I was driving to work in the Long Island Expressway HOV lane. Not speeding. A cop suddenly pulls right behind me, flashes lights and points for me to pull over. I'm sure it's because I only have one clean pass sticker on my rear bumper instead of the four you should have at each corner of the car. I pull over and stop on the right shoulder and the cop just keeps on going. My lucky day. I have now put all four stickers on, even though four stickers on my new red Prius look crappy. Did the cop mean to pull me over or was he just trying to get by me?
Rules are rules and enforcement is the cop's job. Maybe he was just trying to rattle your cage, but I suspect he just wanted by. It is sad you are required to deface your vehicle to that extent for a clean pass and a ride in the HOV lane.
If he just wanted to scare me into putting all the stickers on - he succeeded. In general it is ridiculous how much documentation you need to drive these days. You need: 1. Driver's license 2. Current insurance card 3. Registration document 4. In New York, another copy of registration pasted on your windshield. 5. In New York a safety sticker pasted to your windshield 6. Not one, not two, but four HOV stickers glued to every corner of the car 7. Parking pass for work on mirror 8. EZ pass transponder on windshield. 9. A New York parks sticker (optional but still another sticker) Total documents/stickers/devices = 12
if you were blocking him, he wanted you to get out of the way, you must have been daydreaming. if you were not, you will never know (luckily) whatever he pulled you over for, he probably got a more important call.
No, most likely they were responding to an emergency, or they were hungry (I once witnessed a couple of cops on motorcycles speeding only to end up at the same restaurant we were going to).
In Texas we are required to have two license plates, front and back. I think it hamper or for some reason I dislike placing the front plate on. At this time the front plate is lying in the back seat. I guess it's just to see how long I get away with it. I also do not have the bracket to place a tag on the front bumper. Michael
I too live on Long Island and have been using the HOV lane for several months. I only have the two side stickers (the small ones) affixed to my Prius. Multiple times I have had patrol cars behind me and never got pulled over for not having the other 2 larger stickers. In case that happens I have the stickers in my car and I am prepared to tell them I will affix them as soon as I get home. I agree with you the amount of stickers we use in NYS is over the top.
So far you have been lucky. They could ticket you if they wanted to. I only had one large sticker for the past 6 months, but I put on the other 3 today. I'm tired of risking yet another ticket. I'm on the LIE about 3 hours a day.
In VA we get special plates to use the HOV, have to have front and back here. Then there's the current inspection sticker and EZ-Pass transponder on the windshield and the registration. I keep a current insurance card in the glove box but I don't believe it's required.
All we have is one (1) license plate, and one inspection sticker. (DOD stickers as well for folks like me...) GOD Bless you folks in the big city...but I'll just stick to the Riviera. I'm sure the Po-Po just wanted to get by you. The usual reaction by the driving public to having LEO show up on your rear bumper is to clamp on the brakes, and slow to the speed limit. He or she was probably just trying to get somewhere...or received a call while on your stern. Either way...no harm, no ticket, and you've already fixed the sticker issue---so all's well.
