Yahoo Autos Police Chief Stops Car for Tags That Expired 24 Years Ago
A driver in Maine found himself in hot water in early September after police spotted him driving a car with expired tags. Really, really, really expired tags, actually: the license plate's registration sticker dated back to the year 2000, which, as hard as it may be to believe, was 24 years ago.
Police ticketed the driver, towed the car, and explained the proper steps to register it, Maine-based news outlet WABI reported.
According to WABI, Holden Police chief Eddie Benjamin was on U.S. Route 1A when he noticed a car being driven with an out-of license plate that was expired. When the officer asked the driver why his plate's sticker dated back to the era when Bill Clinton was still president, he reportedly explained that he was from out-of-state, and had come to Maine in order to purchase the car. The former owner of the car took the plate off during the transaction, the driver reportedly told Benjamin, and the new owner didn’t know what to do — so, instead of obtaining a temporary registration, he said he slapped an old license plate he had with him onto the vehicle.
After receiving a citation and having his newly acquired car hauled away, Benjamin said he gave the visiting driver an education on Maine's laws. Driving a car with tags that have been expired for 24 years could be grounds for tax evasion charges, according to the chief; however, he said he decided against it in this case.
"He was out of state, and he didn’t know the laws. So, we just made sure he got the proper steps to register the car,” Benjamin said, according to WABI. Consider this a friendly reminder: whenever you buy a new vehicle, make sure you know how to get it home legally.
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