China Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 'NOTAG' Tags Bring a Flood of Tickets By MARY ALLEN Staff reporter 07/22/2004 Jim Cara wanted a vanity license tag that would make people laugh. But when he chose "NOTAG" for the plate on his Suzuki Hayabusa, a sleek blue and silver motorcycle with a speedometer that reaches 220 mph, the joke backfired. The new tag arrived Saturday under an avalanche of Wilmington parking violations. "All the traffic tickets say, 'Notice of violation. License number: no tag,' " Cara said. City computers, talking to state Division of Motor Vehicles computers, had finally found an address for ticketed vehicles that lacked license tags: Cara's home in Elsmere. "I messed up the system so bad," Cara said. "I wonder if they can put me in jail or something?" He has received more than 200 violation notices. The mail carrier came twice on Saturday. Cara opened a few. They ranged from $55 to $125 for violations such as meter expirations. Cara, 43, who works for the American Motorcycle Association, said he's been a lifelong prankster. This time, though, "the cleanup is going to be worse than the joke," he said. At first, "I was scared to go out with it," Cara said of the Suzuki. So he called Wilmington police Saturday and said he gave the desk sergeant a chuckle. Then he called the city this week. John Rago, communications director for Mayor James M. Baker, said an incorrect computer code used by the contractor that processes the city's parking violations helped land the tickets in Cara's mail. City officials planned to have it corrected Wednesday, he said. Wilmington appeared to be the only jurisdiction with the no-tag computer glitch, said Kelly Pitts, spokeswoman for the state Transportation Department, which oversees the motor vehicle division. Delaware traffic officials screen applications for vanity tags primarily to prevent motorists from obtaining vulgar phrases on their license plates, she said. Cara's choice, while quirky, isn't distasteful. Though it appeared Cara's problem was being resolved, Pitts said Cara's best insurance against future problems would be to change the "NOTAG" plate. But Cara loves it. "I want to keep it," he said. "I think it's awesome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 :doh: That's too funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I'm guessing his idea of changing his name to "Current resident" is a bad one, too. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmdixon Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 John Rago, communications director for Mayor James M. Baker, said an incorrect computer code used by the contractor that processes the city's parking violations helped land the tickets in Cara's mail. City officials planned to have it corrected Wednesday, he said. In other words, the software developer did not test for this particular instance, and didn't use any nonstandard combination of characters to handle a "NO TAG" situation (you know, underscores, etc. - stuff you can't put on a license plate). :doh: Now *THAT* person (the developer) is a moron - sorry gang, I'm a developer too so I can say it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I can't even imagine what would happen if it was VA DMV! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmdixon Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Originally posted by riggins44 I can't even imagine what would happen if it was VA DMV! Oh lordy. Or how about WMATA (DC Metro)? They'd find a wya to screw it up even if the system had been tested 15 days to Sunday. ::sigh:: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Originally posted by riggins44 I can't even imagine what would happen if it was VA DMV! they would have insisted he deserved the tickets. or try to outlast him by having him pass messages from teller to teller by getting in and out of line all day long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 I'd heard a similar story, about 15 years ago, (when I lived in NoVa), involving DC plate "NONE". This might be a thread that needs to be hijacked into a "licence plates I've seen" thread. My brother swears he once saw "KGB SPY" on 123 in Viena. The security guard (a retired cop) at the HS my mom taught at, had "WUZ FUZ". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.