2004-04-24 - 8:07 p.m.
My car is a month past the time I'm supposed to register it. Not a big deal, because I walk more now that I'm close to work. But we sometimes like to buy groceries, or visit parents (sometimes). So it was in our best interest for me to register the car. Which meant I needed to get car insurance again, which I let run out in October. So I called Geico.
HOWEVER...
Geico informed me that they were unable to insure me at this time because of my suspended license.
"But my license isn't suspended," I informed them.
They took my information a second time before deciding that yes, my license was indeed suspended. And I would need to re-suspend, if you will, my license before insurance would be provided for me. So the next day I called the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Augusta to find out first why my license was suspended, and then why no one told me. I was pretty sure it was a mistake, because I hadn't commited any suspendable offenses in...ever, really.
No mistake, Motor Vehicles informed me. My license has been suspended since June 2003!
"Why?"
"You were pulled over in April 2003 for your overdue inspection sticker. At that time you didn't present proof of insurance. Your license has been suspended for not being insured."
This blew my mind beyond asking reasonable questions, so instead I offered "so when will my license be unsuspended?" ...
"When you get insured."
...
So now I'm stuck in this ridiculous Catch-22. I can't get one without the other. And I have numerous problems with this situation:
1) I HAD INSURANCE! Granted, not the day I was pulled over.. the policy went into effect the next day. I had to go to work regardless. The officer understood. He still put it on the ticket, but nothing more was said. He started asking me about what it was like working at Victoria's Secret. He certainly didn't say "send a copy of your policy to the state or we'll suspend your license indefinitely." Because I would've done it. I thought paying the ticket was my punishment.
2) NO ONE TOLD ME MY LICENSE WAS SUSPENDED! After I sent the ticket money in without insurance, nothing was mailed back to me to inform me that my lack of action on the insurance issue had resulted in my suspension. And it wasn't immediate! It was two months after I received and paid the ticket!
3) I DIDN'T DESERVE WHAT I GOT! They suspend a license for DUI for like 90 days or something. A second offense is maybe a year. My license is suspended indefinitely. And this was the first time this has happened for me! Why so harsh?
4) I'VE BEEN DRIVING ILLEGALLY FOR TEN MONTHS! God forbid I was pulled over, they could've thrown me into jail! It's hard not to drive when you don't know you're not supposed to. Call me crazy, but prison is not my idea of a fun surprise.
I could go on, but all the arguments end up somding the same. I had the insurance to get me out of this mess. Now I have nothing.
But things are going well otherwise.
