Welcome back to school everyone! So lets get to the topic on hand. So starting this semester, Fall 2008, USF Parking and Transportation Services decided to phase out the parking hang-tag and replace it with a “re-movable” sticker. The sticker is about 3″x4″ mostly opaque white with black text and a bar-code. My guess for the change, was that the sticker is a lot cheaper to produce. Its less plastic being thinner but larger in area than the old hang-tag. The official USF PTS stance is that they had “issues” with the hang-tag and the sticker makes it easier to check tags on campus.
THE GRIPE:
The instruction from USF is to place the sticker on the DRIVER SIDE lower part of your WINDSHIELD. DRIVER SIDE! The side that I need to see through. Its hella annoying! It really interrupts my field of view. Its distracting, and its probably DOT illegal to have the sticker in the driver side windshield.
What to DO?
Why not have the sticker on the passanger side? Why not on the upper middle part of the windshield? Why not on the rear windshield? How about ANYWHERE BUT THE MOST UNSAFE PLACE ON THE GLASS, IN THE WAY OF ROAD VISION.
Legal:
Although Florida statue doesn’t have a specific law regulating stickers on the windshield, there are provisions and exceptions. So your not supposed to have anything attached to the windshield except a sunpass and/or legal certs etc. They don’t mention specifically where they can or cannot go. However, exemtion B leads you to think that you should not have stickers in the field of view. (scroll down, I copy pasted the statute) Also read CA’s statue for a better version.
From: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0316/SEC2952.HTM&Title=-
Title XXIII
MOTOR VEHICLES
Chapter 316
STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL
View Entire Chapter
316.2952 Windshields; requirements; restrictions.–
(1) A windshield in a fixed and upright position, which windshield is equipped with safety glazing as required by federal safety-glazing material standards, is required on every motor vehicle which is operated on the public highways, roads, and streets, except on a motorcycle or implement of husbandry.
(2) A person shall not operate any motor vehicle on any public highway, road, or street with any sign, sunscreening material, product, or covering attached to, or located in or upon, the windshield, except the following:
(a) A certificate or other paper required to be displayed by law.
(b) Sunscreening material along a strip at the top of the windshield, so long as such material is transparent and does not encroach upon the driver’s direct forward viewing area as more particularly described and defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 205 as the AS/1 portion of the windshield.
(c) A device, issued by a governmental entity as defined in s. 334.03, or its designee, for the purpose of electronic toll payments.
(3) The windshield on every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a device for cleaning rain, snow, or other moisture from the windshield, which device shall be constructed as to be controlled or operated by the driver of the vehicle.
(4) Every windshield wiper upon a motor vehicle shall be maintained in good working order.
(5) Grove equipment, including “goats,” “highlift-goats,” grove chemical supply tanks, fertilizer distributors, fruit-loading equipment, and electric-powered vehicles regulated under the provisions of s. 316.267, are exempt from the requirements of this section. However, such electric-powered vehicles shall have a windscreen approved by the department sufficient to give protection from wind, rain, or insects, and such windscreen shall be in place whenever the vehicle is operated on the public roads and highways.
(6) A former military vehicle is exempt from the requirements of this section if the department determines that the exemption is necessary to maintain the vehicle’s accurate military design and markings. However, whenever the vehicle is operating on the public roads and highways, the operator and passengers must wear eye-protective devices approved by the department. For purposes of this subsection, “former military vehicle” means a vehicle, including a trailer, regardless of the vehicle’s size, weight, or year of manufacture, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent its military design and markings accurately.
(7) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.
California State Statue regarding the Windshield:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm
Examples from other schools:
What to do???
Call parking services and tell them what you feel. I placed my sticker right in front of my rear view mirror, essentially, where the old hang tag used to be. Everyone seems to be just as annoyed as me and have been placing the sticker there anyways. Put the sticker on the passenger side or upper mid part of the windshield.
Contact the USF PTS office:
ONLINE comments: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/parking_services/survey/comment.asp
USF PTS Telephone Number: 813-974-3990
Thanks for reading, please comment,
Chris Chow
Society of Automotive Engineers
Student President 2001-05
