Loud Exhaust = Bad Day!

Reader Question:

“i got stopped today because my exhaust system was making too much noise so the cop asked me for registration,insurance,and license i told the cop the truth meaning i didn’t have it registered or insured neither i had a license to be driving  and to complete this nightmare i just lost my id for my luck i didn’t have any papers proving that i owned the car the cop called  a tow truck and they took my van to my house for $88 the point is that i have to go to court now and he gave me advise in trying to get the car registered and insured before going and to make an appointment of a driving test in the ticket he gave me explaining the charges which i don’t understand one of them 1.oper w/o license 2.oper w/o insurance 3.oper unreg.mv and the one i don’t understand is 4.misuse marker.  i just want to know what’s gonna happen to me in court and what does that 4. means.”

ANSWER:

Sounds like you got a nice cop. He must have been able to confirm who you were because most cops would take someone without ID to the station for identification purposes. And here in CA, cars belonging to people without a drivers license are taken to a tow yard, not the persons driveway. The car can not be picked up without proof of ownership and current registration. The tow fees and daily storage charges add up fast. Driving without a license is actually a misdemeanor and is an arrestable offense but in CA we just issue a citation for the person to appear in court if we can confirm their identity.

And the cop that stopped you gave you good advice for court; if you can get the vehicle registered and insured and have a valid drivers license when you appear in court, it might impress the judge. You’ll still have to pay a fine but the judge will probably have a little mercy on you for correcting the violations. I have no idea what #4 is on your citation, did you have a fake registration tag on the van? You’ll have to call the police department or courts where you live to find out what it is.

Good luck on this one…..It might be a tough road but you should make sure everything you need to get done is complete before the court date.