mkirsch wrote:
You make a great point here. For all the FAFF over license plates, nobody ever complains about having to put/maintain lights on their camper. I should be able to hang a red flag on the back and hit the road.
Why do I need lights? It's just CARGO, right? Oh, but lights are MONDO KEWL, all shiny and blinky in the dark...
In PA, the red flag is a requirement for anything that extends 4' or more beyond the end of the vehicle. It's purpose is to make other drivers aware of the extended load, has nothing to do with license visibility.
While this may seem like a cut and dry issue, it's really camper/truck dependent, IMHO. In cases like the OP's where the scissor steps do hide the plate, there should be no question that the plate should be moved. But not all cases are so cut and dry. With my camper, the plate is no more obscured than if I drive with the tailgate down. It's still plainly visible to a person sitting in a car behind me in traffic. Is that a situation where the plate should also be moved? For the record I do plan to continue moving it, but if I have a senior moment and forget to move the plate before loading the camper, I probably won't sweat it.