REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

_Hotsauce_ · 12-28-2008, 11:22 AM

A friend got pulled over last night and was ticked $81 for not having her license with her. One of my friends said it might be possible to take your D/L down to the police station with in a certain time and have the ticked removed.

I guess I don't understand why if they can look up information on the computer, ie if you have a license, why do they ticket you when you don't have it with you?

Soundy · 12-28-2008, 12:15 PM

Because the law says you have to have it with you when you're driving.

shenmecar · 12-28-2008, 12:28 PM

yeah, it was probably the first thing the examiner said to me after i passed the road test. Always keep your license with you when you drive!

_Hotsauce_ · 12-28-2008, 12:54 PM

Why don't cops at road blocks check to see if EVERYONE has their license with them? Shouldn't they be checking every vehicle to ensure the law is enforced?

Soundy · 12-28-2008, 01:39 PM

Because they're out to get YOU. They have your picture on the wall in the squad room with a big caption that says PICK ON HOTSAUCE.

skidmark · 12-28-2008, 07:49 PM

I know that I used to do roadchecks for the sole purpose of asking drivers to produce their licenses. Sometimes it was the only way to find prohibited drivers.

Police don't get a picture with your driver's license information, so the best way to be sure it is you is to compare the picture on your license to you. Yeah, I know, in this day and age you wouldn't expect this to be the way it is.

zulutango · 12-28-2008, 07:59 PM

It is called "personation". You give somebody else's name address & birth date when stopped and you have no DL or are prohib or don't want the ticket. Usually a family member or good friend's name. using your brother's name is good because you likely are somewhat similar physically and have the same code word. Then the real driver gets a shock when trying to renew his Dl or vehicle license because of unpaid tickets. Then I get a letter from the MVB telling me a personation is alleged. I then spend about 2-3 months trying to see who really was driving...you bet your bippy I issue VTs for fail to produce. Tired of wasting my time. Every personation I ever had was from a non-produced DL where the deceptive driver knew the right answers. I started taking pictures and that reduced all but the most brazen liars.

underscore · 12-28-2008, 10:16 PM

^ they should let you print people when they fail to produce their license.

Soundy · 12-28-2008, 11:49 PM

^^Or take a DNA sample. "Open wide, please!"

seakrait · 01-01-2009, 06:32 PM

we're only allowed to take prints and DNA from people who are charged and/or convicted of a CCC, i'm pretty sure. a traffic offence of not having one's license with them does not warrant fingerprinting or collection of a DNA sample...

Graeme S · 01-01-2009, 07:41 PM

I have my DL number memorized, and $81 is not that bad.

impactX · 01-01-2009, 07:44 PM

Unless the officer has reasonable and probable ground to believe that the subject is lying about his/her name thus recommending to charge him/her for obstruction... Even then, if he/she had no previous crim record, nothing will show up. It's really up to the officer's investigation to find out his/her identity.

And with the Judge's Order/Authorization/Warrant to take DNA samples for the purpose of National DNA Data Bank, they often require a blood sample instead of hair/saliva... and it's the toughest one to take especially when it comes to the point where you need to use as much force as necessary to take a GOOD sample AND fingerprint them.

haha way off topic

Five-Oh · 01-01-2009, 09:35 PM

Perfect example from about a month ago. I stopped a car because when I ran the plate it showed a person associated to the vehicle had an expired drivers license and had already received a ticket for it. So basically I stopped the car just to ensure the driver of the vehicle was licensed.

So when I spoke with the driver, he had "forgot" his license at home but was able to answer all of my questions perfectly because he had given me his brothers name. I wasn't satisfied as to his identity just because he did not have any photo identification on him and I pressed the issue more. Eventually, after some discussion and me catching him in a few different lies, he admitted he had lied about who he was and that he didn't have a drivers license.

If I had just taken his word on who he said he was right off the bat, I would have issued the ticket to the wrong person. If there was no fine for not having your drivers license on you, there would be nothing to stop everybody on the road from giving a fake name to the police when stopped in order to avoid a ticket. Or even worse, you might get into an accident with somebody and they give you a fake name.

smoothie. · 01-01-2009, 11:48 PM

Would leaving a photocopy of a dl in my car be a good backup?

Could it get me out of that fine?

tkdwns89 · 01-02-2009, 12:44 AM

^ i doubt it..
it that was allowed there'd probably be even more non-licensed drivers on the road. because people can just photoshop their friend/relatives DL with their picture.

skidmark · 01-02-2009, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothie.

Would leaving a photocopy of a dl in my car be a good backup?

It's better than nothing, but it is not a legal license to produce so you could still be ticketed and convicted for failing to produce.

faceless_el · 01-07-2009, 12:06 PM

skidmark,

but what if we're unaware that we lost our driver's license(let's say we're unware the wallet dropped out of our pockets as we step in the car) or just honestly forgot it at home. how do you approach that (as a cop) and how should we go on and explain that (as a motorist) to the cop.

have you had a situation were the motorist left their license at home and suggested that both you and him drive back home so he can get the license and show you.

what would you do anyways?

_Hotsauce_ · 01-07-2009, 12:08 PM

^
That was the case with us, we had gone out for dinner and were on our way home, But due to the fact that its the law, I don't think it really matters.

CRS · 01-07-2009, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Hotsauce_

^
That was the case with us, we had gone out for dinner and were on our way home, But due to the fact that its the law, I don't think it really matters.

Ding ding ding!

You don't have a license. Negligence is not an excuse for breaking the law (neither is ignorance).

zulutango · 01-07-2009, 02:19 PM

Apply for a court date, attend and tell the JP you are guilty (you ARE), explain what happened & request a fine reduction. It's called '''guilty with an explanation". IF the JP believe you, he can reduce or even suspend the fine $$. Worth a shot.

skidmark · 01-07-2009, 08:29 PM

I tried to decide each case based on the situation I found myself in. Not all drivers got a ticket for failing to produce but some certainly did. Usually it depended on how much hassle it was to determine who the driver was for me.

sho_bc · 01-07-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faceless_el

skidmark,

but what if we're unaware that we lost our driver's license(let's say we're unware the wallet dropped out of our pockets as we step in the car) or just honestly forgot it at home. how do you approach that (as a cop) and how should we go on and explain that (as a motorist) to the cop.

have you had a situation were the motorist left their license at home and suggested that both you and him drive back home so he can get the license and show you.

what would you do anyways?

Because we all want to drive back to someone's house so that they can get something that they should have had with them in the first place.... What if they're pulled over in Steveston, and they live in North Vancouver? Are we supposed to drive with them up to N. Van?

Most people are upset enough that we're "wasting their time" by pulling them over in the first place, I doubt they'd be happy about wasting more time by having us go with them to their house and wait while they searched for their wallet.

If someone doesn't have their licence, I do all that I can to verify they are who they say they are, ticket them for whatever the reason was I stopped them as well as for failing to produce licence. Takes me all of 10-15 minutes for the entire thing, and they're on their way (if they actually are licenced to drive).