > > Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/5 "2019-05-17T23:54:55Z")
Here’s a spray for your plates that does the same thing: [https://www.photoblocker.com/](https://www.photoblocker.com/) ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/6 "2019-05-18T00:01:43Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > Here’s a spray for your plates that does the same thing: [https://www.photoblocker.com/](https://www.photoblocker.com/) Best part of that site: > [@](#): > > NOTE : We don’t condone the use of our products to beat toll booth cameras. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure you don’t. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/7 "2019-05-18T01:24:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > These sorts of things, I’m guessing. They aren’t “frames,” which I think is what you’re thinking of – they’re plastic covers which completely cover the plate; many of them are tinted or polarized, and they’re pretty clearly marketed as a way to evade having your plate photographed. > > [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2275/4939/products/IMG\_1411\_-\_Edited\_1024x1024.jpg?v=1541494920](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2275/4939/products/IMG_1411_-_Edited_1024x1024.jpg?v=1541494920) > > [https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/3ffd0e28-3be2-435a-8cee-be763e8a78c1\_1.0a8034b21182b994da3e21ca9237b0e0.jpeg](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/3ffd0e28-3be2-435a-8cee-be763e8a78c1_1.0a8034b21182b994da3e21ca9237b0e0.jpeg) > > [https://www.etsy.com/listing/647070830/phantom-tag-protector-smokedtinted-anti?gpla=1&gao=1&utm\_campaign=shopping\_us\_MDDCPRINT\_sfc\_osa&utm\_medium=cpc&utm\_source=google&utm\_custom1=0&utm\_content=11659331&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt\_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o1mWkgpuUEeEc70Kbbjc3HJDe-XhiMgE7K3X7EZ6pZ22Sul2ccmPbAaApbYEALw\_wcB](https://www.etsy.com/listing/647070830/phantom-tag-protector-smokedtinted-anti?gpla=1&gao=1&utm_campaign=shopping_us_MDDCPRINT_sfc_osa&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_custom1=0&utm_content=11659331&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o1mWkgpuUEeEc70Kbbjc3HJDe-XhiMgE7K3X7EZ6pZ22Sul2ccmPbAaApbYEALw_wcB) Thanks. I got a clear cover for my wife’s new car, but nowhere did it claim they obscured anything - and when I drive behind her I can see her plate just fine. I can imagine some covers which do. You’d think they’d help visibility by keeping dirt off the license. And she has gone through tollbooths just fine, with and without transponders. I signed up for the pay in advance plan when we went East, and we got correct reports of crossing the Tapan Zee bridge, so the cameras worked okay. But I never knew about this thing. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/8 "2019-05-18T03:52:43Z")
There was an episode of _Mythbusters_ (maybe more than one) in which they tested the effectiveness of various “obscure your license plate” products (various sorts of covers, that aerosol spray, etc.) IIRC, their finding was that none of them really made a difference. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/9 "2019-05-18T10:44:48Z")
There is a type now popular in NYC which is a combo plate frame and bumper, so that unless you are looking at the plate straight on you will usually miss the first or last letter as it would be blocked from the side of the frame/bumper. I don’t understand how that became OK, except that so many plates have this now down there, it would be a exercise in futility to do anything about it. I also assume most of those cars don’t leave NYC as it would seem to be a easy pull over, and I don’t see them outside NYC. Also for covers, some states require no letters to be covered at all, including the state name which is usually at the top. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/10 "2019-05-18T16:33:41Z")
Crazy stuff out there. I wish this was a primary offense with a higher penalty like $500 first time and $1000 second. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/11 "2019-05-18T20:25:33Z")
> [@UCBearcats](#): > > Crazy stuff out there. I wish this was a primary offense with a higher penalty like $500 first time and $1000 second. Unfortunately such fines can have a catastrophic effects on a large chunk of the population. Can’t possibly pay the fine, go to jail?, lose job, lose housing, etc. For all too many a $50 fine is just too much. OTOH there are those who don’t think for a second about paying a $1000 fine. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/12 "2019-05-18T20:29:46Z")
of course if a $50 fine is too much, maybe one shouldn’t break the law ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/13 "2019-05-18T20:30:01Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Unfortunately such fines can have a catastrophic effects on a large chunk of the population. Can’t possibly pay the fine, go to jail?, lose job, lose housing, etc. > > For all too many a $50 fine is just too much. OTOH there are those who don’t think for a second about paying a $1000 fine. This based off something the owner of the car deliberately added to the car. It isnt a burnt out tail light that the driver may not be aware of. The person bought the cover then installed it. It is a premeditated act. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/14 "2019-05-18T21:13:20Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Thanks. I got a clear cover for my wife’s new car, but nowhere did it claim they obscured anything - and when I drive behind her I can see her plate just fine. I can imagine some covers which do. You’d think they’d help visibility by keeping dirt off the license. > And she has gone through tollbooths just fine, with and without transponders. I signed up for the pay in advance plan when we went East, and we got correct reports of crossing the Tapan Zee bridge, so the cameras worked okay. > > But I never knew about this thing. Interesting. Why would you buy a cover for a license plate? No snark, it’s a serious question. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/15 "2019-05-18T21:54:41Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Why would you buy a cover for a license plate? No snark, it’s a serious question. The frame that came from the dealer was pink, and my wife hated it, so I looked for a new one for her birthday. The nicest ones at the auto store were clear covers. The frames were all NASCAR logos and other such nonsense. I have frames for my car and I’m not going to change them. BTW, since we have to replace registration stickers every year, something that that keeps me from having to clean off the plate before I do so isn’t bad. But it wasn’t a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/16 "2019-05-18T22:23:31Z")
They were briefly popular here as way of protecting your plates from sun and scratches. And we did have a bad run of plates, so that actually made sense. But of course not actually sensible, because the clear cover scratched and got sun damage. And then the police cracked down on them – not for any particularly good reason, just on principle. Because if people were using covers to obscure their plates, they must be stopped, even if it didn’t work, and even if that wasn’t why most people bought the covers. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/17 "2019-05-18T23:53:50Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Why would you buy a cover for a license plate? No snark, it’s a serious question. so the toll cameras can’t take pictures of the plates while going through the booth without a toll tag, no license no mailed bill ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/18 "2019-05-18T23:55:30Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > so the toll cameras can’t take pictures of the plates while going through the booth without a toll tag, no license no mailed bill Exactly, there is no legitimate reason for having one of these. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2019, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/19 "2019-05-19T01:29:55Z")
> [@UCBearcats](#): > > Exactly, there is no legitimate reason for having one of these. Except they don’t work, so it doesn’t really matter. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133/20 "2019-05-19T01:36:22Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Except they don’t work, so it doesn’t really matter. There are some dark tinted and mirrored varieties that do obscure the plate. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-covers/834133.md?page=2)