Visibility of Plates

Defendant appealed the decision of the trial court sustaining the violation of R.I.G.L. 1956 § 31-3-12 (visibility of plates). The Court held that, although the defendant might have reasonably assumed the license plate cover’s were legal because it was purchased at a nationally recognized automotive parts dealer, State v. Foster, 46 A.2d 833, 835 (R.I. 1990) reminds us that “ignorance of the law is not an excuse for an individual to violate it, even if the individual tried to learn the law and was misled by another.” The Court held that buying the plate covers from a nationally recognized automotive parts dealer failed to exonerate the defendant and, therefore, sustained the violation.

State of Rhode Island v. Robert Plasse, C.A. No. T10-0081 (February 9, 2011).pdf