Last Updated on January 24, 2022 by Lawrence Berezin
Parking ticket success story about a missing front plate
Our friend Joe returned to New York City from Tennessee with his 2013 Prius. After that, he transferred his car registration to the great state of New York. However, one week later, he was staring at his first NYC parking ticket and a missing front plate.
Are you wondering how Joe got himself into this predicament, what he did about it, and why the judge dismissed his ticket?
Joe’s story is inspiring and a Parking Ticket Land lesson to learn.
Joe fought the good fight
Here’s Joe’s certified defense statement:
Dear Honorable Judge,
Joe certified as follows:
He was not guilty of this missing plate parking violation.
Joe grew up south of Knoxville, TN, and moved to NYC in 2011. He went to Tennessee during Covid isolation then moved back to Astoria with a car (a 2013 Toyota Prius).
Joe went on to say
-On December 31, 2021, I transferred the registration for my 2013 Prius from Tennessee to NY State.
-On January 1, 2022, I picked up my car from Pep Boys after they inspected it.
-I attached the new NY State plate to the rear plate holder on my Prius
-However, Tennessee did not require a front plate
-And more importantly, the 2013 Prius did not have a front plate holder
What Joe did next to avoid a parking ticket
-On January 4, 2022, I called Queensboro Toyota to purchase a front plate frame for my Prius
-However, one of the people in the parts department told me that Toyota did not make a plate frame that fit the front of a 2013 Prius. But they would attach the front plate.
-Meanwhile, the Toyota service department was shorthanded due to COVID-19, and the earliest available appointment was on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
In the meantime
-I attached the NY State plate to the front of the Prius on January 4, 2022.
-All was fine until January 11, 2022-I left my apartment about 8 AM, crossed the street, and walked to my parking space in front of 28-41 44th Street.
Auto Zone to the rescue
-There was a parking ticket on my windshield, and my front plate was lying on the street.
-But I didn’t know whether my plate fell off or whether someone played a costly prank and removed it.
-Subsequently, it called Auto Zone. They told me about a “universal” plate frame they said might work.
-The next day, January 12, 2022, I went to Auto Zone, and the “universal” plate frame fit my car.
-Auto Zone helped me attach the frame and front plate.
Due to these circumstances, please dismiss this missing front plate parking ticket.
-Joe hereby certified that my testimony is the truth to the best of my knowledge. I fully understand that if my testimony is willfully false, I am subject to punishment.
-He further certified that the images and photos in the exhibits are true and accurate reproductions of what they purport to represent
Thank you.
Respectfully submitted
Joe Smith
Here are Joe’s Parking Ticket Exhibits
Commentary
I have fought parking tickets for the past 14 years and still love fighting the good fight against unjust violations. Likewise, it has been my experience that most judges do the right thing and dismiss the tickets that deserve to be.
A driver will successfully persuade a judge that a place of occurrence was misdescribed by establishing the location did not exist. Or by proving the rule entered on the ticket did not regulate the place of occurrence on the ticket.
Meanwhile, judges love facts you can prove and a great story. Details are worth their weight in gold. Further, a judge will dismiss a ticket if a driver takes reasonable steps without delay in attaching a plate to her chariot or a registration sticker to his windshield.
In Joe’s case, he told a detailed, certified story, with credible proof, and acted without delay in attaching his front plate. And, he didn’t drive around with a missing plate. Joe’s plate fell off or was removed on the day he got his ticket. Likewise, the judge did the right and fair thing by dismissing the ticket.
However, if your registration expired and you didn’t secure a temporary registration and attach it properly to your windshield, a judge will find you guilty. In the same vein, crying about a delay in receiving your registration or just leaving it on your dashboard is a losing argument.
Be smart and be safe.
Regards,
Larry
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