Suspended License
In today’s adventures in moving violations, I go to the DDS incorrectly identified by me as the DMV, and attempt to renew my expired license. Surprisingly, the people there were quite pleasant. They appeared to enjoy the teens trooping through to blunder their drivers license exams, along with the other clueless such as myself, who forget their own birthdays and documents which expire on said birthday.
I would probably have been in and out in thirty minutes, except, oh wait come back, I’ll need that license. Thanks. It’s suspended.
What?
Apparently, some miscommunication occurred between the now City of Milton, formerly City of Alpharetta, about the massive fine I paid them. The DDS, formerly DMV has record of the violation, not the payment. Therefore, I’ve been driving around on a suspended license.
So, I call directory assistance, get the wrong number, call back and finally get the City of Milton. (Which means I now have to call Verizon to get my bill corrected. Ugh.) They say, oh yes, you paid it. They were quite put out that I wanted them to fax that information to the DDS, as they have it in their records that it had already been reported.
That would be great, except I was standing in the DDS unable to renew my license. The woman grudgingly agreed to fax the receipt over.
Meanwhile, proof of my payment and reinstated license – apparently, three days between payment being made and entering the computer – was found at DDS, but not where it was supposed to be. And another thirty minutes and I’m out the door with a new, hideous drivers license photo good for ten years.
I think I provided the morning DDS entertainment. Because some bumbling housewife with a suspended license is different than a teenager failing their behind the wheel driving exams.
Note to self: keep all receipts of paid fines for future reference, and bring them with you if you ever go to DDS.
Come home and see note from SIL to effect that bench warrants are standard for unpaid fines and extradition is based on mileage – so, extradition from Georgia for a traffic violation would be ridiculous, extradition from New York would be, well, easy cheap and close. Right. After morning DDS experience, I should probably clear that up.
Search online, have no idea where I got ticket, and am not entirely sure what year. All of the counties keep their records separate. Call SIL. Call DMV type agency in New Jersey, who informs me that they would have issued the warrant to Georgia, who would have in turn notified me.
Okay, so good. But… ticket will still be on the books somewhere in New Jersey and anything related to it, just not at the DMV. The lady telling me had that bored bureaucrat voice, like she wondered what kind of dumbass would be calling her a decade after a ticket to inquire about it.
Trust me lady, I’ll stay out New Jersey if at all possible.
Oh, and State of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is what it’s called. And it is voice mail Hell.
I didn’t have this much trouble getting a passport.
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