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OT-National Drivers License database tracked me downUser Forum Topic
Submitted by sdrealtor on July 16, 2012 - 4:32pm
So this weekend I get a letter from the State of CA that they are about to suspend my drivers license because they State of NJ suspended my drivers license. So I call the State of NJ DMV, sit on hold for 20 minutes and get cut off. Take two. I call back and 20 minutes later I get connected to a clerk who tells me I failed keep up with a payment plan with the Atlantic City Municipal court. Of course I have no idea what this is. So I call the Atlantic City municipal court sit on hold for 20 minutes and get cut off again. They must be on the same telco system as UCSD Medical Center. I call back and reach a clerk who notifies me that I have an unpaid $38 parking ticket in Atlantic City from 1990? WTF! I cant remember getting a parking ticket that long ago and would have paid it long ago if I knew about it. They tell me there is warrant out for my arrest in NJ over this! Really? A warrant for a $38 parking ticket. One amazing thing is they just came after me even though they suspended my NJ DL in 2008. How did they finally computerize all this? Must be an artifact of 9/11. So I go online and pay the $38 plus $1 convenience fee for doing it online (more nonsense as its cheaper for them to do it this way). They tell me I can clear my license by paying NJ a $100 extortion...err reinstatement fee. I go online to pay it but of course I need to input my NJ drivers license which i gave up about 20 years ago. So its back to calling the NJ DMV for my old DL# but the wait is 30 minutes this time. I finally get through and they cant tell me my own DL# because of some crazy privacy act that still lets them chase me down and suspend my drivers license over a $38 ticket from more than 20 years ago. So I go back online and amazingly I actually remember my 15 digit drivers license # from 20 years ago. Even though I cant remember where I put my wallet or keys from minute to minute I have a bit of a photographic memory for random tidbits like my DL#. So I finally get to pay the extortion/reinstatement fee for a license I have no use for and never will use again. Oh yeah....there was another $2.50 convenience fee to pay. New Jersey-the State that keeps giving....make that taking! end of rant
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Yeah, NJ also has the unpleasant policy of taking points off your license for tickets out of state, even if paid on time. NY has the good graces to ignore out-of-state tickets (except DUIs or tickets in Ontario and Quebec, strangely enough).
This is why I got a NY license at earliest convenience instead of keeping my NJ license at my family's address. The insurance may be $300/yr more expensive, but it's worth it not having to worry about tickets out of state. Especially since most of my driving is done outside of NY!
And an arrest warrant for an unpaid parking ticket is over the top. In NY, they just tow you if you have $500+ of unpaid tickets on your car. On the plus side, since traffic tickets in NJ are minor criminal offenses, you can actually fight them in township court and occasionally win, rather than dealing with a kangaroo traffic court.
PS - you're lucky that the f**kin' pigs didn't decide to charge you interest over 20 years.
That sucks. But take note that if you get a ticket in MA, you don't need to worry, because they aren't part of DLC... (Speaking from experience). I got like 2-3 tickets there, and though I paid, never showed up on my CA record (and it's been like 7-8 years).
http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content35...
About 11 years ago, I sold a car in the state of Maryland, to a woman (my friend's mother) who lived in New York. When I sold the car, I took off the license plates. Not knowing what to do with them, I believe I just threw them away.
About 4 years later, I am living in California and get a notice from the state of Maryland telling me that I owe them about $4000. They claim that this is fees for having an "uninsured vehicle."
My friend's mother registered the car in New York, but New York never communicated this fact to the state of Maryland. Neither did any of the insurance companies. Fortunately, I was able to track down my friend's mother and she was able to provide proof of insurance starting from shortly after I sold it to her.
It took quite a few phone calls, letters, and faxes to get it all sorted out. I can't imagine how it would have worked if I hadn't been able to track her down.
As far as I know, there was never a warrant out for my arrest, but hey, you never know!
In most states a credit debt not collected on in 3 years goes invalid, I suspect a 20 year old parking ticket is past statute of limitations, however it may cost a lawyer to fight it.
In the old days it would not matter but now it's all databases and proof.
Problem is that NJ treats all tickets as criminal fines rather than civil debts. What's worse is that basically all moving violations are technically punishable by 15 days in county jail.
And no, statute of limitations doesn't apply as the ticket constitutes a charge, and statute of limitations only limits the time the state has to press charges.
NJ has a very bizarre and archaic justice system in a lot of ways. The advantage is that most fines are actually pretty low as compared to CA. No $500 red-light pig camera tickets.
i wonder if NJ would extradite.
Does anybody know if CA puts points on record here for infractions in other states?
Yes, they do, although i'm not sure if they communicate with all states. My husband got a point in CA for running a stop sign in Colorado (the sign was buried in 5 feet of snow and barely sticking out, so it was kinda bs). I think the points/insurance raise cost more than the ticket did - the ticket was only around $50! (compared to here, where they are are several hundred dollars, it was a "bargain")
The Jersey in me wanted to kick some ass and make a handful of DMV and municipal court clerks lives miserable for a hour or two. The Cali in me wrote a check for $141.50, opened up a nice bottle of wine and thanked the lord this is the last time I'll ever think Jersey again.
Hope you used the wine to drink a toast to the meter maid who originally wrote the ticket getting hit by a truck.
So basically, the Californicator way is to bend over and take it, even if undeserved?
Yes, they do, although i'm not sure if they communicate with all states. My husband got a point in CA for running a stop sign in Colorado (the sign was buried in 5 feet of snow and barely sticking out, so it was kinda bs). I think the points/insurance raise cost more than the ticket did - the ticket was only around $50! (compared to here, where they are are several hundred dollars, it was a "bargain")
Yes, the states compare "notes" but it takes a couple of months for CA to get wind of a ticket you got elsewhere (or at least it DID in the past). CA converts it to point(s) on your license. In the past, I have gotten multiple tix in Utah in their infamous speeding traps (that they keep moving up/down the road at their whim). The avg price for a UT speeding ticket was about $110-$160 ... significantly less than in CA.
I went thru toll roads in CO last July (2011) which had no toll booths. It took them a couple of months to send me a bill for $11.80, which I paid online. Apparently, they had a pic of my license plate, lol...
I think the locals in CO subscribe to the toll roads ... much like the CALTRANS vouchers we have here for the SR-125 toll road in South County and the bridges in the SF Bay area.
So basically, the Californicator way is to bend over and take it, even if undeserved?
LOL . . .
You're lucky. If you did that on the East Coast without an EZ-Pass, you'd be fined $25 per incident in addition to the toll. Fortunately, most (all?) toll roads still have cash booths.
So basically, the Californicator way is to bend over and take it, even if undeserved?
No the Cali in me knows to enjoy my life and not waste a few hours fighting for relative pennies when I can use that time to make 10 times that or better yet go to the beach with my kids. The Jersey way would be to be an ignorant hardass fighting over a principal and further damaging themself. No time for that here.
So so so glad to be out of NJ and back in CA. A few years ago I saw a collection of six word essays. My favorites were "New Jersey to California, thank God" and " Must remember: people, gadgets, that order.". I quote the second one to my kids, a lot.
NJ has NYC right next to it. California ... doesn't.
BTW - in some places, it's actually worth fighting minor things like that, since you can get them dismissed by mail without cost.
That’s the problem with growing up in California,
The people I have known who moved out of California and have managed to stay in contact with have expressed extreme regret for moving.
Most have moved back at great expense.
Another thing I used to hear a lot.
The best thing I ever saw was (pick your state ”usually Texas”) in the rear view mirror.
BTW - in some places, it's actually worth fighting minor things like that, since you can get them dismissed by mail without cost.
Time is money. Even more importantly time spent fighting is time spent not loving life.
Glad to hear that was resolved.
It sounded like a situation that could have gone full Kafka.
Apologies to any nice NJ'ers reading this, but... I've racked up about 12 years of experience dealing with tens of thousands of customers all over the country, and for whatever reason, New Jersey has by far the worst, nastiest human beings I've ever encountered. I can count the nice New Jersey people that I've talked to on one hand - normally they run the gamut from merely mean and obnoxious to complete, raving, screaming lunatics. This isn't just my opinion - most customer service reps who communicate nationwide will say the same thing. Is it the water?
This Revo Sunglass Ad has been sitting on my desk for about 20 years
Revo Ad
People from that part of the country are born streetfighters. Even well educated, successful professionals. When they get in a fight all bets are off and as a customer service rep you are dealing with their complaints which they are fighting to get resolved. Its the mentality back there and one of the reasons I left. I still have a lot of that left in me as letting go of that is a work in process.
People from that part of the country are born streetfighters. Even well educated, successful professionals. When they get in a fight all bets are off
Over there people lack the sunny, relaxed attitude that we expect here.
sdrealtor, is your wife from Jersey? That probably affects your attitude.
She was from Philly
Is this Spicoli or sdr? Good job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf5rIuJPTt0
Actually, from my experience, Californians are just as stressed if not more so. They're just less inclined to show it. Passive-aggression is actually harder to deal with than outright argument.
Ever hear the old joke?
New Yorkers will tell you "f--- you" when they mean "have a nice day."
Californians will tell you "have a nice day" when they mean "f--- you."
Actually, from my experience, Californians are just as stressed if not more so. They're just less inclined to show it. Passive-aggression is actually harder to deal with than outright argument.
Ever hear the old joke?
New Yorkers will tell you "f--- you" when they mean "have a nice day."
Californians will tell you "have a nice day" when they mean "f--- you."
Actually, that was the pretty amusing because it's kinda true...
That said, have a nice day!
(Just kidding)
Actually, from my experience, Californians are just as stressed if not more so. They're just less inclined to show it. Passive-aggression is actually harder to deal with than outright argument.
Ever hear the old joke?
New Yorkers will tell you "f--- you" when they mean "have a nice day."
Californians will tell you "have a nice day" when they mean "f--- you."
It's not passive-aggressive. It's what good social graces are all about. It's not proper behavior to project your own stress and issues upon others.
The East Coast has the establishment, but it also has a lot of trashy people who've lived in their 'hoods/enclaves for countless decades.
California has more higher-quality, "self-selecting" people from other states, like sdrealtor and his family.
CA doesn't have hoods? Not to mention a strong meth culture? News to me. As far as being polite: if someone is causing the stress, it's not rude to tell them.
CA doesn't have the hoods like on the East Coast.
I just came back from Philly/New Jersey and driving from hood to hood can be bad. It's not the same over here in California.
BTW, it is rude to tell people that they are being rude, no matter what. The only polite thing to do is to not associate yourself with people you find rude.
After being on the East Coast for a while, I do appreciate the sunny, smiley attitude of Californians.