"Do you know why I pulled you over?"

[low_delta]

"No."

"Your registration is expired."

*mind tries to spin... November... right now it's...*

"It was due in February"

"What?" *incredulous look*


I've got fifteen days to rectify the problem. The nice young officer recommended that I go to the DMV, because doing it by mail would take two months, since they're all backed up. He also told me that the street I pulled onto (there's no place to pull over on the street where he got me) had no outlet, and that I'd need to turn around. And to be careful pulling back out on the main street. Sheesh.

Comments

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

What the hell?! How could neither of us know this for 8 months?!

[emschin.livejournal.com]

I did that a few years ago. Joyce and I were coming back from Appleton and I was pulled over. Disbelief! Tried to insist. He was polite and said "I think when you check, Ma'am, you'll find it is two years overdue. TWO YEARS!

He was right. I hadn't received a reminder that year because I didn't send in for the tag the year before. I had to pay for both years, plus a fine.

And that reminds me---I have the current tag in my purse but haven't put it on the car yet. (Add to my to-do list).

[dwivian]

Paperwork mistake, or actual confusion?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Probably actual confusion on my part. I've only had the car for forteen months, but it was supposed to be reregistered eight months ago? That's about the time I refinanced it, and I think that I thought registration was taken care of at the time. Hmm, it seems there was something I was supposed to mail in and didn't, but that I later took care of. If that was what I'm thinking of, it was not what I thought it was.

[banana.livejournal.com]

You get 15 days to fixthe problem. I get a pretty big fine.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I saw that. Around here, nonregistration is a traffic offense. As with anything else, the officer can decide whether to write a ticket or a warning. I guess he believed my confusion was genuine and took pity on me.

Many years ago, I got pulled over after six months, and the officer decided to give me a ticket for it. I think it cost me about $70.

[rivendweller.livejournal.com]

Probably happened because you moved, and the renewal notice didn't get forwarded to your new address.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Mail forwarding is usually pretty good. See my comment above, to Dwivian.

[waning-estrogen.livejournal.com]

yikes, I've never had that happen.
we can renew online here, and it takes only a few days to get your new tabs. not only that, in washington we used to pay based on the current value of the vehicle (sure there's a term for that, but no coffee yet this morning). now it's $35/year whether you're driving a rusted out '63 comet or a brand new escalade, but I never fail to see someone with expired tabs when I go out somewhere. I'm an unreformed lifelong license plate reader.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I think it's around fifty bucks, here. Double for personalized plates. You can get collector plates if your car ismore than twenty years old, and antique at some point. I'm not sure what the cost is for those.

I look at plates a lot, but never at whether they're expired or not.

[sunshyncat.livejournal.com]

yikes! I'm always afraid that I'll forget something like that!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

It's not usually a big deal if it's only for a month or two. Six or eight months is a different story.

[vlinker.livejournal.com]

here, that sort of stuff is quickly done on-line........and you just print out the receipt for a temporary registration so you can drive while you wait for the tags in the mail....

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

Not in Wisconsin.

[vlinker.livejournal.com]

indeed.....

:)

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

We're backwards down here. *L*

[vlinker.livejournal.com]

i wouldn't say that........but you can....

LOL

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

Wait--the same exact thing happened to my bf. He thought he renewed his license plate in April. The sticker didn't come and he sort of forgot about it, since he thought his license was renewed. He only found out when he was pulled over. Oh, but he's got to pay like a $150 fine.

The WI DMV is a den of evil.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

$150! Wow.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

Depends on the cop, I'm afraid. Oh, and the time of month. I think he got tagged at the end of the month. blllppptttt