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New laws go into effect December 1

Submitted by WWAY on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 7:04pm.READ MORE:

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New laws go into effect December 1st

From reptiles, to school buses, to texting, a number of new state laws go into effect on Tuesday. Many of the new changes affect drivers; one of the biggest changes is no more texting behind the wheel. Violators could face a $100 fine and another $130 in court costs, plus it's definitely not safe. Many admit to texting while driving at one time or another. "I was texting while driving, and I ran a red light on Holly Tree and was t-boned,” said Wes Hudson of Wilmington. Even if you're stopped at a traffic light, after December 1st, if you're in the driver's seat, and the car is turned on, texting while driving is illegal. "I have actually texted while at a stop light, on my motorcycle,” said Chris Ebbe. The new rule also outlaws e-mailing and surfing the web behind the wheel. "I have enough trouble driving without talking on my cell phone or texting. I’m not for it at all, I think you should just be driving, that's it,” said Lila Moeller. December 1st calls for some other changes. License plate frames cannot cover the state name, or sticker displaying the year and month on license plates. Another law gives new car owners a 3-day grace period to register their vehicle and pass inspection as long as they have insurance. Another law requires reptile owners to keep their pets in secured containers and subjects the owners to prosecution if the reptiles escape and attack someone.

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I worked with a guy one time

Submitted by Guest1111 (not verified) on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 9:08am.

I worked with a guy one time who told me at one point in his life he had driven his car for over a year without insurance and with a dead sticker and plates. I was surprised that he got away with it for so long. I would have had a stroke the first time a cop drove up behind me. His reply is that he just went out and drove. No speeding, no lane hopping, no rolling through stop signs, or rushing to catch the yellow light. In other words, I highly doubt cops are going to be out in the cold or the rain stopping people to write them tickets (only warnings for now)for license plate frames. If you get caught in a checkpoint, they might write a ticket but other than that, if you drive like you have some sense, cops usually do not give you a second glance.

Once again we're missing the

Submitted by tonealoc (not verified) on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 8:33pm.

Once again we're missing the big point here, not blocking this info on a liscence plate helps police to keep an eye out for stolen plates among being able to make sure those nice little red light cameras get your info correct. there are many out there who use those plates to get away with wrong doing and so what if it's an inconvenience to you if it helps keep a felon off the street? And as far as texting while driving or using a cell for that matter, if you honestly think it should be ok to do that, I'm cool with that. As long as you don't mind me being able to pull you out of your car and point a .45 to your temple because not paying attention while driving a car, truck, motorcycle, or anything is the same as waving a loaded gun around. I know I've nearly been hit several times on 74/76 by idiots looking down at their cell phones and nearly hitting my car while my son was in it. If I could have, I would love to have been able to beat those people senseless as I have a right to defend my family and they failed to realize they could have hurt my child.

What about the police that

Submitted by Guest321 (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 10:51am.

What about the police that are typing on their laptops while driving? This isnt safe eithier..if the law applies to every citizen in NC, then it should also apply to the police that are typing on a laptop..if you need to run plates, maybe a headset could be implemented for the police..whats good for the goose..

i'm fine with texting while driving being banned but...

Submitted by Krystal (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 3:07am.

the fact i cant have my license plate frame on or my CLEAR cover is pure ridiculousness. My vehicle is plated in another state due to the fact my family is military! We're trapped (yes trapped because we hate this state) due to orders. I dont think its needed for complete strangers to know my plates. If an officer thinks my plates are expired he is more than welcome to pull me over and check my vehicle registration. spending a large portion of time on base and living in base housing, if my plates are NOT current, i cant leave the house. There is absolutely NO reason, in my mind, for this ban. It's NOT dangerous to have my license plate frame OR my CLEAR cover over my plate. If people weren't so uptight and nosey, this wouldn't even be an issue. People need to mind their own business and focus on things that are actually important. North Carolina is just trying to find more ways to rip people off and take more money from people it should just leave alone. THIS ignorance is very much why i can NOT wait to go back home. This kind of stupidity and foolishness is one of the many reasons i despise this state. Besides the fact that it doesnt snow or have distinguishable seasons, i'd prefer the increase in traffic i'd deal with back home. Much safer and dont have to worry about lunatics running me off the road because i'm not speeding. No texting while driving is designed to keep us safe. The no frames or covers is designed to rip us off further. besides the tax on food (no tax on grocery items at home since we already pay enough taxes)

reply to krystal's self-entitled rant...

Submitted by joey c. (not verified) on Wed, 12/09/2009 - 10:08pm.

Um, Krystal, you should not be allowed to cover your registration sticker, and if out-of-state, it's far more difficult for the cop to run your info without having to stop you, and ask to PHYSICALLY SEE your paper reg. I don't think it's in the budget to pull every person over with a vanity ring around their plate just to run their registration. Seriously, get a grip. lol. How unsafe is it to have to hop-out of a squad car twenty times a day to check some stubborn, self-entitled person's registration? Not very. The tag is on there for a reason, TO IDENTIFY YOU, so comply with the darn law, and if you don't like it, WALK where you need to go, or take a bus. Laws effect us ALL, not just you. Your breaking the law is no different. You seem awfully selfish and self-entitled for a VISITOR to MY home-state. If your reasons for hating our GREAT STATE are as simple as VANITY, please don't let the doorknob hit you on the way out... ...As for being "trapped" in NC, there's no law keeping you here. Your hubby may be "trapped," but last I checked, you're free to go. So please, do us natives a favor and SCRAM. -joey c.

Krystals Goofy Rant

Submitted by ShaeDee (not verified) on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 7:24pm.

Joey
Thank you for saying what I was thinking. This woman has real issues. I am from California and just got here to NC about 2 years ago, and NC is a nice state. It's different than California, but it's nice. It doesn't snow much here, that's true, but usually it's just kids who have such an issue with that. Maybe this Krystal person is a teen with an attitude problem, because if she is an adult I think she needs to seek therapy. To you, Krystal with the loathing for following laws in OUR state, it's simple..the next time you get near a state line, just get on across it and don't come back. With your attitude you might get to see the inside of OUR nice jails if you stay here.

Who is Krystal anyway?

Submitted by Concerned28436 (not verified) on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 11:56am.

This is my home state as well and I love NC. Joe you are exactly right if she don't like she can cross the line and go to another state. I really feel sorry for her that she is that miserable. Some people are never happy about anything she sounds like one of those people. SCROOGE!

if your military then it

Submitted by ncmomma (not verified) on Sat, 12/05/2009 - 5:29pm.

if your military then it doesnt apply to you, you need to follow your states rules and regs.. i went through this not to long ago and it doesnt affect you. so keep it on

huh?

Submitted by Das Weibstück on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 10:18am.

My husband was 22 years in military and that is the first he heard of that. Being in the military doesn't mean you can break local laws. Is this new?

It's up for grabs, Das

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 12:17pm.

It depends a lot on what the law says, the intent of the law, and whether you and the officer stopping you are using the same brand ouija board. As a general rule, issues regarding the configuration of a vehicle must follow the state of registration. Case in point, when NC passed a law saying that rear tires could not extend past the fender wells, tickets issued against out-of-state vehicles were usually thrown out....but not always. Craven County kept on finding them guilty. That's because if it pertains to vehicle operation, even if it is hardware related, the laws of the state in which the vehicle is operated must be followed. As an example, at the same time they passed the law regarding tires extending past the fender, they made it illegal to display a white light to the rear while moving in a forward direction. (Stuck back-up lights/cracked red lens) That offense was ticketed against any vehicle, regardless of the state of registration. This case of the license frame is a gray area very similar to the problem we had years ago with vacationing Northeastern volunteer firemen, who used to use blue lights on their car. Technically, they could have been ticketed or arrested the minute they hit the state line even though they were perfectly legal in their home state. Instead, troopers carried brown paper bags and tape with them. They'd stop the fireman, tell him what was up, and tape the bag over his light. This is similar. My bet is that out of state vehicles won't be stopped on I-95 (just passing through) but that Jacksonville, Fayetteville and Havelock PD will have a field day issuing tickets. Like the tire issue, it will be up to the courts to decide whether they stand or not.

well

Submitted by Das Weibstück on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 12:43pm.

You make sense...I made a funny.

I'm a lot like Joe Friday

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 1:45pm.

Ma'am, I don't make funnies when it comes to extremely important, life-saving laws....uh....such as the...um....width of a license plate frame.

To Krystal: "I despise this state"

Submitted by Jean (not verified) on Sat, 12/05/2009 - 12:52pm.

First, thank you and your military family for the sacrifices you've made to serve our great country. Second, I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your current posting here in North Carolina. However, you actually do have a choice. No one is forcing you to stay in a military family. Third, I moved to North Carolina from the DC / Baltimore area by choice in 1993. I did miss the snow and seasons. I missed my old salary (I had to start at $20,000 as a teacher with a master's degree in Onslow County teaching mostly military family high school students.) However, there are many things to enjoy here, and I've stayed! Fourth, you can find ignorance, foolishness, and stupidity everywhere. I'm curious as to where "back home" is for you, because if you'd trade traffic for all the opportunities to enjoy life in North Carolina, "back home" must be someplace very special, and I'm interested in where it is so I can check it out. Fifth, wherever you (and your attitude, whether positive or negative) go, there you are! Sixth, I pray that your holidays are happy and that your family remains safe during this posting. Sincerely, Jean

food tax

Submitted by Das Weibstück on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 5:54pm.

YOU do not pay tax on food or anything at the base commissary so you can NOT complain about that. You want snow, go to Alaska where my husband was stationed for 4 years. You want reallllly odd laws, get stationed in another country. Better yet one that doesn't speak English and they all hate you. Hope whoever you belong to isn't career military. Try 22 years of new states and countries then get back to me. My first reply to you wasn't posted.

You won't be missed

Submitted by Guesty7 (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 3:08pm.

Just to clarify...the frames interfere with the police officer's ability to see registration data. They have made the limit to see the state name, so the registration information is clear to the police. You can also still have a plate cover, so long as it does not interfere with the red light cameras or the officer's ability to see your plate. I don't think pulling over people with covered plates is really what the police want to do, they just want their job to be more efficient. NC residents registering their vehicles and getting them inspected pays for the roads and bridges you drive on. So sorry you hate our state "because it doesn't snow." Hopefully you will get to leave this horrible place and go back to where you apparently have no laws, taxes, or authority...you have a year grace period.

Look at the BIG picture!!!!

Submitted by Scott (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 2:08pm.

Do you really think police are going to waste your time and theirs pulling you over for a license plate frame??? Really...Are you that short sighted??? When was the last time a police officer pulled someone over for a mere burnt out tag light??? No....they pulled them over for suspecting them of driving under the influence. Suspicion is not enough to pull someone over....they need these kind of "stupid and foolish" laws in order to help protect residents of this state and others...like yourself!! This is not a tax/money grab, it is yet another way police are protecting you from "stupidity and foolishness"!!! Thank you for your service, but we can't wait for you to go home either!!!

Why should your arrogance tie up police resources

Submitted by Irish1 (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 11:46am.

Why in the world would you want to tie up police resources to check your registration when, if it were visible there would be no need. Some of the things you say are valid, but how is the state trying to rip you off in this instance? If they were requiring some kind of cover I would understand your statement, but not having a cover cost you nothing. Are you really that paranoid to think that people seeing your licenses plate is them being nosey? I can't help but to think that the ignorance you see so clearly in this state is due from it's outside influences ... you know, the ones that don't even capitalize the letter I, when used as a noun.

WoW! That's a lot of anger....

Submitted by Guest461 (not verified) on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 11:35am.

...and resentment that you display in your post! All because of a silly, clear piece of plastic covering your license plate??? With all due respect to those in your family serving our country, I certainly doubt they whine so loudly about such trivial matters as you do. I wish them back home safely, but it may be bittersweet for whoever may be coming back into your arms. It is disconcerting to learn of your "hate" for this great state of North Carolina. We aren't perfect, but we also won't apologize for your severe disadain for certian attributes you seem to despise so vehemently. We do however welcome you, at your earliest convenience to burn rubber on one of our Interstate highways as you exit to the north or west. We bid you good luck and good riddance. Visit when you can and bring your muzzle when you do because we don't want to hear you (a new law coming up...no whiners). Oh...and to you miniscule point of understanding a law about obscuring license plate information, here is what it is all about: There are criminals among us that steal cars, they steal license plates and they even steal the validation stickers off of license plates. The criminals then use these plates as part of their crime during transportation. Their crimes consists of robbery, rape, assault, child molestation and murder just to name a few. Anything that is allowed to obscure plate information will further prohibit a law enforcement officer from performing due diligence. It's very simple to me, if you don't have anything to hide, then don't hide anything. Do we have a Brain Surgeon in the house that can confirm this?

Thank-You

Submitted by cyllsn1341 on Fri, 12/04/2009 - 10:09am.

I'm sorry your experiences here have been a negative one and I'm sorry that you're homesick. I do want to give you my sincere Thanks for the service your loved one is doing for our country and may they remain safe, and if they are over seas, return home soon. Again Thank-You and may God Bless you and your Family.

Dogs

Submitted by Dogs (not verified) on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 1:54pm.

I think they should also band eating in a car and drinking in a car. Next time you are driving and eating that burger you are holding wraped in paper, try to look down the road. What do you see? The paper blocking your view. How about the people that allow their dogs to sit in their lap and hangout the windows as they are driving. How quick can the get both hands on the wheel to make a sharp turn if they need to. What is next GPS receivers? What I really like to see stopped is the loud music coming from cars. That would be a law I would support. However, the City and County will not do anything about it.

Drive Safely

Submitted by John Rob (not verified) on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 11:02am.

Texting while driving can end lives, concentrating on driving is very important. It is better to use drivesafe.ly mobile application to listen to incoming text messages and prevent accidents.

texting

Submitted by Guest797977977 (not verified) on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 9:01pm.

If a cop really wants to bust ya all he has to do is look at your text message log.....duh......all are timed and dated

He'd need a warrant to search your phone....

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 10:38am.

...but it won't even come to that. It will be exactly the same as when you get stopped for speeding and you KNOW that you weren't speeding. It will be the police officer's word against yours....and you will wind up paying the fine plus court costs. It's not worth the risk. There's not a reason in the world to text while driving. Nothing is so important that it can't wait a few minutes.

No Texting Law

Submitted by Guest987 (not verified) on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 4:38pm.

The ban on texting is nothing but another way for the state to tax us residents. The following quote is taken directly from the new law: "No drivers license points or insurance surcharge shall be assessed as a result of a violation of this section. Failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall not constitute negligence per se or contributory negligence per se by the operator in any action for the recovery of damages arising out of the operation, ownership, or maintenance of a vehicle." No license points will be assessed for violating the law and a violation of this law cannot be considered as grounds to recover any damages you might incur resulting from an accident caused by someone texting while driving. This is a flat out money grab by our politicians. If our so-called leaders were actually concerned about our safety, this law would have some actual teeth. Before I get jumped for supporting more laws, let me make one thing clear. I believe that is absolutely ludicrous that our legislators feel it is their responsibility to treat us like 3 year olds by regulating every aspect of our lives. That belief, however, has no bearing on my opinion of this law.

The license plate law is

Submitted by Guest666 (not verified) on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 4:03pm.

The license plate law is nothing but a revenue-grabber. The stickers should be easily seen, but covering part of the state is no biggie. I think NC plates are quite well known. The many different plates cause more confusion than the name on them. First of all, if you don't want to be harassed by the police, common sense tells you not to cover the stickers, law or no law. This only gives the man probable cause to pull you.

"The man.."

Submitted by GuestyGuest (not verified) on Mon, 12/14/2009 - 6:17pm.

Granted, there are more laws than are possibly enforceable, but don't blame the "man," blame the lawmakers.

What a waste

Submitted by WilmingtonMAJ on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 11:43am.

It will take more than an unenforceable law to get me to stop texting and checking my email!

Really now?????

Submitted by off the cuff (not verified) on Sun, 12/06/2009 - 1:06pm.

May you be blessed with forty thousand tickets then since you have such high disregard for the law and you must have plenty of money too. This is why these laws are passed, for idiots who can't think wisely enough to drive safely and be aware of their surroundings. Why do you think Wilmington is the "accident capitol" of the state???? Do anything except driving while behind the wheel is inherently dangerous. You might need to take corrective action to avoid you and your family from being injured or killed....but, you would not know that because you were so self important that you could not delay for a couple of minutes reading or replying to a text!!! The accident statistics show that inattention to driving is the leading cause of accidents in the under 30 crowd, leading to death and serious injuries both to themselves and to others. You can bet there will be civil suits if you cause an accident, and they will subpoena your cell phone records for civil suit, and are ticketed for texting while driving. Nothing is that important that it can't wait for a couple of minutes. My life is more important than that and it disgusts me that you have no concern for others at all.

We can only hope that when

Submitted by Guest999 (not verified) on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 8:09am.

We can only hope that when you hit something, it will be a pole or some other inanimate object, and the only one hurt or killed will be you.

What a waste!!

Submitted by wastenot (not verified) on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 3:24pm.

I hope you do not have children. If you do, how could you live with yourself if you hurt them or anybody else because of you selfish acts. You are the waste!!

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