Camp Ground Mirror tags and the law!

[DonandBonnie]

Had a friend recently stopped in Virginia for the camp ground registration tag dangling from his rear view mirror. Seems that anything hanging from a rear view mirror for any reason in that state is illegal. Anyone else experienced that?

[Ozz]

Wow, must have been a slow day on patrol. I imagine it could be the law everywhere, a safety issue.
Nowhere but Virginia and Goodyear Arizona, would you be stopped for that.

[nosticks]

The problem with junk hanging from rear view mirrors is that they can totally block out a motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian from your view. Even the Handicap plaques remind you to remove them while in motion. From my experience, Florida is lax on enforcement but Pennsylvania is fairly strict.

[DonandBonnie]

The same cop said that anything other than factory installed stuff is also illegal. So if you have those blue lights under your car or a Christmas tree strapped to your grill expect to be stopped in Virginia. How much do you want to bet this crap is only enforced on out-of-staters who probably don't have the time to fight it?

[DonandBonnie]

nosticks, technically you are correct. After I heard I checked my tag and saw less than an inch of it hanging below the mirror. I don't know how far my friends tag hung down. I'm wondering how long before I get cited for having an EZPass transponder on my windshield. I guess it doesn't matter that it is completely hidden from my view by the rear view mirror.

[DarMar]

That subject has come up here in Canada recently with the issue of a ticket. Here we have both provincial and federal parks that issue those mirror hanging annual park passes yet at the same time they "can" issue a ticket for displaying them as required?????

The same apparently goes for windshield mounted GPS or our TPMS monitors but the mirror hand tag really takes the cake for me!!!!

[DQDick]

Many states have laws against it, but many folks have all sorts of crap hanging there anyway. Beads, crystals, you name it. It's one of those things that's seldom enforced, but if you attract attention can be a reason for a stop or to help finance a struggling school system (where fine money often goes).

[twindman]

Ozz,
Do you have something against Goodyear? Oh wait, ......

[Tom S.]

I believe most if not all states have the law that makes tags hanging from the mirror illegal. As was already pointed out, this also applies to Handicap placards which state as much on the bottom. Seems like no one ever pays attention to it though. I do know my daughter will not drive her car with the handicap placard on the mirror. The reasoning behind the law is they create a large blind spot.

[Art-n-Marge]

I agree with Tom S. After I graduated High School I had my graduation tassle hanging from my rear view mirror and never had a problem, but maybe the cops in my area had better things to do and I had a plate from my state that didn't make it worth their while. Eventually, when I found it was getting sun damaged, I removed it, then found out about the law and never put it back. This is also true of those stickon type items you can attach to the windshield - those are no-nos, too. However attaching it to the dash still blocking the same view if it were attached to the windshield is okay, but it was explained to me it's more a safety concern especially if you are in an accident and you should only have broken glass coming back at you and not these holders and whatever is in it, too.

However, it's okay to not even have a rear view mirror like many box trucks who can't even see behind, but they better have mirrors on both sides. Since these trucks will often have a rear view mirror coming from the factory (the box is installed later as an option) is this illegal? Same with some pickup trucks I've seen that have some kind of cover, headache rack or something blocking the rear view mirror. I always thought that a rear view mirror in this case allowed the adult in the front seat to see better when they reached back to discipline someone. I am too short to do that and would not do it anyway, but you know what I mean.


Hmmm, I am following Tom S. in many of these topics. It must be because he lives further East and gets first dibs at posting replies. I am NOT stalking him.

[steelpony5555]

Hmmmm dog tags are hanging from mine and never been told or stopped. Used to also have a garter hanging from it too.....but the sun did a number on it so it is no more. Oh and forgot my CB mike hangs from the sunvisor sorta like big rig type set up when we travel. No place else to put it anymore......

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by Art-n-Marge

I am NOT stalking him.

LOL!!!!

[sola123]

Being a former trooper in Virginia....no...we dont just stop out of state people who cant fight it....remember...nothing is illegal unless you get caught at it...just take it down when driving off the campgrd property and put it back on when you arrive back....it is a safety hazard!

[Irlpguy]

I give the campground security one week to get to recognize my truck and my face, the tag is "never" displayed on my rear view mirror, I pick it up off my console for the first week, after that it goes in my glove box.

Some hang down 6 - 8 inches and significantly block your view, if they are not illegal they should be. In BC anything on the dash or attached to the windshield that has the potential to block your view is illegal and you can be ticketed. Why would anyone take that chance just to keep the campground happy, I have never been bothered in a campground for not displaying mine and would explain my reasoning should someone complain.

[Samiterry]

I personally choose not to advertise in a strange area that I'm not familiar with that (1) I'm an RV'er (2) what campground I'm staying at and (3) what number my site is. After all it's info is only good AT the campground.

[Flymutt]

I always lay the hang-tag on the left side of the dash and haven't had any problems with the RV parks...yet. The windshield on our GMC is so small (compared to our automobile windshield) that anything hanging on the rear view mirror could block out something important. Thanks for bringing up this subject.

[richfaa]

It is not legal to hang things off the mirror in Ohio. The instructions for the EZ pass tell you where to put it on the winds shield so it does not obstruct vision.

[mlh]

I've been driving in Virginia for 50 years and this is the first time I have ever heard of anybody being stopped for having any thing hanging from their rear view mirror.
Lynwood

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by mlh

I've been driving in Virginia for 50 years and this is the first time I have ever heard of anybody being stopped for having any thing hanging from their rear view mirror.
Lynwood

While the risk of being stopped here in Michigan is small, it does happen. That's minor though to being involved in an accident where you've hit a pedestrian or motorcyclist because they were in the blind spot created by the tags. Better safe than sorry!

[JandC]

quote:Originally posted by sola123

Being a former trooper in Virginia....no...we dont just stop out of state people who cant fight it....remember...nothing is illegal unless you get caught at it...just take it down when driving off the campgrd property and put it back on when you arrive back....it is a safety hazard!

X2 from retired Illinois Trooper. But I might add that I never actually wrote anyone a citation for "obstructed Driver's view". I stopped and warned a bunch over the years. I used it as one of those excuses to stop someone when they were at the wrong place at the wrong time or something just didn't seem right. IMHO a cop would have to be a total idiot to stop a regular law abiding citizen and actually give them a traffic citation for such a violation.