Stolen License Plate Tags: a Sticky Problem for the DMV

Dear Street Smart:

I have no figures to back this up, but I think stolen license plate tags is a significant problem. Has any thought been given to a system of tags that are placed inside the rear window?

Charles Hansen

Rancho Santa Margarita

You’re right, it is a significant problem. “Chronic,” said Evan Nossoff, a spokesman for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

So bad, in fact, that the department is planning a solution, but not the one you suggest. Beginning Jan. 1, Nossoff said, the DMV will issue vehicle tags with numbers corresponding to your license plate. Currently, he said, the tag numbers are registered in Sacramento but bear no resemblance to those on the plate.

In the meantime, Nossoff said, he has several suggestions.

Tags are harder to remove if they are not stuck on top of old tags. So, when you get a new one, completely scrape off the old one with a razor blade. If you need to loosen it up, heating it with a hair dryer might help. Next, clean the empty well on the plate thoroughly with alcohol or cleaning solvent. Finally, Nossoff said, after you’ve applied the new tag, slice it several times so that a would-be thief would have trouble taking the whole tag.

Dear Street Smart:

Not long ago, I purchased an older car. It included a brand new license plate that had never been placed on the front of the car. Shortly thereafter, the local meter maid, who follows the trash truck around, ticketed the car for having no front license plate. Yet practically every third car I see on the highway doesn’t have a front plate. Count ‘em. What’s the dope?

Jim Boeke

Fountain Valley

The dope is that California Vehicle Code Section 5200 requires any car driven in the state to display two license plates, one in the front and one in the rear. The reason is obvious: to allow easy identification of a vehicle, particularly for police.

The reasons you see lots of cars without front plates on the road, officials say, are twofold: Some of them might be from states that do not require two plates. Second, “it’s rarely written up,” the DMV’s Nossoff said.

Rare doesn’t mean never. Last year, according to Nossoff, 24,037 citations were issued to drivers for having only one plate.

Sandra Houston, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, says the agency is doing its best.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a rampant problem,” she said. “When we see it, we cite it.”

Dear Street Smart:

An earlier letter concerning entering and exiting carpool lanes brought to mind a question about accidents, or just plain stalled cars, in that lane and what happens to those behind the blockage. Of course, cars beside a broken line can exit legally, but what about those closest to an accident and beside a double or double-double yellow line?

Obviously, the answer is that a patrolman can direct traffic and free drivers in that lane. Patrolmen don’t happen upon the scene immediately, though. So if traffic isn’t heavy and a driver can safely leave the lane, wouldn’t it be an advantage to have as many cars as possible away from the scene to allow aid to reach the victims?

Better yet, make all the lines broken so there would be no illegal exits or entries.

Lou Mallinckrodt

Santa Ana

Doing that would defeat the purpose of the carpool lane, according to Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

“In order to maintain the flow,” he said, “there has to be some sort of buffer between the two lanes. If you’re in the carpool lane and you have to worry all the time that the people on your right can move into your lane, you’re not going to be able to flow as smoothly.”

If the flow is disrupted by an accident or stalled car, he said, use your best judgment. While it is illegal to leave the carpool lane except at designated points, Kohler said, you are not likely to be cited for doing so in a true emergency.

But be extremely careful. “The potential for a collision, especially if there is a high-speed differential, is very high.”

In most cases, he said, the safest and wisest thing to do is to wait for a law enforcement officer.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to David Haldane, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County Edition, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, send faxes to (714) 966-7711 or e-mail him at David.Haldane@latimes.com. Include your full name, address, and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.