primitives discuss automobile impoundments

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6719289

Oh my.

I'm not sure, and I'm too lazy to look, but I think the loon primitive had problems getting a driver's license a few months ago.

Roon (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 03:57 PM
Original message
 
Having your car impounded for not having a Driver's License or a registration on you when you get pulled over. By the time you pay fines,towing, and storage,it will cost over 1,000 to get your car back.

This will be on the ballot next election and there are some people pretty upset about it. Some say it's an obvious attempt to harrass the illegal aliens.

I have a link but the flyer is still downstairs,I'll grab it later and post the link.

It's been a bit now, and loon primitive never came back.

Recursion (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 03:59 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. That doesn't happen already?

That's how they do it everywhere I've lived.

depakid  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:33 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
13. Even when it's a matter of record?

Pretty simple to call it in and confirm DL and Reg status.

bobburgster  (382 posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 03:59 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. Holy crap! Where is this?

JuniperLea  (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:02 PM
Response to Original message
 
3. Hmmm... that is how it is now...

You don't get "fix-it" tickets for driving without a license... they impound the car if you don't have a licensed driver with you. No registration is a huge no-no too.

Driving isn't a right.

I'm still pissed that it's illegal to drive without insurance, yet my insurance company sells me "uninsured motorist" insurance every year.

Heddi  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:09 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. Uninsured motorist saved my ass earlier this year

Yes, it's illegal to drive without insurance, but not everyone follows the law.

In June our car was totaled from a hit and run who cut me off from behind as I was changing lanes, tapped my car and sent me into a spin that resulted in a couple of black eyes and some hurt necks.

Because the car that hit us just kept going (assholes), and our car was totaled of course we had to file an insurance claim. I was SO PISSED because I didn't think it was fair that MY RATES would go up because of a hit and run.

Well, unbeknownst to us, uninsured/underinsured is used in events like hit and run, etc. So our entire accident was covered via un/under and it didn't raise our rates AT ALL. I'm not sure of the exact legal wording, but the insurance adjuster told us that un/under is separate from our "regular" auto insurance and wouldn't affect our rates...and it hasn't. Thankfully also it's listed as a no-fault accident which helps as well.

Now I live in FL which has one of the highest rates of uninsured and unlicensed drivers in teh country. I'm more than happy to pay a couple hundred bucks a year to ensure that my losses and injuries are covered should some dumb **** redneck plow into my Jetta, **** up my car and my life, and not have the insurance period, or the insurance coverage to pay for it.

I encourage everyone to get un/under. I think in FL it only covers uninsured, not underinsured, but still, it's a great way to minimize losses should you get hit by an uninsured, or are in an accident because of a hit and run (which is considered uninsured because you don't know who did it).

Oh, and in case anyone is interested (probably not), the total payout we got for the car once it was determined to be totaled was about $12,000 and we got another $2000 for our black eyes. Rates only went up because we had moved from WA to FL, but rates did not go up because of accident.

JuniperLea  (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:15 PM
Response to Reply #5
 
8. I buy it every year...

And have used it twice, quite satisfactorily. It's wrong that I have to pay insurance premiums for those who ignore the law, is my point.

I had a tree-trimmer hit me with his truck full of branches... and empty beer cans... and no insurance. Totaled my recently tricked out International Harvester Travelall, 1977 with 60k original miles... I loved that truck.

Cronus Protagonist  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:06 PM
Response to Original message
 
4. I lost my Mustang that very way!

I paid for the registration, the DMV cashed my check and refused to send my tags because my car insurance expired during the process. So I garaged my car for a few months until I could get the cash for the insurance. On the way to the insurance company (comprehensive insurance is required for a car with a lien holder, so they have to take pics of your car), I was stopped. The police impounded my car (no tags for several months).

I could not afford to buy insurance ($300) AND pay the pound fees ($600). I had to call the bank lien holder and ask them to repo the car out of the pound. That was done and the car is sitting on someone's used car lot gathering rust now.

The fine was $1700 for driving without tags and insurance. I went to court 3 times (on my bicycle) and the cop didn't show up in the end, so the case was dropped.

I still have no Mustang and I lost about $7,000 in equity. Oh, by the way, I'm a LEGAL alien.

Hoopla Phil (1000+ posts)     Wed Oct-07-09 04:10 PM
Response to Original message
 
6. If you do not have a license or insurance you have no business driving a car on public roads. I have no problem with this. I'm rather sure that anyone that has been hit by an uninsured/excluded driver will approve of this. (happened to my dad and to me)

peace13  (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:21 PM
Response to Reply #6
 
10. I have been the caregiver for several elderly people.

If they want to purchase and insure a car for me to drive them around in, I think that is within their rights. If I want to collect airplanes as investments do I have to have a pilots license?

flvegan  (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:11 PM
Response to Original message
 
7. If I'm not mistaken, they do this in the UK.

Got to have your paperwork lest you get nicked by the rozzers.

peace13  (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:18 PM
Response to Original message
 
9. Already happening in Ohio.

Last time I was in to renew my drivers license there was a young man trying to register his car that had been impounded after he was pulled over. Because the police had taken his drivers license he could not register the car that had been impounded. They told him that he would have to wait until he got his license back from the judge. The young man told the clerk that the impound fee alone would be over $1600.00 as his court date wasn't for weeks. His mother was with him and he asked if she could register the car. Nope, the kid had a loan on the car so she would have to buy it from him, pay sales tax on it and then register it all after the bank forwarded the title to her. That kid lost his car that day, I am certain.

Rebubula (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:23 PM
Response to Original message
 
11. OK...

...first...this has been the way it is in every state that I have lived in.

Second...many people see laws as only tools to **** with the minorities. I am not one of those folks

Third...I LIKE that your car will be towed if you do not have a driver's license or registration. There are already 50,000 deaths a year due to auto accidents. Trying to keep everyone legal with licenses and insurance (cannot register in most states without insurance) is helpful to everyone and keeps the road safer.

Some laws are there to protect the public.

Codeine  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:27 PM
Response to Original message
 
12. It mystifies me that there are places where they DON'T do this.

[Karin]

Oh my.  That tale of woe that Cronus Protagonist spun was a real cluster****.  He could write a book "How NOT to go about doing things."

[GOBUCKS]

Cronus Protagonist  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 04:06 PM
Response to Original message
 
4. I lost my Mustang that very way!
I could not afford to buy insurance ($300) AND pay the pound fees ($600). I had to call the bank lien holder and ask them to repo the car out of the pound. That was done and the car is sitting on someone's used car lot gathering rust now.

I still have no Mustang and I lost about $7,000 in equity. Oh, by the way, I'm a LEGAL alien.

Now here is the real outrage: Why do we have legal deadbeat aliens like DUmmy Cronus Protagonist, who cannot even afford
auto insurance?

[Carl]

They sure do have a difficult time existing in the normal world don`t they.

[NHSparky]

Now I live in FL which has one of the highest rates of uninsured and unlicensed drivers in teh country.

Nope--try again.  In California, 1 of every 3 cars is either not legally registered, not properly insured, or has an unlicensed driver at the wheel, or some combination thereof.  In some areas (*cough* the hood *cough*), that rate jumps to over 80 percent.  The ex had a registration issue with a car when we first got married--Ford didn't send the renewal in time, so she got stopped, but Ford had taken care of it by the time she was supposed to go to traffic court. 

She goes, and is told that instead of having her case heard at 9 am per the schedule, she has to wait until 2 pm because the translator has to be somewhere else.  Guess who gets front of the line privileges?  She said she lost count of how many people said, "No ID," or claimed they sold their cars, but there they were, driving out of the parking lot.

[IassaFTots]

The City of Dallas instituted a law that says if you don't have insurance, your car can be impounded, and you will be pulled over.  Proof of insurance is required for your annual registration. So, your insurance coverage, or lack thereof is now linked to your liscense plate number, and a bored cop could theoretically park themselves somewhere and do nothing but run tags all day.   Now, I am sure the argument can be made that this was a obvious grab for more $$ by the city, and I wouldn't argue.

But, I can't say that I mind it one bit.   

[thundley4]

The City of Dallas instituted a law that says if you don't have insurance, your car can be impounded, and you will be pulled over.  Proof of insurance is required for your annual registration. So, your insurance coverage, or lack thereof is now linked to your liscense plate number, and a bored cop could theoretically park themselves somewhere and do nothing but run tags all day.   Now, I am sure the argument can be made that this was a obvious grab for more $$ by the city, and I wouldn't argue.

But, I can't say that I mind it one bit.   

Only recently did Illinois require proof of insurance to renew the tags.  I renewed mine in September, but they didn't ask for the POI.

[IassaFTots]

We have needed it for years, and for our inspections as well.  No insurance, no tags, No insurance, no inspection. 

[BlueStateSaint]

We have needed it for years, and for our inspections as well.  No insurance, no tags, No insurance, no inspection. 

Pretty much the same in NY.

[franksolich]

I checked to see if the loon primitive came back with the link, but no.

In the meantime, picking up where the thread stopped:

asdjrocky (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 04:35 PM
Response to Original message
 
14. This is important to me.  

In Stockton Ca, they make taking your car big business.

In one years time, this is what has happened to me, a legal driver and an American citizen.

In Nov of 08 I was pulled over for not having my seat belt on. Actually I had just pulled out of a parking lot, stopped 35 feet away at the light, and put on my belt, that's when I saw the motorcycle cop watching me. HE WATECHED ME PUT IT ON!

He pulled me over, gave me a ticket for my seat belt then explained to me he was taking the car. Even though I had a licence, and was paying off an old speeding ticket with monthly payments, he said my license was suspended. It wasn't.

However, they found eight tickets on me from a years period when I wasn't even in Stockton and that was the reason they gave. I had to pay for the ticket I was making payments on, set a court date for the tickets that I never even got, and pay impounding fees, towing fees and a wonderful thing called a liene fee. Oh yeah, and like a months worth of storage fees while I was waiting to appear in court on old tickets.

I walked into court ready to prove I had a licence, that I had insurance, that I was not in Stockton for the dates of the tickets and that my licence was not suspended at the time I was pulled over, and they could care less. The judge laughed, said there was obviously some kind of a mix up and she dismissed everything.

When I asked if that meant they gave me the money back I was out, she laughed about that too. It was over 2,000 dollars, more if you count the car I had to rent.

Fast forward to August of 2009. I'm pulled over for 45 in a 35 by radar on a perfectly clear day. This time, after the speeding ticket they claim I have a thing called "family support" on my license and of course, they were taking the car. I did not attack the cop. Not even when he laughed at me, there in my pj's, without my phone, 4 miles from home and on my way to pick my brother in law up from dialysis. When I explained I had no phone, and my situation and I asked politely to use his phone he laughed like I was out of my mind. "Like I'm going to let you use my phone."

I don't owe child support. This was from a case that had been open for 6 months that I had paper work showing it was closed years ago because I had to go to court and show that I paid it. I've never owed child support in my life, and the daughter that it is for is 30 years old. That's right, the case is more than 15 years old.

Anyway, I'm on the phone that day to the DA, the child support people and my ex. That day, on that very day, they contact DMV and say it's all a mistake. The very next day, DMV clears my license and then I have to wait 5 days to get paid to get my car. They charge you more if you want to pick it up on weekends. When I called the police department to ask them to remove the charges their answer was simply, the cop was doing what the computer told him to do at the time, so he was in the right.

No big deal, I'm out about a thousand this time, it's only money, right?

Go to court, everything's dismissed, just like last time. I'm starting to feel like a pinball here, a very poor pinball.

I'm lucky, but people get homeless everyday behind this stuff.

So it's all over, I'm free and clear and I always drive looking over my shoulder because I'm convinced they will find some reason to take my car if I get pulled over.

THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME IN ANY OTHER CITY. Just my hometown, where I grew up.

And oh yeah, did I mention? Got a letter from revenue recovery, they want 175.00, who knows what for, but if I don't give it to them by nov 4, my license is suspended again.

And people wonder why I'm pissed off.

smoochpooch (476 posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 05:01 PM
Response to Reply #14
 
24. I would call a lawyer, if the whole thing was a mistake then you shouldn't have to pay.

I know that when private companies do the towing and storage that it becomes big business because of the fees and because you can forfeit your car after a certain period of time. There may be a lawyer in your area who has dealt with this before and put some pressure on them to reimburse you for their mistake.

asdjrocky (1000+ posts)        Wed Oct-07-09 05:09 PM
Response to Reply #24

26. How much is the lawyer going to cost me?

anigbrowl (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 09:24 PM
Response to Reply #26
 
29. do it in small claims, you don't need a lawyer.

If all your documentation is in order, just bring in all your paperwork (make copies ahead of time, because you'll need to give the judge one and show it to the representative from the City of Stockton), and sue them for amount you had to pay in unjustified fines and fees.

onenote  (1000+ posts)      Wed Oct-07-09 05:13 PM
Response to Original message
 
27. i'm trying to figure out the implicit assumption that only undocumented aliens drive without a registration or license and that its therefore wrong to crack down on that behavior.

TorchTheWitch (1000+ posts)      Thu Oct-08-09 08:55 AM
Response to Original message
 
35. there is no valid reason for this

Though you are supposed to carry these items (license and registration) in the vehicle with you when you drive there is no reason whatsoever to impound the vehicle if for some reason they aren't. Police can easily check the database from their police cars to verify whether or not the car registration and the driver's license is valid.

The purpose of impounding a car is to take an unregistered vehicle off the road and to keep an unlicensed driver from driving (at least from driving that particular vehicle). Impounding a vehicle when it can be easily varified on the spot that the registration and driver's license is valid is nothing more than harrassment and as far as I'm concerned it's theft.

The silly primitive:

SoCalDem  (1000+ posts)        Thu Oct-08-09 09:01 AM
Response to Original message
 
36. We had our car impounded once.. what a nuisance..and expense too

we thought we had 30 days to register our out-of-state car.. we were wrong

[Carl]

Just sooooooooooooo much that has to be left out of that tale of woe.
Thread the other day this one started about how much he hates the rich.

Guessing lots of anger issues and a police record a mile long because of it.

Edited to add link...
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php/topic,34633.0.html

[thundley4]

He pulled me over, gave me a ticket for my seat belt then explained to me he was taking the car. Even though I had a licence, and was paying off an old speeding ticket with monthly payments, he said my license was suspended. It wasn't.

What?  How much are speeding tickets that it would require monthly payments?

[IassaFTots]

I am guessing we don't know the whole story.  I never heard of a payment plan for tickets.  But it is CA, maybe they have a new plan, just so they can get $$?

[thundley4]

I am guessing we don't know the whole story.  I never heard of a payment plan for tickets.  But it is CA, maybe they have a new plan, just so they can get $$?

Maybe they let them pay monthly and charge an interest rate that would make the credit card companies blush. 

[GOBUCKS]

So this DUmmy rented a car with a suspended license?

There are tons of legal entanglements omitted from this bouncy tale.

[Celtic Rose]

I am guessing we don't know the whole story.  I never heard of a payment plan for tickets.  But it is CA, maybe they have a new plan, just so they can get $$?

No, I don't think so.  I got a speeding ticket 7 years ago, and it was only around $260, which is expensive when you have a part time job in high school, but shouldn't require a payment plan for any reasonable person.  I've never heard anybody mention a payment plan for a ticket. 

[IassaFTots]

Well then I am stumped. 

[The Village Idiot]

The City of Dallas instituted a law that says if you don't have insurance, your car can be impounded, and you will be pulled over.  Proof of insurance is required for your annual registration. So, your insurance coverage, or lack thereof is now linked to your liscense plate number, and a bored cop could theoretically park themselves somewhere and do nothing but run tags all day.   Now, I am sure the argument can be made that this was a obvious grab for more $$ by the city, and I wouldn't argue.

But, I can't say that I mind it one bit.   

There are a cameras on a few of the cars these days that do nothing but automatically run tags of every vehicle that comes within its visual range. Crazy.

[IassaFTots]

There are a cameras on a few of the cars these days that do nothing but automatically run tags of every vehicle that comes within its visual range. Crazy.

I know.  They want their Money.  They had constables running speed traps off of 80 for a while, but I heard they got in trouble for that.

[GOBUCKS]

I know.  They want their Money.  They had constables running speed traps off of 80 for a while, but I heard they got in trouble for that.

Nothing at all wrong with running tags, although it likely creates a huge burden on the police.

It's hardly in the same category as one-horse towns setting up speed traps on the interstate to fill
the town's bank account.

Check out the corrupt little fiefdom of Coopertown, TN.

[The Village Idiot]

Nothing at all wrong with running tags, although it likely creates a huge burden on the police.

It's hardly in the same category as one-horse towns setting up speed traps on the interstate to fill
the town's bank account.

Check out the corrupt little fiefdom of Coopertown, TN.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9AG1PD80&show_article=1

You might remember this story from a speed trap in Ark

[AprilRazz]

There are a cameras on a few of the cars these days that do nothing but automatically run tags of every vehicle that comes within its visual range. Crazy.

Portsmouth, VA just got 3 of those for "finding stolen cars". But they said that they found some within a few hours after hitting the street with them.

[NHSparky]

We have needed it for years, and for our inspections as well.  No insurance, no tags, No insurance, no inspection. 

So also goes the theory in Cali--back when I was living there, "insurance" companies were in abundance outside every local DMV, where one could get a 15-day binder to "prove" one had insurance, then simply not renew or pay the whole policy.

[IassaFTots]

So also goes the theory in Cali--back when I was living there, "insurance" companies were in abundance outside every local DMV, where one could get a 15-day binder to "prove" one had insurance, then simply not renew or pay the whole policy.

Now, since the state gets updates from the insurance companies themselves, that particular workaround does not work.  I just recently bought a car, for my first time in many years, and am carrying a note on it, which requires me to have full coverage.  Used to be they wouldn't even let you off the lot till you could prove it.  This time, I asked my agent and they said, naw, you are good, just give us the details of the car and we have it covered.  The dealership confirmed with a simple phone call.