Robert E. Shlafer wrote:
>Either way, the registration becomes invalid unless proof of insurance is
>provided.
>
Unfortunately, this only works in an honest society. In California, for
example, your license plates never change. When you pay your
reigstration (actually most of it is a property tax) and provide proof
of insurance, you get a small 1"x2" colored sticker with the year of
expiration that is stuck on the upper right corner of the plate. That
tag is virtually unquestioned proof that your car is registered and insured.
Fine and well, except that scofflaws don't pay any attention. Some will
actually get insurance, and after they receive their tags, they simply
cancel it. Oh, yes, the Department of Motor Vehicles may ask for it
back, but they are never forthcioming.
The other scheme is to, usually in the dark of the night, peel the
sticker off a legitimately registered vehicle and stick it to the
scofflaw's uninsured plate. (I was an unsuspecting victim until I was
pulled over for not having a current sticker.) Many people have taken
to using a razor blade to cut lines in the sticker to make it more
difficult to peel off. Unfortunately, the scofflaws have become adept
at peeling off the strips.
If anyone is stopped and the scheme detected, no big deal. They can
only be cited for having no current registration, and if the tag had
been stolen, they are cited for petty theft.
The simple reality is that these scofflaws are somehow caught, they are
back in Mexico by sunup! Like the guy who smashed into my wife's van,
but had a driver's license (available on the street for a few bucks) and
had proof of insurance (which he had not paid for and was canceled by
the company).
Buster Evans
Anaheim, California (60% illegal)
|