What is a vehicle registration number?
The registration number of a vehicle is usually referred to as the license plate. There is also the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the 17-character number which is applied to the vehicle by the manufacturer. The registration number, however, is established by the government (state or federal, depending on where you're located).
Is it legal to drive someone else's car in the US?
Yes, it is legal, assuming you have their consent, a driver's license, and valid insurance. Just don't get caught on any speed cameras or red light cameras or your friend will get the ticket.
Why and how is it legal for police officers to randomly run license plates while on patrol without probable cause and pull over motorists?
Understand that the license plate is simply proof of valid registration, showing that the owner has paid an annual tax to allow that vehicle to be used on public roads. If you buy a vehicle and never take it off of your own property, you don’t have to register it, meaning you don’t have to have a license plate for it. But most of us who buy cars do so for the purpose of being allowed to drive them on roads, and to do that legally, we have to pay our state governments an annual tax in the form of registration. It’s law enforcement’s job to make sure there are no vehicles on the road that haven’t paid that tax or that aren’t up to date on it.That license plate number, then, actually belongs to the state, and the driver is required to display it where officers can see it without having to stop them and ask for it. It’s much like how a hunter is required to pin his hunting license to his back. There is no expectation of privacy regarding that number.Furthermore, what the police officer is searching when he “runs” a license plate is the state’s own records. He’s checking a database that belongs to the state or federal government. Those records aren’t the driver’s property, so the police don’t need the driver’s permission to search them.As to your question about pulling drivers over, I’m not sure quite what you’re asking. Police officers are required to have probable cause to pull over a car (with certain exceptions the courts have allowed, like sobriety checkpoints). Information obtained by running the plate number can provide probable cause for the stop, such as when a driver has an active warrant, or when the description of the car on the registration doesn’t match the appearance of the car bearing the plate.
Is there any way to get back an impounded car in Tijuana?
My best advice to you on this matter, is to leave the car right where it is! The Mexican police have a long history or some pretty strange dealings, and when you go down to try to get the car out of the impound, you run a real good chance of being charged with whatever crime they say took place to impound the car in the first place! They have a much different point of view on probable cause in Mexico, and have been known to legally hold a non-citizen "hostage", or as they call it, on bond, until your family comes up with some ridiculous amount of money! I would consider losing a car to be getting off easy when it has anything to do with the police in Tijuana, or any other Mexican City!
Real Drivers Licence Doesn't Scan?!?
I went down to the bar with some of my buddies and showed the bouncer my authentic NC drivers license. He then scanned it and told me he couldn't take it. After scanning it four times with this machine it said that I had "NO D.O.B." on my drivers license. I'm actually 22 years old and have no clue how that's possible. Suggestions?
Do cops really check the license plate of the car in front of them?
As has been mentioned already, anything that seems "hinky" to me will make me run a plate.And its interesting that as cops get more experience, the more acute their sixth sense becomes at detecting things that seem wrong.In this state it's mandatory to have a front and back license plate on your car. But as taxes and yearly registration fees are very high here, it is not unusual to see a car with just one plate. The cop knows that the other plate is most likely on another vehicle the driver owns but he doesn't want to pay taxes on both cars so he takes the chance of getting caught.We also see a lot of "fictious plates." That's actually a misnomer, because to the police it means the license plate isn't registered to that car and not that the plate is not a genuine license plate.In many states when a license plate is run and it belongs on another vehicle it sends up a red flag that the occupants may have committed a felony (or are planning to.)Criminals don't want to leave a license plate on a car that will lead police back to them, so they steal a plate and use it instead.A felony traffic stop for a driver can be very scary if you aren't expecting it.Several cruisers show up, your car is lit up to blind you and you will be ordered to exit your car with hands up and you ultimately find that you are face down on the ground getting handcuffed.But even "typical" traffic stops can turn FUBAR on a dime, so it's always a good idea to be completely legal.
My son keeps taking my car without permission?
Ive told him again and again that he can not take my car. I work graveyard and sleep during the day and he sneaks my keys which i sleep with. he's 16 years old, no license or permit. i tell my husband my son took my car and he tells me to slap him but when i try to my son will fight me back. so frustrated