When I stop a car, the first thing I ask the driver is if they have their license. One common answer to this question is "No. Not right now."
So, you're saying you have a license, but you don't have it with you?
No.
No you don't have it with you, or no that's not what you're saying?
I don't have one right now.
This conversation generally leads to the revelation that the driver does not have, and has never had a California driver license, or that their license is suspended.
Very rarely does a driver flat out tell me "I don't have a license" or "my license is suspended".
It's like people think if they dance around the truth without actually telling me, it's going to make the issue go away. I often wonder if this has worked for folks before, because so many people handle it in that manner.
Sorry. Doesn't work with me...
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I told him I'd lost it, and by that I meant that I'd physically lost it. I had expired plates as well, and I had no money. He, a Sargent, let me off with a stern talking to and a warning that I could go to jail for that. I think I was 18 or 19 at the time.
It took me a month, but I saved up the money and got plates and a license. It wasn't easy.
“Not Right Now” is probably their answer to most questions.
For example………….
Should you legally be on the road?
Not Right Now.
If you had an accident do you think your insurance company will cover you?
Not Right Now.
Have you given a single thought about other road users?
Not Right Now.
Did you think you were going to get away with this?
Not Right Now.
Do you think your future is looking good?
Not Right Now.
Do you have an IQ higher than a garden slug?
Not Right Now.
Well done in getting these idiots off the road. Keep up the good work.
I notice a lot of people on tv try to stall by asking a lot of "what?" questions.
"If this is your friend's car, what's your friend's name?"
"What?"
"Are there any drugs in your car?"
"What?"
Never works on TV either.
Which around here is frequently accompanied by the "suspended shuffle" as they pat all the pockets in their clothing while answering, as if the DMV fairy will suddenly deposit a valid license while I wait...
Hello Officer Smith,
I'm just curious about how you would handle the following:
It's a few years in the future, maybe 2012 or so, and in the wake of Real ID, getting a new or renewed license on the spot has become a thing of the past. Since databases need to be checked, we go back to the "old days" and give the driver a cardboard temporary license s/he can use for a specified number of days while the real one is mailed.
You pull over a driver, who gives you such a temporary license - that expired a couple of days before. He explains that he rents a room, and his landlady has ordered all the mail held at the Post Office while she's away on a trip.
What do you do? Does it matter whether or not a ticket for failing to hand over a license on demand carries points as well as a fine?
Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Jeff Deutsch
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