If the vehicle you drive has one of those license plate holders that frame the plate for aesthetic or practical reasons, be prepared: starting this year you will have to remove it if you do not want to be subject to a financial penalty.
The Secretary of Public Finance of Jalisco, Luis García Sotelo, assured that the new license plate model will force motorists to remove the license plate holders that prevent the visibility of the QR code, since this code, he explained, must be uncovered so that security arches and police officers can quickly and adequately read the vehicle’s data.
The official said that all cars must have the license plates uncovered and those who do not comply will be sanctioned. The re-plating of vehicles in Jalisco will reactivate the debate on the use and prohibition of license plate holders on cars, since due to their design, most of these accessories block the QR code that comes on the new plates with the Collage design, which contains the information of the vehicle and its owner, which is an infraction according to the State Mobility and Transportation Regulations.
In this case, the Traffic Police could sanction all owners of vehicles that circulate with hidden plates, totally or partially, with any object or material that prevents their full identification, that is, with license plate holders that can block the QR code.
For its part, the Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors said that the re-plating “is in some way a process that improves the control of the units that circulate within Jalisco, I think it is a good measure to update the vehicle registry in the state that are circulating without having made the corresponding registration,” said Jesús Raúl Rivas Alva, general manager of AMDA Jalisco.
He added that this, in addition to helping to update the registry, could help to reduce criminal acts committed through the use of stolen vehicles or vehicles of dubious origin. The director also commented that they will comply with the new measure for the restriction of license plate holders. “I think that whatever it takes to improve the security of the entire vehicle fleet is something positive, everything that is necessary for the sector to comply and meet all the requirements, as we have always done, to be in the same line as the Secretariat, we will do it,” he added.
In the Mobility Law of the State of Jalisco, it is clarified in Article 177 that “drivers or owners of vehicles who commit the following infractions will be sanctioned: (…) VIII. Circulating with hidden license plates, totally or partially; with any object or material that prevents their full identification or, carrying on the outside of the vehicle, in addition to the authorized license plates, other different ones that contain numbers or that impede visibility.”
In addition, Article 169 mentions that “the removal of a vehicle from circulation will be applied as a security measure” when: “I. It circulates without both license plates in sight and in the place provided by the vehicle manufacturer, or if one of them is altered or bent, or totally or partially hidden.”
The new fine to be considered
16 thousand 285.50 pesos
The sanction is based on articles 177, 186 and 187 of the Jalisco Mobility Law: from 150 to 200 times the value of the Unit of Measurement or Update for obstructing or placing the plates in places other than those assigned.
The QR code that should not be covered
The Secretary of Public Finance of Jalisco, Luis García, showed exactly which point of the plate should not be covered: the upper right corner, since it is where the QR code containing information about the vehicle is located.
The day the rule could not be applied
In November 2021, the previous State administration tried to enforce the Jalisco Mobility Law by sanctioning motorists with license plate holders on their vehicles; however, there was a controversy because it was accused that the measure was only for collection purposes. The previous governor had to suspend the fee quickly, although he clarified that “the problem of fake license plates is real and must be addressed,” but “in response to complaints from citizens,” he instructed that the measure be suspended, he said.
Source: informador
