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Not sure that this is the right forum, but it is Auto related...
Got pulled over for a traffic violation. Gave the cop my license and registration. So, as standard procedure, he checks everything out. Comes back, telling me that I had an unanswered ticket from "waaaay back" (his words, not mine), I say, "What's 'waaaay back' mean?" He says "1993". 1993???!! In my state (NJ) if you don't answer traffic or parking ticket, your license will be suspended (and a bench warrant could be issued for your arrest!) I've always run my driving abstract every six months or so, and my license has been/is valid. He let me go with only a ticket for the violation for which he stopped me, but sternly told me to "get that ticket squared away!"
So I went to the court out of where this old ticket was filed. Consulted with a traffic lawyer. Figured that by now, the cop who issued that ticket is retired (or dead). Got the ticket dismissed.
Ever happen to you, where an old forgotten ticket (20+ years) came back to haunt you?
My brother got a ticket back in 1989 for not having a license plate (he did, it was a temp tag taped in the back window). This happened in a mall parking lot. He was in the mall at the time, and came out as the officer was checking the vehicle's information. My brother showed him the license plate, as well as pointing out that registration violations aren't enforceable on private property. The officer agreed, and said he had to finish the ticket once it had been started, so he gave my brother the ticket and told him to call the police station to get it handled. He did so, and the Sgt. he talked to said they'd "take care of it". Fast forward 20 years later when my state started putting court records online, and we find out my brother had a bench warrant for FTA (failure to appear). He called that state's attorney's office and had the ticket dismissed and the bench warrant nullified. The police can't dismiss the ticket. When the Sgt told him they would handle it, they meant that they would ask for the charges to be dismissed in court. Since my brother never went to court (he had moved and didn't get the notice), it wasn't dismissed and a bench warrant issued.
Not sure that this is the right forum, but it is Auto related...
Got pulled over for a traffic violation.
(snip)
Ever happen to you, where an old forgotten ticket (20+ years) came back to haunt you?
Interesting. Back in the '80s one of my college roommates had driver's licenses from Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. I saw them. He had some way of having them sent to each residence, it wasn't all that complicated. Being a marginal driver, he'd hand out whichever one to the cop he wanted. Typically that which had the least points. That, I also witnessed as passenger at least once.
Good old days. Bad old days?
In California in the 1990s, some cities communicated well at the State level and I had to pay prior to renewing my license RE parking tickets. I blew off a few. Those who didn't, well too bad for them I guess.
Never blew off a moving violation though. These days WA and OR talk. Wouldn't be surprised if lots of states talk to each other as it's just IT enterprise systems after all. I call the lawyer when I'm pulled over, average of about once every five years give-or-take.
Back in the 70s I had a violation I didn't know about. I sold a car and the new owner left it parked on a street too long without moving it. Dang. I learned how important it was to file the form that you had "sold your car and were no longer responsible". Back then it was optional and no one had even mentioned it.
Interesting. Back in the '80s one of my college roommates had driver's licenses from Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. I saw them. He had some way of having them sent to each residence, it wasn't all that complicated. Being a marginal driver, he'd hand out whichever one to the cop he wanted. Typically that which had the least points. That, I also witnessed as passenger at least once.
Good old days. Bad old days?
In California in the 1990s, some cities communicated well at the State level and I had to pay prior to renewing my license RE parking tickets. I blew off a few. Those who didn't, well too bad for them I guess.
Never blew off a moving violation though. These days WA and OR talk. Wouldn't be surprised if lots of states talk to each other as it's just IT enterprise systems after all. I call the lawyer when I'm pulled over, average of about once every five years give-or-take.
WA and OR have reciprocity, as do CA and NV.
I'm in NJ, which has reciprocity with NY, PA, DE and CT. It's my understanding that if you have a basic license (non-CDL), some states may or may not share drivers information if you get a ticket (say, I get a ticket in South Carolina... they may or may not notify NJ), but if you have a CDL, no matter what state you're in, if you get a ticket, your goose is cooked 'cause a CDL is Federal (50 states) and your home state will be notified.
Interesting. Back in the '80s one of my college roommates had driver's licenses from Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. I saw them. He had some way of having them sent to each residence, it wasn't all that complicated. Being a marginal driver, he'd hand out whichever one to the cop he wanted. Typically that which had the least points. That, I also witnessed as passenger at least once.
Good old days. Bad old days?
In California in the 1990s, some cities communicated well at the State level and I had to pay prior to renewing my license RE parking tickets. I blew off a few. Those who didn't, well too bad for them I guess.
Never blew off a moving violation though. These days WA and OR talk. Wouldn't be surprised if lots of states talk to each other as it's just IT enterprise systems after all. I call the lawyer when I'm pulled over, average of about once every five years give-or-take.
There are different levels of 'warrants', if you have a warrant for murder or something very serious, that will be a nation wide warrant, but one for failure to appear over a traffic violation...that is probably a 60 mile warrant, (active within a 60 mile range).
I found out about this decades ago, when a friend of mine had a warrant for possessing stolen property, he assumed it was nation wide, (but it was really just a warrant in our particular area)
I got a letter in the mail telling me I had an unpaid parking ticket from 20 years ago in a town I did not live in. But I did sell my car to someone who lives in that town. I've had 3 addresses and several cars since. I want to know how the heck they tracked me down! In any case since the person we sold it to was a friend, I paid the fine and we got a good chuckle out of it. It was about $50 as I recall - not enough to fight over.
Interesting. Back in the '80s one of my college roommates had driver's licenses from Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. I saw them. He had some way of having them sent to each residence, it wasn't all that complicated. Being a marginal driver, he'd hand out whichever one to the cop he wanted. Typically that which had the least points. That, I also witnessed as passenger at least once.
Good old days. Bad old days?
In California in the 1990s, some cities communicated well at the State level and I had to pay prior to renewing my license RE parking tickets. I blew off a few. Those who didn't, well too bad for them I guess.
Never blew off a moving violation though. These days WA and OR talk. Wouldn't be surprised if lots of states talk to each other as it's just IT enterprise systems after all. I call the lawyer when I'm pulled over, average of about once every five years give-or-take.
In the 70'S AND 80'S , I maintained a MA drivers license (at my parents address) even when holding another state drivers license as back then states did not communicate with each other.
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