Insurance Fraud Meter Maids (Transit Enforcement Agent

Unfortunately, the State of New York only grants a 5 day grace period...other states are more lenient (I think Vermont's is still 30 days).

:-(

I believe if you send in a receipt (that has been stamped within the grace period) within a week or two of the ticket issued you should get a pass. Don't quote me though.

http://www.gridlocksam.com

Here's a littel trick. Contest the ticket on-line or via the mail and they'll automatically reduce the cost of the ticket. So, you end up paying $35 for a $50 ticket. Give it a try. You don't beat the ticket, but you save a few bucks...

And that is why there are different codes for blocking a crosswalk and blocking a pedestrian ramp. The DOT has publicly stated that their research shows that it is more dangerous in some locations with a marked crosswalk as opposed to an unmarked crosswalk. (Did that make sense?) The DOT doesn't like to put marked crosswalks at locations where there are not traffic control devices because without the traffic control device (light or sign) pedestrians are given a false sense of security.

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/cars/insure.html

TEA's have no way to address insurance fraud. And by the way, I see plenty of out of state vehicles get tickets. The problem is that there are less violations to ticket them for. Oot of state vehicles can not be tagged for expired stickers.

SirSterling wrote: I did not intend to be harsh towards the TEA's, it's there job. However, I still do believe that the newer cars are unfairly targeted. When was the last time you saw a ticket on an out of state car?

usually when i a see a ticket on a car in PH, the car has out of state plates. who knows. i think out of state cars also get broken into more often, this is atleast what the police told me. (?)

License plate fraud costs us millions
State report says registration cheats often have no insurance

Sunday, January 14, 2007
By MAURA YATES
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

A new crackdown aimed at fraudulently registered cars in New York City could be on the way, after the state Commission of Investigation released a preliminary report highlighting the growing problem of rate evasion through the use of out-of-state plates.

Between revenue lost from vehicle registration and New York state insurance premiums, phony license plates cost taxpayers millions, said Alfred D. Lerner, a former state Assemblyman and judge who chaired the commission. The city has also been cheated out of millions in unpaid parking, traffic violation, and red-light camera fines, he said, explaining why the preliminary report recommends a crackdown.

The commission's report focused on plates from Pennsylvania, due to the state's proximity and cooperation from law enforcement there.

But the real problem, Lerner argued, is people who "register the vehicles in Pennsylvania, get insurance, pay the first premium and never pay another premium," Lerner said. "So they're essentially riding around with out-of-state plates and no insurance at all."

If someone is injured by a fraudulent out-of-state driver who doesn't have his or her own insurance coverage, "You're on your own," Lerner said. "I can't emphasize how significant that impact is on people who might be injured as a result of one of these drivers."

Even if those "out-of-staters" do have insurance, companies are likely to cancel a policy found to have been applied for with falsified documents, leaving anyone injured in an accident to sue the vehicle owner and hope the owner has adequate funds for compensation.

"If you get hurt by one of these people, who knows what they're going to come up with?" said Jose Roman of Brooklyn, who was visiting his daughter, Elaine Gil of Grasmere.

Fraudulent plates are on the rise in the city, the report found, available to anyone with a relative or friend living in another state willing to fudge the paperwork, or anyone who knows the right people to call. The commission found that more than 1,650 vehicles are currently registered to 14 addresses in Pennsylvania -- an average of 120 vehicles registered to each address.

The fake plates cause huge losses for the insurance industry -- which the industry makes up by charging higher premiums to legitimate policyholders.

Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation has been gradually implementing new regulations to curb out-of-state registrations by requiring valid Pennsylvania driver's licenses or ID cards before titles and registration documents are issued. A PennDOT spokeswoman said out-of-state residents who try to renew their registrations will be advised to comply with residency requirements or transfer ownership to the state where they actually live.

The NYPD arrests anyone in possession of fake registration, insurance, or inspection documents, and impounds vehicles from out of state with at least three money judgments against them, according to the report, which was released last month.

Any Staten Islander recently stuck in traffic can attest to the report's finding that plates most commonly spotted here are from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, and Georgia. In a one-hour drive through residential streets in a range of Staten Island neighborhoods, the Advance spotted more than 50 vehicles bearing license plates from 15 states outside of New York.

It is probable that some of these vehicles belong to visitors. But the report found many out-of-state vehicles were parked in the same spots every day, and others were seen in Manhattan-bound rush-hour traffic coming from Long Island. Then there are the Deep South plates with bumper stickers from schools in the neighborhood.

"It's so brazen," said Lerner, the commission chairman.

Calling for a multistate task force to combat rate evasion, the commission also pushed for the establishment of a telephone hotline and Web site for citizens to report neighbors known to live here, but whose vehicles are sporting fraudulent plates.

Such a move could pit neighbor against neighbor. If one person is paying full price for a New York registration, and the person's dishonest next-door neighbor has a relative in another state, "why should they get that freebie?" Ms. Gil asked.

When you crunch the numbers, it's easy to see the appeal of neighbor-state plates. According to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the Tar Heel state has the lowest auto insurance rates east of the Mississippi River and the fifth-lowest rates in the country, based on 2004 data.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners estimates the average premium for drivers in North Carolina is $597. Compare that to $1,221 in New Jersey, home of the country's highest rates, and New York's second-highest, with an average of $1,171.

"It's not fair," said Patty Loughlin of Dongan Hills, of those who escape paying the full New York rate. "I know some people who pay less than half."

When she sees a glut of Pennsylvania tags in traffic, "It makes me feel angry," she said. "I'm one of the people who has to pay the high rates."

Maura Yates covers transportation news for the Advance. She may be reached at [email protected].

Bottom line is that even if your car is properly registered and insured in another state, you are required to register your car in NY within 30 days of moving into the State. Most people fail to do this, and for some reason, the State has not chosen to crack down on out of state registered cars in any real way. Its not just a problem in NYC (its actually a bigger problem in the southern tier near the PA border), but throughout the state.

Also, for those of you riding in the Bk black cars and gypsy cabs, a cab driver told me that any cabs you see in Bk with out of state plates are most likely uninsured. He cautioned me about getting into one after we were almost struck by a cab with Pa plates on Eastern Pkwy.

Painted curbs mean nothing. The only thing a painted curb does is make it more visible. There is also no requirement for signs indicating a pedestrian ramp. SirSterling, was the summons for a crosswalk or a pedestrian ramp? There is no summons for blocking a "pedestrian crossing." Pedestrian crossings are often used without marked crosswalks at intersections in which one of the streets comes to an end such as at the intersection of St. John's and St. Francis. One the north side of St. Johns there is a mid-block pedestrian ramp. There are no signs, no paint on the curb and no marked crosswalks. However, if you block the ramp then you get a summons.