I got into a car accident in April, and the officer noted that my car did not have a current inspection at that time and he gave me a ticket for it.

The officer told me that if I got my car inspected and showed the court then they would drop the ticket. My car was totalled, so I cannot get it inspected now - is there anything I can do to avoid paying for this ticket, or do I have to bite the bullet and pay it?

7/8/2006 11:12:42 AM

hahaha

7/8/2006 11:13:55 AM

How long had it been expired? I'm guessing if you were a couple weeks late and appologize for not getting to it on time, they may let you slide.

7/8/2006 11:25:41 AM

Last inspection was in May '05. I got the car in Sept '05, and by April '06 I still didn't have it inspected, so I figured that I would wait one more month.

7/8/2006 11:29:15 AM

Wait, if the last inspection was in May 05, then it would be due for inspection in May 06. Or do you mean it was due for inspection in May 05 and you bought it in September 05 with a expired inspection?

7/8/2006 11:34:30 AM

I mean that I bought it in Sept '05, and the inspection was already expired.

7/8/2006 11:45:24 AM

if it that long past the date, then you're screwed.

7/8/2006 11:51:41 AM

go back in time and get your car inspected

7/8/2006 12:49:14 PM

This happened to a friend of mine that had to scrap his car in between an inspection ticket and going to court. They wanted proof it was in compliance and he did not have any so he was screwed.

If you have the receipt for turning the plate in and some pictures of it totaled that might work, but im not sure.

7/8/2006 12:50:55 PM

Its too late for you to know this now, but its illegal to sell a car without a current inspection. But as far as I'm concerned, you drove a car for a year with an expired sticker so you should quit trying to weasel out of it and pay up.

7/8/2006 1:02:53 PM

Today's example of the man kicking you while you're down.

Still, you should have had your car inspected. You didn't, so pay the goddamned fine.


^I call bullshit on that. The law only applies to dealers.
http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-183.4C.html

[Edited on July 8, 2006 at 2:13 PM. Reason : .]

7/8/2006 2:05:35 PM

It probably applies to dealers.

7/8/2006 2:13:19 PM

I'm gonna go ahead and say you are screwed. And you should be, you should be charged just because you were enough of an idiot to buy and drive a car with an expired inspection. I woulda def made the guy go get it inspected before I bought it from him. Plus you were a big enough idiot to continue to drive with it expired for several months.

7/8/2006 6:14:03 PM

also, when you get your car inspected they're supposed to punch the sticker for when the inspection was due, not when you get it done

if it's due in September and you get it done in October, they still put September on the sticker (you don't get to drive for free during the expired months), so if your stupid plan of waiting a full year had worked they may have made you pay for the inspection twice

you deserve this ticket, even if there are extenuating circumstances

7/8/2006 6:33:06 PM

I should be charged? hahah. The inspection was only expired by a few months when I bought it. What's wrong with that? The car only needed a clutch and was < $300. Would you pass up on that deal because it was not inspected? Yes it was foolish to not get it inspected during the time I was driving it.

I wanted to make sure that there were no other options available before I paid for the ticket - As I said before, the officer told me that if I got it inspected then I could get the ticket dropped, so I thought maybe there was something I could do since the car was totalled and could never be inspected again.

^ I've had family members who have bought cars expired and then waited until it was a year overdue and they only had to pay for one inspection. Maybe it is just the inspection place my family takes their cars to, they are pretty lax with stuff.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I'll go ahead and pay for the ticket.

7/8/2006 6:56:43 PM

Your fine, just take whatever they give you saying your car has been totaled to the DA and they will drop it. The ticket doesn't say how long it was expired, make it up if you want. Anyway, try to get out of it, inspections are bullshit anyway, just another tax. I've never had any of my cars re-inspected before they expired. In fact it is farely easy to get out of the inspection fine even after the 6 months when they put a block on your license.

7/8/2006 8:21:53 PM

^ thanks! I'll give that a shot.

7/8/2006 9:13:33 PM

^^YOU'RE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[Edited on July 8, 2006 at 9:41 PM. Reason : .]

7/8/2006 9:40:37 PM

Quote :

"The ticket doesn't say how long it was expired, "

Unless the officer screwed up it should

7/9/2006 1:21:44 PM

Quote :

" The inspection was only expired by a few months when I bought it. What's wrong with that? "

You've had almost 9 months to get the damn thing inspected. It's like 15 bucks. Suck it up as an expensive lesson to stay on top of your shit.

7/9/2006 1:25:34 PM

i thought u had to get an up to date inspection just to register a car

7/9/2006 1:45:14 PM

Quote :

"^ I've had family members who have bought cars expired and then waited until it was a year overdue and they only had to pay for one inspection. Maybe it is just the inspection place my family takes their cars to, they are pretty lax with stuff."

That's not tacky at all.

7/9/2006 1:51:29 PM

Its my understanding that after a car is 4 months (I think) late on inspection, you have to pay a hefty fine to the DMV to get it inspected.

Here it is:

Quote :

"Under General Statute 20-183.8A, if a vehicle-owner fails to pass a Safety & Emissions Inspection within four (4) months of the expiration of the existing inspection sticker, the vehicle owner will receive the civil penalty and be unable to renew the registration until the vehicles passes an emissions inspection. You will only receive one (1) official warning letter through the mail within a four (4) month period before the Penalty & Registration Block is actually issued. However, if you are stopped by a law enforcement officer, you are subject to be cited with a traffic ticket any time you are driving the vehicle if the sticker has expired. You will be liable for a $100.00 fee/penalty if you own a 1977-1980 vehicle and a $250.00 fee/penalty if your vehicle is a 1981 or newer model. "

7/9/2006 2:06:31 PM

^ This is true, but they will waive the fine if you bullshit them.

7/9/2006 2:07:28 PM

how were you able to register the vehicle when the inspection sticker was already 4 months expired?

7/9/2006 2:28:37 PM

Someone who thinks it's acceptable to skip an inspection in order to save a few dollars probably isn't concerned with registration and insurance. Just a guess. (But I'm probably wrong since he didn't say he got any tickets for the rest of that stuff.)

VSHAME ON YOU ALL!!!

[Edited on July 9, 2006 at 2:42 PM. Reason : sss]

7/9/2006 2:36:08 PM

Quote :

"how were you able to register the vehicle when the inspection sticker was already 4 months expired?"

LOL i have turned in the plates for my wrangler twice and gotten them back and the last inspection was done in 2003

Now im screwed though because the property tax on it is delinquent and the registration is blocked.

7/9/2006 2:40:08 PM

The inspection information does not make it from one owner to the next after a sale. You could drive forever without getting it inspected unless you got caught. The first time you take it to get inspected, all the records are processed and next time it is overdue, you will get a letter in the mail.

7/9/2006 2:46:34 PM

^So theoretically I should never get my jeep inspected again?

7/9/2006 2:49:57 PM

People that don't get regular inspection, renew car registrations, or let their accounts become deliquent probably shouldn't be driving... or at least get a car they can afford to pay for (other than initial car price)

7/9/2006 4:28:55 PM

^ Actually the vehicle is paid off and is worth less than a thousand dollars dipshit.

7/9/2006 4:39:40 PM

I wasn't talking specifically to you... I was talk about people in general that can barely make their car payments, and can't afford any of the maintenance, up keep, etc.

k? thanks!

7/9/2006 4:43:00 PM

^^Your car is paid for? Congratulations. You're still tacky for cheating the system (and bragging about it).

And my use of the word "tacky" is forgiving.

[Edited on July 9, 2006 at 5:32 PM. Reason : sss]

7/9/2006 5:31:49 PM

Tacky

7/9/2006 5:46:03 PM

by the way, in NC just because you "got away" for an extra year doesn't mean shit - they still make you pay. Voice of experience here - we had about 4 months where we just didn't notice. My "new" inspection was only good for 8 months.

7/10/2006 8:53:19 AM

Quote :

"People that don't get regular inspection, renew car registrations, or let their accounts become deliquent probably shouldn't be driving... or at least get a car they can afford to pay for (other than initial car price) "

getting inspections and renewing registrations cost the same for all new cars.....and how does that affect driving ability anyway?

7/10/2006 9:08:14 AM

Update: I went to court today with a letter from my insurance company saying that my car was totalled, and the DA dropped the ticket

To all the haters: I've learned my lesson, I will keep my car inspected from now on, the pain in the ass of going to the court house is enough motivation.

8/9/2006 10:52:39 AM

Anyone that thinks government mandated inspections are bullshit are idiots.

Personally I feel better knowing that the shitboxes on the highway are street worthy and have working lights, horn, wipers, tires with tread, etc. Last thing I want is some asshole that can't signal, can't see in the rain hydroplanning into me.

Plus it doesn't hurt that they help keep tabs on emissions, which helps to reduce pollution.

I know when you get your car inspected they're not very thorough, but at least its something.

And anyone that owns a car and won't pay $15-30 for a yearly inspection???? WTF?!

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 1:23 PM. Reason : h]

8/9/2006 1:23:05 PM

Quote :

"To all the haters: I've learned my lesson, I will keep my car inspected from now on, the pain in the ass of going to the court house is enough motivation. "

haters
you were the dumbass ride'n dirty

8/9/2006 1:54:51 PM

dammit, I can't fix my grammar

8/9/2006 1:57:54 PM