Don't let your car registration lapse

[silverfox103]

I think I would have contested that ticket, Tom.

I'm a Boston native and I can appreciate exactly what you are saying. I left when I was 25 and headed to Alaska to work on the pipeline project. Seven years later I came back with a wife, I knew I couldn't stay. Up to northern New Hampshire we went and never looked back. I'm 63 now. Kept 3 kids out of all the city crap. All 3 are college grads and successful, so I guess it was worth it.

Now for the irony, 2 out of 3 live in Atlanta and the 3rd probably will follow.

Tom C.

 

[kyguild]

Many moons ago when I was in college, I parked my car on the 2-way street behind my dorm. About a week after I parked the car, the city came through and changed the street from 2-way to 1-way. Then they came through a couple of days later and gave me a ticket because I was parked facing the wrong way on a 1-way street!

I decided that was pretty ignorant of the city cops, so I went to the police department to ask them about the whole deal. Thankfully, the cop behind the counter was cool about the whole deal, just shook his head and trashed the ticket.

Sorry you had such a raw deal, Charlie....

 

[Larry Esposito]

I am so f'in pissed off right now that I have to vent.

Cop pulls me over and insists that my car has to be towed and he gives me a citation. At least he was kind enough to give me a lift to work (in a cruiser, so I asked him to drop me off down the street)...

I have personal plates in MA that need to be registered annually. The MA Registry stopped sending out any form of notice for lapsed registrations a while back, and lo and behold I was expired.

And, to add insult to injury, I had just realized it, tried to re-register online, and been rejected and told I have to go to the Registry (because of the lapse)!

Unbelivable. The gods are not smiling on me today (perhaps they're laughing).

Sorry for the vent, but I had to.

Chaz,

Let me vent along side of you! They say misery loves company..I have let it slide, but at the time I was wishing bad karma on the state trooper.

Same, exact thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Seems they can scan the plates somehow...he was up on my in seconds. In CT, they suspended the emissions program for 2 years...I still drive an older truck (95 Jeep) and was due to go to emissions when they started it back up...maybe 2 years ago. I pd my registration (DMV cashed my check). I went to emissions..late but went. I guess the private companies can't charge you the late fee...Never got another bill from DMV and never got my registration in the mail.

Cop had a serious chip on his shoulder...all but accused me of it not being really my car. Also told me I was "under arrest" and that he could have put me in cuffs...WTF?

He towed my car, took my plates and gave me a ticket. The court was a joke, they just threw it out..but getting my car towed back cost me $300! Ridiculous!

Sorry to here that this persecution has stretched over to Mass.

 

[hideglue]

I have personal plates in MA that need to be registered annually. The MA Registry stopped sending out any form of notice for lapsed registrations a while back, and lo and behold I was expired.

It's not clear to me what the anger is towards, Chaz. There was never a notice for your annual registration?
Or did Mass. stop sending first, second, third warnings and now you're blaming yourself?

 

[chazmo]

Larry, I'm totally with you. HOpefully I'll have the same luck in court.

Hey hideglue,

Yeah, this past year, I never got a renewal notice. I handle those things ASAP when they come in. I didn't even notice the lapse until the weeekend before the incident, and then I couldn't re-register online. I tried to register before the incident, but could not do it.

The anger was primarily directed at the circumstances. No way should I be losing my car (and, oh by the way, paying $300 for the privilge of an unnecessary tow) for a lapsed registration. That is totally ludicrous. Not to mention this is a moving violation. What? So, I can't even really just pay the $100 and move on.

The cop was a tool; simple and honest evaluation from me. Cold, insensitive, and borderline a-hole. He could've done any number of things to make this better. At least he gave me a lift to work, although riding in the back of a cop car made me feel like a criminal and was very embarassing.

Anyway, it's over (at least the first part of this). I have my S2000 back and she's OK. Now I have to fight the ticket to keep this off my insurance.

All in all, a lot to vent about... But, now I can get back to work.

 

[Larry Esposito]

Larry, I'm totally with you. HOpefully I'll have the same luck in court.

Hey hideglue,

Yeah, this past year, I never got a renewal notice. I handle those things ASAP when they come in. I didn't even notice the lapse until the weeekend before the incident, and then I couldn't re-register online. I tried to register before the incident, but could not do it.

The anger was primarily directed at the circumstances. No way should I be losing my car (and, oh by the way, paying $300 for the privilge of an unnecessary tow) for a lapsed registration. That is totally ludicrous. Not to mention this is a moving violation. What? So, I can't even really just pay the $100 and move on.

The cop was a tool; simple and honest evaluation from me. Cold, insensitive, and borderline a-hole. He could've done any number of things to make this better. At least he gave me a lift to work, although riding in the back of a cop car made me feel like a criminal and was very embarassing.

Anyway, it's over (at least the first part of this). I have my S2000 back and she's OK. Now I have to fight the ticket to keep this off my insurance.

All in all, a lot to vent about... But, now I can get back to work.

Chazmo,

I'm not sure it is a moving violation...I'm pretty sure it is not.

The cop that gave mine, I wouldn't call a tool..that is too nice...mine was a prick! I wish I had a smartphone on me. We should start a website where people can post the conversations and video of these renegades..maybe it will give them pause to start talking to people that pay taxes, and thus their paychecks, with a least a bit of respect.

 

[chazmo]

I think it is a moving violation, Larry. I know expired inspection sticker is (don't ask me how, I don't want to go on antoher rant ).

Here's the thing, Larry (and I think I'm done with this vent)... I appreciate and understand that the police have to deal with criminals and legitimate civil offenders. However, these cops doing traffic beat are enforcing some very badly-written "laws." Speed limits, registry offences, etc. The fact that they even do that part of their jobs speaks volumes about who these people are... OK, sorry, I think I'm done; I don't want to make a remark that's too general because it clearly isn't true in all cases. I've met my share of helpful, courteous cops over the years. But this one...

 

[geoguy]

Massachusetts sends one renewal notice for commercial-vehicle registrations, & also for trailer registrations. Not sure about personal-vehicle registrations, but I assume they still do the same. No additional warnings.

However, I believe they no longer send any renewal notices for drivers licenses . . . their website give you the "opportunity" to have an outside service send you one reminder via email, phone, or text a month before your drivers license expires.

Chazmo, if you are calm & contrite at the court date, & if you point out that this has never happened to you before, & that you hate to lose your hard-earned safe-driver credit on your insurance (which you have enjoyed for many years as a reward for your excellent driving record) due to an inadvertent & brief lapse of the registration . . . well, then I suspect you will have it removed from the record.

Worth a try, anyhow, if there is indeed a risk of extra insurance expense for the next few years. That approach worked for me with a speeding ticket several years ago, following an encounter with an over-the-top trooper (long story that I won't repeat here, but he was yet another a-hole/tool with a badge . . . having his citation trashed by a magistrate gave me significant pleasure). 8)

 

[griehund]

Ok lets talk about titles. Last year I bought one of my mother in law's extra cars and drove it out to Calif and gave it to my daughter. When she tried to register it they said she needed the original title.

So off to the RMV goes I to get a new title. Had the form all filled out and ready to go and waited 25 minutes to get to see a clerk who tells me I've got the form filled out all wrong. So she gives me a new form and says fill this one out.

So I fill out another form and go back up the clerk for a second visit. She says not here, here, and here, fill it out here, here and here. So then she takes a hi-lighter and draws in all the boxes I had to fill in or correct. Back to the drawing board.......oh and she gives me another form to fill out so I can avoid sales tax cause its all in the family after all. I thought that was nice cause she didn't have to do that.

So I do some more filling out and go back to the counter and she says I didn't fill out the tax exempt form right and hi-lights the crap out of that one. Back to the drawing board and then back to the counter. By now the 200 people in the place are looking at me like I'm a freakin wackadoodle.

Ok, last trip to the counter and the forms are correct. $75 she says, so I whip out my credit card and she says cash or check only on titles. You can debit or credit a license renewal but not a new title.......go figure. She says there's an ATM in the 7/11 next door.

So out the door I go to get $80 from the convenience store next store, then back to the RMV where I am becoming quite popular. By now other clerks are trying to help me cause they see me going and coming and coming and going. Back to my favorite clerk who tells me that all is well and I'll get a new title in 3-4 weeks and BTW my license is going to expire next month. Just sayin.

Left with a receipt and an accelerated heart rate. Nothing a couple brewskies won't fix.

Some time I'll tell you about the time I got thrown in the drunk tank cause I missed a summons for a parking ticket.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[adorshki]

Here's the thing, Larry (and I think I'm done with this vent)... I appreciate and understand that the police have to deal with criminals and legitimate civil offenders. However, these cops doing traffic beat are enforcing some very badly-written "laws." Speed limits, registry offences, etc. The fact that they even do that part of their jobs speaks volumes about who these people are... OK, sorry, I think I'm done; I don't want to make a remark that's too general because it clearly isn't true in all cases. I've met my share of helpful, courteous cops over the years. But this one...

If it helps you to have a calmer mind set if/when you go to "contest" this, let me try to offer some "counterpoint":
Quite seriously I see some of these these "badly written laws" as income generating devices in a new era of massive state budget deficicts, pure and simple. I think it's also possible that given the state of the economy over the last few years the problem's probably pretty severe and that the cops have become burnt out on hearing the same old BS excuses hundreds of times from folks who simply didn't pay due to hardship and then lie about it.
Towing for simple expired reg is VERY EXTREME. Here in CA it'd be a fixit ticket unless other factors were escalating the charge: Lack of insurance being a prime example. Age of expired reg is another factor.
CA also suspended automatic renewal reminders for a while last year. I forget exactly why, but it didn't relieve the owner from keeping track for themselves.
Your clean record probably will be the best evidence you can provide in trying to minimize the total cost, ie getting the ticket thrown out. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that while belittling the cop's attitude probably won't get sympathy from the judge, showing comprehension of a state budget crisis and expressing your civic-minded willingness to bear your fair share of the burden might. :wink:
PS I think some of the new laws are good, like the ban on cell phones. In fact, that one needs to go "complete", not just on "handhelds".

 

[adorshki]

In California it's draconian: they confiscate your iPod.

bwahaha :lol: :lol:
Al, you crack me up every day (yes I do read LTG every day, even if I don't post)

Yer anglin' fer some brownies again, aint'cha?

(blown HG from a wreck in December of 2010- I'm not fixing it because well...you guys will find out :wink: ).

KEep us posted!

I had to get it plated, else the city can and eventually will (maybe? :? ) impound your vehicle even if its on private property if your plates expire because it is considered "open storage" (WTF? :? )

It's a city's way of keeping people from turning their urban residences into pick'n'pulls, or farms.
I can't keep roosters in my apartment, for example. Even if I had a backyard.

 

[AlohaJoe]

You're lucky your reg didn't expire THIS week:

April 2, 2012 11:16 AM
High Court: Jail strip search OK for minor crime
Albert Florence was forced to undress and submit to strip searches following his arrest on a warrant for an unpaid fine, though the fine actually had been paid. Even if the warrant had been valid, failure to pay a fine is not a crime in New Jersey.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57408046/high-court-jail-strip-search-ok-for-minor-crime/