Description: “Lic. Restric. Vio.” License restriction violation?
Statute: VTL 050903
This is in New York State. That’s all I got. Is this speeding, or what? any idea?
Well what were you doing? Was this a moving violation?
If you got pulled over my guess is that you have some type of restriction on your license. e.g. eye correction needed, no driving after a certain time, etc. And you violated it.
Do you have any restrictions on your license?
Are you saying the officer just handed you a ticket and didn’t actually speak to you about what you had done wrong? That seems unusual to me…
My thoughts too. Restrictions could be things like daylight driving only, must wear glasses or contact lenses, etc.
Do you have any recent offenses on your record? I understand that sometimes people can end up with a restricted license after a DUI that restricts them to essential driving (work or school) only.
You can view the VTL charge codes here(PDF).
It’s Section 0509 sub sec 03.
Full description is just “LICENSE RESTRICTION
VIOLATION” .
No, no, not me. The person who called me asked if I knew what this meant. She found a letter about a change of traffic court date with that information. The letter was hidden under a sofa cushion, which she found while cleaning. The letter was addressed to her son who was driving her car, got a ticket, hid the letter, and apparently wasn’t going to tell her anything about it. He’s out of town until the end of the week. She’s going to put the letter back under the sofa, but wondered what ‘license restriction violation’ entailed.
Perhaps New York state has graduated licensing which restricts things like driving after dark with passengers. He may have got busted for that.
Is she going to make sure her son gets this taken care of? She wouldn’t want a $70 ticket to become a $70 ticket and $300 in fines and an impounded car, or whatever.
Yeah, is her son under 18/on her insurance? It’s especially important that she ask her son and get information from him on what happened.
Just talked to my friend and she is going to put the letter, without comment, on his pillow for him to see when he gets home Thursday. Her son is an adult, with a job, and she doesn’t want to pry, but couldn’t help wondering what ‘restrictions’ meant. … He’s 20-something, has his own insurance and his own car (it was in the shop, so he was driving his mother’s when he got the ticket). She’s afraid he’s getting points on his license because he’s been driving for two years and is apparently crappy at it. Got a speeding ticket for going 5 MPH over the speed limit. Got into a fender bender (no ticket was issued,report made, covered by insurance). Mysterious scrapes and dents show up on his car all the time… I looked up ‘license restrictions’ and the only thing we can think of is he was caught driving without his glasses. She said that is on the back of his license. (and she wonders under what circumstances a cop would issue him a ticket just for driving without corrective lenses? Stopped and caught out at a roadblock? Obviously driving like Mr. Magoo?)…Well, maybe she’ll get the full story Friday. Thank you all for your thoughts.
This isn’t VLT, it’s “N.Y. VAT. LAW” and I don’t know what either means but it seems like the same law.
It does sound like driving without glasses when the license says he needs them would qualify.
Glasses was my guess too, although if he is a shitty driver, maybe his license is already more seriously restricted because of previous moving violations. F’rex, in some jurisdictions when they suspend your license they’ll make an exception for driving to work or school. But if they catch you driving somewhere else, you’re in the soup.
As for why they’d cite him with that, it’s an interesting question. Maybe he got pulled over on suspicion of DUI but blew a clean test – but the cop would then have opportunity to notice he didn’t have his glasses. Or maybe he got stopped for a more typical moving violation and the cop charged him with the restriction violation because it’s easier to prove (although that I doubt, because traffic judged typically take cops testimony as gospel). Or maybe he got charged with both the restriction and the underlying moving violation and pled guilty to one while challenging the other. These are all just guesses.
–Cliffy
If he got a ticket for going 5 mph over the limit then he really IS a bad driver…but my main point here was to mention that in another state, I had, in addition to the very typical “corrective lenses” restriction, a “daytime only” restriction (and I should probably have it now, only I guess my state doesn’t do that). I don’t think the cops ever looked at it, because on a couple of occasions I did get stopped after dark and they didn’t mention it but did mention whatever i was doing that got me stopped (speeding, almost always). I think they would have scrutinized my license ONLY if they really, REALLY wanted to give me a ticket for something, or make a ticket worse.
The last time I was in traffic court a guy was there with a ticket for 5 mph over the limit. The judge (or magistrate, whatever he was) just shook his head and said, “Why do they DO that?” Well, they’ve got the reading on their radar, so they can’t escalate it, and the guy probably gave the cop some lip.
My guess, anyway.
Another potential restriction is if his license was under suspension and they issued it on condition he only drive to/from work (or school).
ETA: If you need glasses, and are driving without them, and the cop says “where’s your glasses,” do you really not know to just say you’re wearing contact lenses? They can’t make you pop your lenses out (because you might lose one, and then where would you be). This is sure what I would have done if I’d ever been caught driving without my glasses, which I never did because frankly, without them I probably couldn’t find my car.
I wonder if the guy might’ve accidentally let it slip that he also didn’t have his glasses - or assumed that would be a lesser offense than telling the truth (was texting/was talking on my cell phone/was looking up directions on the GPS/dropped my pot under the seat accidentally) - and the cop did an impromptu ‘read this for me’ test that the guy flunked?
What, that makes no sense at all!? Contact lenses are not invisible, they can quite easily be seen, especially with a flashlight, without you having to remove them.
Why would anyone resort to lying to a police officer for such a minor infraction? Surely, apologizing and explaining that you misplaced/forgot your glasses would be a more reasonable tact. Why escalate a simple traffic stop by not being open and honest with the officer?
In New York, there are restrictions on when younger drivers can drive. Drivers under 18 are given Junior Licenses and the rules vary depending on the area of the state:
New York City: Cannot drive in NYC.
Long Island: Cannot drive alone unless going to work or school. Can drive anywhere else from 5 AM to 9 PM with a parent or guardian.
Rest of state: Can drive alone from 5 AM to 9 PM; can drive alone to class or work outside those hours; can drive anywhere outside those 5am-9pm with a parent or guardian.
So the kid was stopped for speeding, and had a junior license. Clearly his parent wasn’t with him, and he wasn’t going to work or school.
It happened to me. I was in an accident (rear-ended) and I got a ticket and the guy who hit me did not get cited. I asked the police officer what the ticket was for and he refused to tell me. I had to go to the city building to look up the code.
Are you alleging that the ticket is really old? The guy is over 20.
Maybe he is only 20? According to mcgato’s link there are restiction up until the driver turns 21.