I live in Atlanta and received a citation a month ago for driving my car with an expired tag. The truth is I had a current tag but was too lazy to place it on my car after registering and receiving it in the mail. Instead, I used the old tag from a car which I traded in for my current car. So essentially I was driving a car with an improper tag and I was honest and explain this same story to the officer.
Well tomorrow is my court date and I have no clue as to what goes on for these offenses. I have a flawless driving record and am up to date with my insurance etc…
What can I expect in court? Should I plea “guilty”? Would the punishment be a fine? If so, what was the point of going to court in the first place (I didn’t have the option to pay the fine). What’s the best way to admit guilt and get the judge to give me a break? Is it common for the officer to show up to testify?
Take all your documentation showing when you obtained the proper tag. Just tell the judge the truth, that you had it, but neglected to put it on the car. Accept responsibility, don’t make excuses, or try to blame someone else. I’m guessing it may be dismissed.
I’m a bit surprised, usually they will tell you to present proof that the car was properly registered and the citation will be voided. You may have to pay some minimal court costs, even if the charge is dismissed. I think it’s a good idea to have the proof of insurance and an up to dae driver’s license too, just in case the judge asks you.
My experience with courts is to pay attention at the beginning, the judge will explain how it goes. Often they will tell you if you’re guilty, plead guilty, then offer your explaination / mitigating circustances, while the judge looks up your record. Then they will pass judgement / fines.
For example a couple years ago I was nipped for 50 in a 30, first ticket in many years. In court when my time was called I answered guilty, then as the judge looked up my record he asked for my explaination.
With a smile I said “After an impetuous youth I had learned my lesson and flew straight, until I screwed up and got caught speeding last month.” The judge, already tired of hearing BS stories from everyone else, looked up, laughed, looked at my record and said “You’re right. Slow down. Court costs, no points, have a good day.” Cost me $35.
Recommendation is don’t lie, don’t BS, smile and take your lumps. With a clean record you’ll do fine.
Your story isn’t making sense to me. You say you were “too lazy” to put the correct tag on. Wouldn’t it take MORE effort to remove a tag from another car and put it on your car than to just put on the one you got in the mail? How would you even do that? They use some heavy duty glue on those tags. They don’t just peel off.
In California it’s just a “fix it” ticket. I was cited for that because someone stole the tag from my car. I had to get a replacement and go get it signed off, but there was no fine. You need to get your vehicle code and look up the infraction to see exactly what you’re charged with. I’m surprised you would need to go to court for a simple failure to display tags. How much is the fine? You should have a copy of the ticket and you should also get a courtesy notice in the mail which should say how much the fine is, if any. Yes, the officer frequently shows up for court; they won’t have a case against you if he doesn’t.
Lazy referring to not placing the new tag on the car when it arrived a couple months later. perhaps not thinking, I put the old tag on my new car during the wait. By tag I meant the entire license plate and tag.
The citation and online update doesn’t display a fine amount. All it says is to go to court on the date shown.
Does the citation itself (or anything else you can find) specify exactly what you’re charged with? I’m wondering if you’ve been hit for putting the license plate from another vehicle on yours - as I understand it, that is what you did, right?
I can see the authorities viewing that as A Big Deal.
Oh, I see. If you just show up at court on the date written on the ticket, it might just be an arraignment, so you’d have to show up again for an actual trial.
That’s kind of what I was thinking. Are you supposed to switch license plates? Aren’t you supposed to just keep the ones that were on the used car when you bought it? That might be a more serious offense.
Being from California, you won’t be acquainted with the quaint custom of many Eastern states that the whole tag tends to be mobile. That is, it can move from car to car, and it isn’t always that big a deal if you switch tags from one car to another (under certain circumstances). It’s not like it is in CA where the plates tend to be car-specific.
OK. Now this makes sense. I was thinking along with lowbrass.
In any case, I have had great success with the “Guilty with an explanation” approach, even when the explanation was “I was an idiot.” In fact, especially with that explanation. If you don’t weasel, the judge will take that into account.
Are you saying that you put a different license plate on your car? This is a way bigger violation than merely putting a different date tag on your license plate on a car that is legally registered. Or, is this some sort of temporary license? In any case, I’d tell the truth, but if you actually swapped plates or temporary license documents, you definitely deserve whatever’s coming to you for the crime of stupidity.
You didn’t say so, but you did put the proper tags on the car, right? My experience is that one of the best things you can say to a judge is “I fixed the problem, your Honor.”
I still don’t follow. Is “tag” somehow synonymous with “license plate” in the East? In the West, we have metal plates with numbers on them (called ‘license plates’) that are bolted to the bumper of the car. It is a unique number that identifies that particular car and indicates that that car is registered with the DMV. If one were to change plates, one would have to correspondingly change the registration of the vehicle. It is illegal to drive without a license plate on the car. I would presume it is also illegal to switch the license plate (without a corresponding change in registration), since it is a frequent plot device in movies and literature for criminals to switch plates on stolen cars. Part of what the police do is to track down suspects by license number. If those numbers were interchangeable, they wouldn’t be able to do this.
Then, in addition to the permanent metal license plate, there are small, approximately 2 inch long adhesive stickers which are affixed to the corner of the metal license plate, and bear a month and year. This is done to indicate that the registration has been renewed and is currently up-to-date and paid for. If this sticker bears a date that has already passed, the registration is considered to be out of date, which is a violation. I’m not understanding the phrase “the whole tag”. A “tag” to me is a small sticker, which is either there or it isn’t.
I’m failing to understand why one would switch tags or license plates. Here, each car that is in operation has to be registered. The tag is the indication that that car is registered. To affix a tag (or license plate) from another car only indicates that that other car is registered. I’m not understanding what possible legal purpose could be served by doing so. Can anyone explain this?
The whole thing sounds suspect to me, which is why I’d look up the infraction in the vehicle code to actually see what I was up against.
I guess what’s bugging me here is that if I’m understanding correctly, the OP didn’t simply fail to update the stickers, but actually took the positive step of unbolting the license plates from two different cars and swapping them out. Is that what happened?
Georgia’s law is different from other states where I have lived. From the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles website:
(Bolding mine. Note also that “tag” and “license plate” are used interchangably.)
As I understand it, you took the tag from the old car and put it on your new car, which is the correct procedure. Then you took the proper paperwork to the Fulton County tax office, and a new tag was issued and sent to you. So far, so good. Then you neglected to put the new tag (with the proper expiration date) on your car, and in the meantime, the expiration date on the old tag passed.
Believe me, you’re not the fisrt person to get confused by our cumbersome registration process. Frankly, the judge ought to be impressed that you complied with the law as much as you did! If you hadn’t bothered to get a new tag, you’d be in a whole lot more trouble.
Go to traffic court (it will take all day!), tell the judge your story, explain that you had a valid tag, but just hadn’t put it on yet. Even admit that the reason you hadn’t put it on was that you were too lazy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if your ticket is dismissed.
(Hmm - I now see today is your court date - hope my advice isn’t too late!)