license plate light

[wintersteller]

What is the name of your state? ohio
I was told the reason I was stopped was for a license plate light. I asked the officer if I could see that the light was not working and I was refused? Is this legal!

[You Are Guilty]

Originally Posted by wintersteller

What is the name of your state? ohio
I was told the reason I was stopped was for a license plate light. I asked the officer if I could see that the light was not working and I was refused? Is this legal!

Hell no! Time for a hunger strike my man.

[Curt581]

Originally Posted by wintersteller

I was told the reason I was stopped was for a license plate light. I asked the officer if I could see that the light was not working and I was refused? Is this legal!

Yes. The reason your request was denied was for officer safety. It's always safest for you, and for him, that you remain inside the vehicle during a traffic stop. There was no reason for you to go look at that very minute. If the bulb is burnt out, it'll still be burnt later.

I never allow the driver out of the vehicle during my stops, unless it's for a specific purpose, such as doing Field Sobriety tests.

Let him conclude his business and send you on your way. Stop and look later if you still don't believe him.

[Bcar1463]

Yes, you were probably refused because of officer saftey and that is perfectly legal. From what I have seen/heard from around here (although mostly from people's stories, so don't take this too seriously), most times people are allowed to see the malfunctioning light, because if it somehow manages to work later it can be troublesome for everyone (harassment suits, etc...) I got pulled over the other day for no taillights, and the cop was extremely nice and understanding. I was very apologetic and he apparently didn't see me as a threat, so he let me mess around with it while he was running my plates. I was able to get it working while he was there (fuse blew), and he said he saw it work so he just gave me a warning for it.