pennsylvania road rules

[chassellbandit]

heres the deal. i'm rolling out to annapolis md. this weekend, coming from michigan. i know i am driving a vehicle that wuill in no way shape or form pass penn. state inspection, if i lived there. all my signals/lights work, but my biggest concern is tires sticking out to far, as i have massive trimming, no flares, and 31x13.50 tires. rolling on the turnpike at 8pm on a thurs, the last thing i need is some badge heavy 5.0 giving me a ahrd time. worst i can see happening is a fix and repair ticket, no biggie, get a hometown boy to sign it when i get home, but can they do anymore? any advice from people in PA would be appreciated, thanx

 

[cherokeekid95]

i dont think they will stop you because u have outta state plates. if you were a pa vehicle then yes. i really dont think that they can realisticly expect you when u go on vaction or whatever to have your vehicle up to code in all the states that you are passin through.you dont have to get inspected to drive through do you?? nope so i dont you need to worry about it. i will check with a few peeps and get back you for sure.

 

[XTrmXJ]

TRUELY cops cant pull you over because your tires stick out to far, they have to pull you over for a misdemeaner, then they can tack on more tickets if you show an attitude..

 

[Sarge]

i dont think they will stop you because u have outta state plates. if you were a pa vehicle then yes.

As a former resident and used to be frequent visitor after moving, unless PA has changed, yes you can expect to be pulled over if you're from out of state and your vehicle has a violation visible. A trooper told me, "Anyone entering the Commonwealth is required to abide by our laws, rules, and regulations." As he wrote me a large ticket for the illegal side pipes on my camaro. Legal in OH where I lived at the time but not in PA.

Sarge

 

[cherokeekid95]

well i did some digging and spoke to PA best (troopers) they said as long as its not a registered pa vehicle they cant do anything about it. sorry sarge sounds like u got a dirty cop. he said they only thing they can enforce are pa laws on pa registered vehicles. got the all clear big guy. have a safe trip my gf is from anny. i dont like the place hope u enjoy it. :laugh3:

 

[jre29]

well i did some digging and spoke to PA best (troopers) they said as long as its not a registered pa vehicle they cant do anything about it. sorry sarge sounds like u got a dirty cop. he said they only thing they can enforce are pa laws on pa registered vehicles. got the all clear big guy. have a safe trip my gf is from anny. i dont like the place hope u enjoy it. :laugh3:

Wrong. I was on I-80 last week and there was some construction and some a$$hole of a state cop was pointing to all the lifted vehicles and pulling them over right there on the shoulder. I was pulled over along with at least 7 other trucks mostly full-size Ford's, Chevy's, Dodge's all with at least 37" tires sticking past the fender. There were numerous plates, me from NJ, couple from NY, and the rest PA.

Anyway a got a ticket $115. :flamemad: :bs:

The best part about it was that he told me that he had been sitting there since 8am (it was 12 at the time) and he had physically run out tickets to write. So this a$$ did us a "favor" and mailed the ticket (instead of making us sit there), certified mail to my house.

I respect cops and all but this cop was the biggest jerk ever.

:bs:

 

[BrettM]

Wrong. I was on I-80 last week and there was some construction and some a$$hole of a state cop was pointing to all the lifted vehicles and pulling them over right there on the shoulder. I was pulled over along with at least 7 other trucks mostly full-size Ford's, Chevy's, Dodge's all with at least 37" tires sticking past the fender. There were numerous plates, me from NJ, couple from NY, and the rest PA.

Anyway a got a ticket $115. :flamemad: :bs:

The best part about it was that he told me that he had been sitting there since 8am (it was 12 at the time) and he had physically run out tickets to write. So this a$$ did us a "favor" and mailed the ticket (instead of making us sit there), certified mail to my house.

I respect cops and all but this cop was the biggest jerk ever.

:bs:

okay, he gave you a ticket, and you probably payed it like everyone else. but the real question is; does it carry any weight? what does the law say?

I'm under the impression that you only have to meet the requirements for where your vehicle is registered. Kinda like how other states have to honor gay marriages from the states that allow them

 

[jre29]

okay, he gave you a ticket, and you probably payed it like everyone else. but the real question is; does it carry any weight? what does the law say?

I'm under the impression that you only have to meet the requirements for where your vehicle is registered. Kinda like how other states have to honor gay marriages from the states that allow them

I don't know how it is in other states but if I didn't pay that ticket, I would have had my license suspended in NJ (I believe its some law that PA and NJ have with each other). Also, PA would put out an arrest warrant for me, so the next time I was in PA and I get pulled over, I would have to the deal with more BS.

So, I had to pay it.

:bs:

 

[Eagle]

Kinda like how other states have to honor gay marriages from the states that allow them

Well, you're wrong on that, too. Many states will not honor marriages from other states that would not be legal in the state under discussion.

 

[BrettM]

Well, you're wrong on that, too. Many states will not honor marriages from other states that would not be legal in the state under discussion.

actually I thought about that when I wrote it, but what I was really trying to get at is that the same arguement exists. some states don't honor them (good!) but then all the gays start saying they have to. There's a legal/political term for states honoring each other's laws, I forget what it is.


back to jre29, but would his ticket have stuck if you fought it? It's very possible that he writes them knowing they won't stick if people fight it, but 95% of people don't fight it. Did he write a vehicle code violation number on the ticket? in that same vehicle code does it say if the laws apply to all vehicles in the state or all vehicles registered in the state? if it says all vehicles in the state, do they have the right to do that?

 

[Jeff in VA]

There's a legal/political term for states honoring each other's laws, I forget what it is.

reciprocity, and it can be a B-E-O-T-C-H sometimes... "Ignorance of the law is no excuse, son"
Jeff

 

[cherokeekid95]

back to jre29, but would his ticket have stuck if you fought it? It's very possible that he writes them knowing they won't stick if people fight it, but 95% of people don't fight it. Did he write a vehicle code violation number on the ticket? in that same vehicle code does it say if the laws apply to all vehicles in the state or all vehicles registered in the state? if it says all vehicles in the state, do they have the right to do that?

i agree with that alot. if u fight it u prob get off the hook. but most cuz they from outta state just pay it on the spot to get it over with. so i guess its a gamble but i bet its a gamble u can win if ur smart about it

 

[Eagle]

actually I thought about that when I wrote it, but what I was really trying to get at is that the same arguement exists. some states don't honor them (good!) but then all the gays start saying they have to. There's a legal/political term for states honoring each other's laws, I forget what it is.


back to jre29, but would his ticket have stuck if you fought it? It's very possible that he writes them knowing they won't stick if people fight it, but 95% of people don't fight it. Did he write a vehicle code violation number on the ticket? in that same vehicle code does it say if the laws apply to all vehicles in the state or all vehicles registered in the state? if it says all vehicles in the state, do they have the right to do that?

I think you are referring to the "full faith and credit" clause of the US Constitution, but you're extrapolating. The full faith clause is what lets you drive from Ohio to WV through PA without having to get a PA drivers' license. PA recognizes the Ohio license, but that doesn't invalidate PA's rules for vehicle safety within its borders. Don't forget that the underlying premise of the Constitution was to give as much power as possible to the states.

Never yet saw any state's motor vehicle laws that differentiated between in-state and out-of-state vehicles. The regs just say what they say, and AFAIK they apply to any vehicle within the state on any public road.

 

[Sarge]

well i did some digging and spoke to PA best (troopers) they said as long as its not a registered pa vehicle they cant do anything about it. sorry sarge sounds like u got a dirty cop. he said they only thing they can enforce are pa laws on pa registered vehicles. got the all clear big guy. have a safe trip my gf is from anny. i dont like the place hope u enjoy it. :laugh3:

Good luck. I do know from previous experience that you can be ticketed in other states for things which are legal in your home state and it carries weight. An example:

Took a little bike trip with a bud who runs apes. Legal height here but illegal there. He was pulled over and ticketed no fewer than 5 times in a two day period. Dumb ass ran his mouth on the last one and got to spend his last night in da pokey. Got home, consulted a lawyer and was told to pay the tickets or have a warrant issued. Weren't cheap neither.

Sarge

 

[chassellbandit]

greeeaaaaat. oh well. see how much room ig ot in the back, maybe i'll throw the skinnys on for the drive there. either that or i'll jsut hope and pray they give me a fix and repair ticket....

 

[BrettM]

well maybe PA cops are just jerks :laugh3:

I know that I had my California registered and plated MJ out in Michigan for last school year, and there were at least a dozen times that I saw a cop coming from the front or side whip around behind me like they're gonna pull me over (no moving violations occurring) then you could just tell that as soon as they saw the CA plate in the back window they backed off and went away.

I was operating under the assumption that I only had to be legal where it's registered, and it seemed the MI cops were working under the same assumption. (Even though there's a half dozen things on my truck that are technically illegal in CA, they don't know that.)

I'm not certain about any of this except my own experience, but I'd be very curios to hear from a lawyer or something what the case really is.

 

[CheapXJ]

just from personal experience, if you don't drive like a douchebag, they'll leave you alone for minor things like that.

if you're really worried, garden edging and drywall screws will make it legal

 

[Eagle]

greeeaaaaat. oh well. see how much room ig ot in the back, maybe i'll throw the skinnys on for the drive there. either that or i'll jsut hope and pray they give me a fix and repair ticket....

Hah!

You're better off with a ticket you can mail in a check for. If you get a fix-and-repair ticket in PA, more than likely you have to take it to a PA inspection facility for a sign-off on the repair. That means a second trip to the keystone state.

Why not avoid the problem entirely? Go to Enterprise or one of those cheap renatl joints and rent an econobox for the weekend. Between the moeny you'll save on gas, the wear you'll save on your off-road tires, and the ticket you won't have to pay, you'll just about pay for the rental. Heck, if you avoid a ticket you'll be ahead.

 

[offroadinchick]

TRUELY cops cant pull you over because your tires stick out to far, they have to pull you over for a misdemeaner, then they can tack on more tickets if you show an attitude..

They can, and they will. I have been stopped for that, and that was my only violation. If you dont believe they will stop an out of state vehicle, just contact sibling riverly, http://www.Siblingrivalry.com/ and read the stories about their tickets. Their vehicles are legal in their state also.

If they see you crusin down a highway though driving through chances are youll be fine.

 

[Ralph]

How about going around PA? Will you have those problems in West Virginia and Virginia? How much time would it add to your trip?