# Pulled over AGAIN for unregistered car! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 26, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829 "2018-05-26T00:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/61 "2018-05-29T18:47:44Z")
> [@TheMightyFro](#): > > Not weird at all. In Massachusetts, you’d get pulled over daily, because a high proportion of the time, the drivers of cars matching your description are drug dealers. MA doesn’t get enough sun to really require tint, so there is the question as to why so many people tint theirs above the legal limit. This is especially true for expensive model cars. The logic is that people with enough money to afford them usually follow the law regarding that expensive vehicle. It’d be like dressing up as a clown, and getting indignant when people treat you like a clown. I mean, you can dress like that if you want, but you’re going to have to accept that you’ll be treated differently for it. > > On another note, obviously the police wont tell you why they pulled you over if it turns out their suspicion was wrong. They usually tell you something innocuous anyways, or nothing at all. They aren’t about to educate the public on their investigative techniques. > > That being said, if this was happening over and over, why wouldn’t you be sure to keep your registration documents? If you went to the DMV, they would have just printed you out another copy. I’ve done everything but glue my paperwork to the dash now (smiley). ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/62 "2018-05-29T18:49:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In New Jersey we do use ALPR but generally only a small number of police vehicles are equipped. More likely the officer used the random plate inquiry on his computer. I run the plate of just about every car I get behind. Using that function if there is nothing wrong with the registration the only information that comes back is the make/model/year of the vehicle. If there is something wrong it pops up in red. In this case it does appear that there was a screw up at DMV which caused it to show up as unregistered on the cop’s computer. It’s rare but it does happen. Mine was the rare DMV error, they double-dog promised it’s fixed now. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/63 "2018-05-29T18:53:58Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > So I got pulled over yesterday, again, for no registration. I showed the cop my card, as I had gone to the DMV immediately after the prior incident. He contacted the DMV and it turned out there was an error in their system and I HAD paid it months before and so have paid for it twice. > [@Loach](#): > > In New Jersey we do use ALPR but generally only a small number of police vehicles are equipped. More likely the officer used the random plate inquiry on his computer. I run the plate of just about every car I get behind. Using that function if there is nothing wrong with the registration the only information that comes back is the make/model/year of the vehicle. If there is something wrong it pops up in red. In this case it does appear that there was a screw up at DMV which caused it to show up as unregistered on the cop’s computer. It’s rare but it does happen. So NJ DMV has two systems? One the cops access to run plates & then a deep, dark system that shows you really have paid when the first system doesn’t? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/64 "2018-05-29T18:53:58Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In New Jersey we do use ALPR but generally only a small number of police vehicles are equipped. More likely the officer used the random plate inquiry on his computer. I run the plate of just about every car I get behind. Using that function if there is nothing wrong with the registration the only information that comes back is the make/model/year of the vehicle. If there is something wrong it pops up in red. In this case it does appear that there was a screw up at DMV which caused it to show up as unregistered on the cop’s computer. It’s rare but it does happen. Loach, do you know why NJ doesn’t use plate reg stickers? It seemed odd when I migrated from out West to Jersey. Do other East Coast states do the same? (I think NY and PA do stickers?) ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/65 "2018-05-29T19:11:09Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So NJ DMV has two systems? One the cops access to run plates & then a deep, dark system that shows you really have paid when the first system doesn’t? 😕 I don’t know. The DMV lady couldn’t provide an explanation, but it showed up paid twice. I suppose it’s possible that there was a mix up between my three BMWs’ VINs or something? I paid it online the first time and in person two weeks ago. I had some odd reg/title stuff when I first reg’d this car, which I bought on eBay. At one point I wondered if I had bought a stolen car and did some research (it’s not, according to the NICB database). ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/66 "2018-05-29T19:32:05Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Loach, do you know why NJ doesn’t use plate reg stickers? It seemed odd when I migrated from out West to Jersey. Do other East Coast states do the same? (I think NY and PA do stickers?) I’m not Loach, nor from an East Coast state, but in Texas, they stopped using the license plate sticker at least a decade ago, perhaps two. This was before those automatic license plate readers were popular. Instead, they issue a windshield sticker. It seems they had too many people reporting stolen plates. That is, people were stealing the plate of a registered car and carefully reusing the sticker. Now the automatic plate readers are popular, the only reason I changed my windshield sticker was for the annual safety inspection (part of the safety inspection is proper display of the registration sticker). I’ve since moved from Texas, but I hear they no longer issue safety inspection stickers. An annual safety inspection is required, but now all the inspection stations are connected to the state computer system and you cannot renew your registration unless you have passed a safety inspection withing the past year. The most common reason I know for not registering a vehicle is insurance. That is, you have to show proof of insurance in order to register. I am not a LEO, but I suspect the vast majority of people without registration also do not have insurance, so IMHO, having the cops pull people over who do not have valid registration is something I believe they should do whenever they get the chance. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/67 "2018-05-29T19:59:00Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Loach, do you know why NJ doesn’t use plate reg stickers? It seemed odd when I migrated from out West to Jersey. Do other East Coast states do the same? (I think NY and PA do stickers?) PA did away with them in the past year. Their explanation was due to cost. I suspect that ALPRs have something to do with making them less useful. To answer someone’s question upthread, they were color coded. I don’t know the pattern, but if you’re a LEO you would, they didn’t need to get close enough to read the numbers, all they had to do was see a black/red/green sticker color to know that yours was out of date. Philly, in particular had a problem with folks stealing plates or tin-snipping the corner off to get a good looking on on their car to pass the casual eyeball. For a few years, I scored mine once they were on, making it impossible to pull off one piece & then stick it on your car. Then, after hearing that this wasn’t enough, that the thief didn’t realize they were scored before cutting the corner of the plate off I finally stopped putting them on altogether. Just kept it in my wallet/the car in case I got pulled over (technically illegal, but no/few cop would cite if you really were legal in the system). I was only once pulled over for this, & that was back in the 90’s. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/68 "2018-05-29T20:09:11Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So NJ DMV has two systems? One the cops access to run plates & then a deep, dark system that shows you really have paid when the first system doesn’t? 😕 No there was just a human error along the way so the information didn’t come out the end like it should. > [@Jennshark](#): > > Loach, do you know why NJ doesn’t use plate reg stickers? It seemed odd when I migrated from out West to Jersey. Do other East Coast states do the same? (I think NY and PA do stickers?) We did for like 3 or 4 years. I think they just realized it was more trouble than it was worth. Also way too many stupid people couldn’t read the instruction that came with it (including picture). Since we had never had stickers before people didn’t know what to do with them. Year 1 was fine. It went in the upper right corner. Year 2 you were supposed to either remove the sticker or place the new one on top. Many people put it in the upper left. Then the lower left. Then the lower right. By the time they did away with it there were tons of vehicles with 4 different stickers 1 on each corner. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/69 "2018-05-29T20:13:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Since we had never had stickers before people didn’t know what to do with them. Year 1 was fine. It went in the upper right corner. Year 2 you were supposed to either remove the sticker or place the new one on top. Many people put it in the upper left. Then the lower left. Then the lower right. By the time they did away with it there were tons of vehicles with 4 different stickers 1 on each corner. That’s both hilarious and sad. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/70 "2018-05-29T20:18:03Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > I’m not Loach, nor from an East Coast state, but in Texas, they stopped using the license plate sticker at least a decade ago, perhaps two. This was before those automatic license plate readers were popular. Instead, they issue a windshield sticker. It seems they had too many people reporting stolen plates. That is, people were stealing the plate of a registered car and carefully reusing the sticker. your registration unless you have passed a safety inspection withing the past year Huh, I would never have considered that people steal the stickers, I really need to up my crimey knowledge. I had a friend in the '80s who was very broke and a tad sketchy and drew her own California plate stickers with address labels and markers (never got caught). She’s now an upstanding psychiatrist, I’m going to ask if she remembers this. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/71 "2018-05-30T04:09:34Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Huh, I would never have considered that people steal the stickers, I really need to up my crimey knowledge. I had a friend in the '80s who was very broke and a tad sketchy and drew her own California plate stickers with address labels and markers (never got caught). She’s now an upstanding psychiatrist, I’m going to ask if she remembers this. But if she realizes that _you_ might be the _one_ _person_ who could figure out that she’d made her own PhD certificate and California Psych License with labels and markers, your life might be in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/72 "2018-05-30T14:43:38Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Loach, do you know why NJ doesn’t use plate reg stickers? It seemed odd when I migrated from out West to Jersey. Do other East Coast states do the same? (I think NY and PA do stickers?) The stickers were dropped as a cost-saving measure because they were redundant - in NJ, registration status is one of two things checked\* during inspection, and the windshield inspection sticker is color-coded with the year and month of expiration. Other cost-saving measures included not repairing / replacing the document laminating machine when it broke - first it broke and no longer plastic-laminated registrations (I reported this as a mis-printed registration and that’s what they told me), then it broke completely and no longer perforated the documents (likewise), so now you have to cut them out yourself or fold the paper into registration-size (if you keep it in a sleeve with your insurance card). They also stopped embossing the license plates some years back. The reason I suggested the head office in Trenton is because they have both political appointees and civil servants there, and one group or the other should be able to fix it. There is little to no effective communication between those two groups - I’ve had the Deputy Chief Administrator (political) tell an agency head (civil servant) to process some paperwork and the agency head refused. Part of that is because they’re all worried about losing their jobs and/or going to jail - there have been scandals every decade or so where a large percentage of employees get carted off - this has been going on since at least the 70’s. - The other thing is an OBDII report that says there’s no emission-related problems. You can show up with a flat tire, belching smoke out the back and a missing windshield and pass “inspection” in New Jersey. You don’t even have to get your car inspected if it is pre-OBDII (1995-ish), since they no longer have the equipment to do tailpipe emission tests. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/73 "2018-05-30T14:51:45Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Super jealous! Is that the 500, or the “normal” Atom with the supercharged Honda Civic Type R motor? It was a Brammo Atom with a 2.0L Ecotec tuned by GM Racing, producing 300HP. The Ecotec has a lot more low-RPM grunt than the Honda. FourFather rebuilt his Ecotec the same way he built his drag racing engines and ended up close to 500HP at 11,000 RPM. GM Racing has done 1400HP in that 2.0L engine, but requiring a rebuild after each run. > [@](#): > > Note to self: The “normal” Atom can accelerate from 0-60 in just under 3 seconds… The record for a Brammo Atom is 2.69 seconds and a top speed of 174MPH (the Atom is about as aerodynamic as a brick, so it is limited by aero, not HP). My Atom page is [here](http://www.atomacrossamerica.org). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829/74 "2018-05-31T13:42:06Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > …You keep forgetting to register your car, yet this last time it was their fault… Reread. She forgot to register it, once, years ago, and got ticketed within a week. This time, it WAS their fault, she HAD gotten it registered, and the DMV even admitted they’d screwed up and they are refunding her money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-over-again-for-unregistered-car/814829.md?page=3)