tuff license

[ceagle]

I pay my car registration
I pay to keep it smog-free
I pay my transit maintenance taxes

And for almost eight years I've been able to just be electronically identified whilst driving
...by hundreds of cops

Ah well... today I finally got a fixit ticket

...heh! Well, I think it's due to the new very strict local law that says every car, even new ones driven off sales lots, must have a unique I.D., while they await their permanent plate.

I've known a few people who have had their tags, and even the entire plate stolen, so I decided to try an experiment to keep the plate safe. It lasted about 8 years.. not too bad I guess.

The cop said "yes I could tell you're valid through the computer system, but what if it was broken? If your license is stolen, sure you pay the $20 for a replacement, and if you don't display the visual tag you pay $25 for a fixit ticket"

So it seems the system makes money either way ;P

ok ok ... I'll display the tag.... sheeeeesh....

Comments

[allaboutweather.livejournal.com]

I guess you pay either way. :/

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Yeah... *sheeesh... eyeroll* ... Sometimes the gov't is a -bit- squeezy... like how ya pay some taxes TWICE.. like state refunds... you already paid on that money and then when they send you a refund for overpayment, you have to pay it again ;P

[allaboutweather.livejournal.com]

Especially in California! I believe they also tax inheritance money twice.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

Did you not have a plate on the vehicle, or did you have a 'copy' of one?

RI still requires two plates on a vehicle, front and rear. When in the mood, the police will stop offenders.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

YepYup... I had the plates on, ... and when they would run it through the system it always came up as current... it was just the visual notification stickers that were not on.
And interestingly enough, about 20 states do not require the front plate. I recently found this out when a visitor had rented a car, and we noticed there was not front plate.. and the rear plate showed registered in Arizona :D .. https://www.myimprov.com/indiana-front-license-plate-debate/ .

[hastka.livejournal.com]

I don't quite get it... what was the part that was on, and worked for 8 years, vs. the part that was missing?

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

:D The plates were on for all those years, so they could always punch it in their system and show 'current' ... just the visual stickers were not on, to make the plate less desirable for theft...
Welp, I'm dealing with it today anyhow... I'm not really all that peeved for $25 ... just an eyeroll kind of experiment, and the result is that it completely depends on the officer, and their level of 'anal retentiveness', ...not the actually validity of being currently paid up.

[hastka.livejournal.com]

Ahhh... okay. I had missed the connection about tags making the plate more desirable for theft, and therefore mistook the verb "display" the tag (like, some places like Texas will actually have a separate thing you need to "display" in the window).

Yeah, I was pretty annoyed when I moved out west that WA/OR/CA all required both plates. I had to buy a bracket, since my car didn't even have a place to put a front plate. :P