There are several requirements to operate a vehicle on public roads. Naturally, one of the biggest is to have a valid driver’s license. One of the others is to have license plates with up-to-date tags on your car, which involves having them renewed before they expire. Still, many people don’t know that police officers can seize the license plate from your car during a traffic stop.

Here are three reasons this could happen.

Police could take your car license plates due to no car insurance

There aren’t many reasons a police officer would seize a license plate during a traffic stop. However, one of the most common is due to financial requirements, most notably, failure to maintain car insurance. Of course, states require this protection, which means operating a motor vehicle without it is a violation. Because of this, if a person is pulled over without insurance, there is a possibility the officer would remove the plates and even impound the vehicle. 

Naturally, various states may handle this in different ways. However, having car insurance is essential, and not maintaining it could lead to several consequences. In addition to police taking your car license plates, drivers could rack up hefty fees. 

Vehicles don’t match

Most people know that car license plates are registered to specific vehicles. Of course, many are aware of this, but they still try to dupe the system by using plates from other cars. Because this is illegal, police officers can and often will seize these plates during a traffic stop. Naturally, doing this could have several consequences. According to Fox 13 New Utah, this crime is especially notable because it’s sometimes a signal of car theft. 

They could take it if it’s expired

Letting the tags for your car license plates expire is one of the worst things a driver can do. This is especially the case because states have made renewing easier. Many areas around the country allow for online vehicle renewals. Having expired tags is also another reason police officers could seize your tags, especially if they have been expired for a year or more. 

As mentioned, various states have different laws concerning car license plates. However, keeping everything current is always the best course of action. This includes maintaining car insurance, not letting your driver’s license expire, and keeping your car tags to date. Not doing so can have drastic consequences, many of which can make regaining legal driving status a challenge. 

Check out this article on why most states require two license plates on a car for more reading.