PENNSYLVANIA — The new state license plate design that began being phased in last year isn’t changing, but the way people use the plates soon could be altered.
Pennsylvania Rep. Jeanne McNeill, a Lehigh County Democrat, plans to introduce legislation that would ban all license plate obstruction devices such as blackout plates and license plate covers. Her proposal would strengthen a 2024 law prohibiting license plate flipping devices on motor vehicles in Pennsylvania.
“The clear display of license plates is a necessary tool for law enforcement agencies to maintain traffic safety.,” McNeill recently wrote in a memo to colleagues.
“Unfortunately, bad actors continue to intentionally cover, hide, or otherwise obstruct a clear view of their license plates for the purpose of avoiding law enforcement, tolling agencies, and traffic safety cameras.”
McNeill said some people are using blackout plates that turn the plate black at the push of a button. The also are using special license plate covers that do not alter the plate’s appearance but interfere with enforcement cameras for toll collection and traffic safety.
“To address this issue, I will be introducing legislation to prohibit the use of any license plate obscuring device which manually or electronically hides a license plate from view, is capable of changing the appearance of a license plate to appear as a different plate, or inhibits the proper operation of an enforcement camera for toll collection and traffic safety, as well as all license plate covers,” McNeill stated.
McNeill said license plate frames around a plate’s outline would still be permitted as long as they do not obstruct the license plate.
“With this legislation, Pennsylvania’s laws can keep up with rapidly changing technology by prohibiting all license plate obstruction devices developed in the past, present, and future,” she stated.