what to do about a parking ticket

Philip_G · 05-14-2003, 06:21 PM

here's a question for you.
when I first got my WRX I forgot to hang my parking garage temp tag in the window and got a ticket, it's been over 2 months and I kind of forgot to pay it.

So, the car didn't have plates on it, but the guy wrote down the VIN #. I've since been pulled over (2 days ago) and nothing came up on the VIN when he ran it.

I'll never title the car in this state, so should I pay the ticket or no?
I'm thinking I'll put the face value in cash in an envelope and mail the ticket in anonymously

Bruce Hedtke · 05-14-2003, 06:36 PM

I assume the vehicle was financed? In parking ticket cases (and perhaps fines in general), if the owner doesn't pay, those fines get sent to the lien holder to be paid. Perhaps they paid the ticket but you haven't gotten a notice from them to pay it back. That might vary depending on city or state. When I lived in a small town named New London, the city govenment would send me notices about unpaid parking tickets. When I moved to Appleton, those notices came from my lender, saying they had paid the fine and I had to repay them.
Or maybe you just lucked out.

Bruce

Kirk Gunn · 05-14-2003, 06:39 PM

Tickets can come back to haunt you in a big way. I got a speeding ticket in Maine in my mother's car many years ago. I didn't live in Maine, the car was registered in Mass, and I was shortly moving to Florida. I thought "Big Deal", I'm not paying...

Fast forward almost 10 yrs later, I'm then living in Maryland and trying to renew my car registration (with only 5 days before they expire). No WAY - unpaid ticket in Maine ! I had renewed my MD registration 3 times before this, but Maine finally got on a computerized system with reciprocity in MD....

Killer thing was the fine was still only 35.00 (10 yrs later), no additional penalty or interest. I mailed it via USPS P1 to their Postal Box, at which point they had to mail it their Motor Vehicle Administration and then they mailed the receipt via snail mail to me in MD.

While some states allow parking tickets to expire, in these days of budget woes, reciprocity and computerized systems, do NOT count on it. They will eventually track the VIN to your title/tag, then to your driver's license #. And they will get you when you can least afford it.

Philip_G · 05-14-2003, 06:55 PM

the car hadn't even been registerred to me. Well, I'll put the (doubled) fine in the envelope and mail it in anonymously. They say after 10 whole days they issue a warrant, but like I said my VIN had been run 2 days ago by a city cop (couldn't see my temp tag and pulled me over for no plates)
the car is being registerred in another state and I'm moving out of this state anyway. Perhaps they'll catch up with me, perhaps not. I'd imagine they'll be happy to get the 30 bucks and call it good.

Jagan Seshadri · 05-14-2003, 08:43 PM

Now that you've put this online, I'd pay it.

-JNS

**HTF Ads**

Philip_G · 05-14-2003, 09:36 PM

haha.
supposedly there's a warrant out by now, oooooooh scary. since it's been beyond 10 days. I'll send them their 30 bucks and they'll have to be happy with it I suppose.

Ted Lee · 05-14-2003, 09:49 PM

yup, 30 bucks is totally worth your peace of mind.

i blew off several tickets and when i finally got pulled over (for expired tags) they ended up impounding my car cuz i had a warrant out for my arrest (for the unpaid parking tickets).

because i had the warrant, they were allowed to keep my car the max number of days. plus i had to pay late fees for all the unpaid parking tickets.

bottom line for me? somewhere around 1500 bucks. plus, since i (obviously) had no money at the time i had to sell my stereo gear to come up with the money!

boy - i learned my lesson that day....

Leila Dougan · 05-14-2003, 09:59 PM

In 1992 my mother and I were driving through Canada in a rental car on a week long trip. On the lonely road between Calgary and Regina, we were going a bit fast and ended up getting a ticket. Not being from Canada my mother never paid it.

Five years later she got a letter in the mail (she lives in New Mexico) saying that because of the unpaid ticket, a warrant was out for her arrest and that she was unwelcome in the country. If she was found trying to cross the border, she'd be immediately taken into custody!

Funny thing is, she still didn't pay the ticket and successfully drove across the border later that year. So far, she hasn't heard anything else (and she hasnt' moved or anything).

The threat was scary but not everybody gets off so easily.

Shane Bos · 05-14-2003, 10:47 PM

yeah HWY 1 between Calgary and Regina is a great place to speed for the most part it's straight and flat.

Cam S · 05-15-2003, 12:04 AM

Hey guys, I need some advice.

I just got letter in the mail from Impark, saying I owe $50 from a parking violation back in early 2003, the thing is, I don't remember EVER getting a parking ticket of any sort from Impark. I never signed anything, so how can they prove anything? There is NO WAY I'm going to just hand over 50 bucks when I never even saw the ticket, it just seems stupid. I also remember hearing that Impark has no jurisdiction, or something like that, and to just ignore the fines. If I DID get the ticket, then fine, I'll pay, but I never saw the ticket.

Any ideas as to what I should do guys?