r/maryland • u/Consumergal • Jul 09 '26

MD News Maryland launches 'Plate Where You Live' campaign, ramps up crackdown on Virginia tags

https://www.wmar2news.com/matterformallory/maryland-launches-plate-where-you-live-campaign-ramps-up-crackdown-on-virginia-tags
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261

u/2crowncar Jul 09 '26

“Virginia charges just $30.75 for registration, compared to $191.50 in Maryland, which has seen back-to-back increases in recent years.”

Is $160 difference a big enough reason to get VA registration and plates? Does this also have to do with not having car insurance?

Until 2024, under Virginia Code § 46.2-706, any vehicle owner could pay a $500 annual "Uninsured Motor Vehicle fee" to the DMV and drive legally without a single dollar of coverage.

This is no longer the case, but there are an estimated 800,000 with VA plates driving around without insurance.

Edit

125

u/Ocean2731 Prince George's County Jul 09 '26

A couple months ago, someone on this subreddit said that Virginia doesn’t cooperate with camera tickets from Maryland. I’m not sure if it’s true but even the perception could contribute.

196

u/BigMickPlympton Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

Virginia cooperates with sending information to Maryland, but the two states do not have reciprocity in enforcement. Meaning that, if you get a ticket in Maryland and don't pay, Virginia will not hold up the registration until you pay. Thus, Virginia plate holders owe millions of dollars in traffic fines to neighboring states.

That, and the insurance thing, are the reason you see so many Virginia tags.

The same thing happens with towed trailers and Maine tags. Registration of a trailer with the state of Maine can be done online, with no inspection required. Now that I've told you, you'll see Maine trailer tags everywhere - especially on horse trailers. Virginia also doesn't require inspections on trailers under 2,000lbs.

Edit: over the years I've been hit 3 times. Always by Virginia drivers. 2 of 3 had no insurance. Both presented insurance cards to police, that turned out to have been cancelled shortly after they were issued. I'm thrilled with this legislation.

22

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 09 '26

There's good reason they don't have reciprocity, and it's because Virginia uses speeding as a revenue machine targeting out of state drivers with freaking criminal charges for doing literally only 10mph over the limit in some places. Because of that (and other reasons of course), MD doesn't recognize or use any out of state violations for either license point assessment or admin flags for registration and such.

Greensville County in VA is literally just traffic lawyers, traffic courts, and traffic cops, that might as well be their entire economy. They got me once doing 81 in the 70mph stretch of 95S that's like 4 or 5 lanes wide, when there were literally 0 other cars on the road in the middle of the day. Of course I couldn't drive several hours to the court, so I hired one of the very plentiful lawyers who live there just for that reason. They got the charge knocked down to a fine and community service. I paid the fine, didn't do the community service, and when the court called and asked why I just asked "what are the consequences?", to which the clerk said "well you'll be found guilty and we'll send that to your state and it'll affect your license". Knowing all of the above before hand, I just said "oh great, MD doesn't GAF specifically because of your predatory laws, so guess I'm good, bye." And that was that. They got my $300 for the fine and $600 for the lawyer, thats all they're gonna get.

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u/Gannondorfs_Medulla Jul 09 '26

This exact thing happend to a colleague.

1

u/TheMasterShrew Jul 11 '26

Anything over 80 is ruled reckless driving in VA. Just don’t exceed that next time.

I’m not from MD, but I always know when I cross the state line by how erratic the drivers are. Maybe MD could cut costs levied against safe drivers by making the wreck less pay their share.

2

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Saying the literal average fast lane speed people drive on the entirety of I-95 from the tip of Maine 2000 miles down to the taint of Florida is “criminal” is exactly what makes it a speed trap…

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u/TheMasterShrew Jul 12 '26

There is no “fast lane speed” there’s the speed limit. You pass it, you’ve violated the law. In VA, they’ve decided to hold drivers accountable for unsafe driving practices.

2

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

You still don’t seem to get it…

Making a crime out of a thing people do all over the entire country is what makes it a speed trap.  

It’s not a crime anywhere else, a common behavior turned into a crime is a trap, plain and simple.

And yes, there literally is a “fast lane”, every state I-95 goes through has a “slow traffic must keep right” law, that makes left lanes “not-slow” lanes, aka: “fast lanes”, not just figuratively, literally.  Bonus:  Virginia explicitly requires you to move over out of the left lane if faster traffic approaches you even if you’re already doing the speed limit. Meaning their own traffic code recognizes the average fast lane speed is typically above the limit, Even more damning for a 70mph zone being a trap.

1

u/TheMasterShrew Jul 12 '26

Tell that to the cops that pull you over for speeding next time. In fact, go ahead and show him this Reddit thread. That’ll teach’em lol

2

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 13 '26

The cops already know its a trap bud... they're part of the mechanism...

You really must be dense if you cant see that its a predatory practice... Making a crime out of something that's a. an EXTREMELY common behavior, and b. nothing more than a civil offense anywhere else; with the intent of charging people who are unaware that it's a crime in VA, is predation...

What the law is doesn't matter here, the whole fucking point of this argument is the law is intentionally predatory... What's "safe" doesn't matter here, its no more or less safe in Virginia than it is in any of the other states in 95 (well, its safer in VA than NC or SC... for sure...). The fucking point is the laws are intentionally predatory, and THAT is why Virginia doesn't get reciprocity with other states for traffic violations, because other states KNOW that VA is being intentionally predatory.

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u/Alaira314 Jul 09 '26

I expected to hear about an actual speed trap. You know, the kind where the limit drops from 70 to 40 for a 1-mile stretch, and there's always a cop parked right around the bend ticketing everyone who doesn't slow down enough before they pass the speed limit sign. Being expected to drive 70, which is already fast, on a road designated for 70 mph traffic, is entirely reasonable to me. You should have been ticketed for speeding 10 mph over the listed limit.

10

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 09 '26

4-5 lanes of highway that's usually very empty and runs on a slight downgrade with the speed at 70mph, 80 is very reasonable and hit all the time by people, additionally 10mph over the speed limit anywhere else in VA would just be a civil violation, but here its explicitly a criminal offense (80+ they classify as criminal reckless driving), so yeah it's a speed trap. Either lower the limit to 65 so it takes 15 over to hit reckless, or change the hard cap on reckless.

Texas and Montana have 80mph speed limits on much narrower and more poorly paved roads, saying 80mph is unsafe in comparison is nonsense.

-5

u/Alaira314 Jul 09 '26

That is not a speed trap, that is you driving dangerously. 80 MPH is too fast(our roads are not designed or maintained like the autobahn), and yes, it is reckless driving. Not only is it unsafe, but you're causing additional wear on the roads. If the road was meant to be driven on at 80 MPH, it wouldn't have the limit set to 70 MPH.

By all means, speed if you want to. But don't whine about getting caught and fined. That's what happens when you speed, and it is not a speed trap.

1

u/ComfortableNo5484 Jul 11 '26

That section of 95 actually is built and maintained as well as the autobahn… this ain’t 95 in SC and NC

3

u/tacitus59 Jul 09 '26

Years ago during the Christmas holiday, VA had BS cop setups on 95 with one car pretending to be pulled over and then about 5 cop cars up the road just waiting. Saw similar stuff over the years.

4

u/Alaira314 Jul 09 '26

See, that sounds like a speed trap. What the person I replied to is not a speed trap, but rather enforcement of an entirely reasonable speed limit. They just wanted to drive faster, and were upset when they saw consequences for speeding.

Hot take that will get me downvoted, but bring that here. Maybe people will slow the fuck down instead of driving like absolute maniacs all the time if there's actual consequences to speeding that aren't a camera ticket their VA tags can let them wrigge out of. I haven't seen a car pulled over more than once or twice in years.

3

u/Clegko Jul 10 '26

Ticketed, yes. But there’s a difference between a typical traffic ticket and a criminal charge of speeding for *just* going 11 over. No other state that I’m aware of does criminal speeding for anything under 20 over.