These Popular Car Decals Are Against The Law in NY

Those stick figure families found on the back of most minivans are not only annoying to look at, they're also against the law in New York State.  There is a little-known state law  that forbids stickers of any kind on the back windshield of a motor vehicle.  And it doesn't matter where the stickers are placed.  Time Warner Cable News quoted State Trooper Robert Murtha as saying:

The college ones are very common, the families in the corner of the windshield are very common... It's considered obstructed view. So anyone looking in their back window might not see some sort of activity going on behind them.

Don't believe us? Check out Section 375 of New York's Vehicle and Traffic Law for yourself.  Section 1 clearly states:

The use or placing of posters orstickers on windshields or rear windows of motor vehicles other than those authorized by the commissioner, is hereby prohibited. The attaching to windshields and windshield wipers of handbills and other forms of advertisements, is hereby prohibited.

The penalty? A $150 fine, 30 days in jail, or both.  While most police officers are too busy to pull you over for a sticker or license plate frame, they certainly can if they want, or at least use it as an excuse to pull you over if they think you're up for no good, so be warned.

In addition to stickers, Time Warner Cable also reports that license plate frames are also technically illegal.  Those plastic frames that advertise car dealerships or show support for your favorite sports team can block out parts of the license plate and make it hard for plate scanners to read.

And if being illegal isn't enough of a reason to peel those stick figures off of your car, police also warn that they may be used as a tool by criminals who are looking to target you: