Just got a traffic ticket on my way back from my night class. The pull over was because my "tag light" was burned out. The tag occupies about 1/48th of my license plate in the upper right hand corner. Does it have its own little light I never knew about?
"Tag light? Is that the light over the license plate?" I asked.
"Your tag light."
Helpful. Thanks.
I managed to find in the glove compartment, among the dental bills, tuition bills, and car repair bills, at least one paid insurance bill with our policy number on it--convenient since i had recently cleaned my wallet, and apparently pared away the cards.
Registration--last year's. But the number is the same, and since he literally spent half an hour back at the patrol car, I have to assume someone on the other end of the walkie had a computer and confirmed everything was paid up.
After a few more minutes, he returned.
I'm issuing a warning for the tag light, but I'm citing you for not having up to date registration in the car.
"Does citing mean a ticket?"
"I'm issuing you a citation."
"Is a citation a ticket?"
"Yes."
Really, was that so hard?
I drove home, berating myself for lack of organization, but arrived home to find the registration in a perfectly legitimate file folder, marked "auto." The notice on it said, KEEP THIS DOCUMENT. IT IS YOUR REGISTRATION. Nowhere does it say: Keep This IN YOUR CAR. I had obviously looked at it, thought, "Let's see, the tag goes on the car, maybe I'll keep this document in my files, where if something happens to my car, I can access the information on it."
Apparently what I was supposed to think was, "Let's keep this document in my glove compartment, so if my car is stolen or broken into, the thieves can look and find my full name and address too!"
P.S. Monthly "citation" quotas don't exist. It is merely coincidence that today is the second to the last business day in September.
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